Lyon County Historical Museum

The Lyon County Historical Museum is located at 301 West Lyon Street in downtown Marshall.

Explore Lyon County's rich and varied history dates back to its earliest known inhabitants, the Sisseton branch of the Dakota Sioux nation.

Lyon County was organized in 1870 in Lynd. Two years later a land grant to the railroad changed the county seat to Marshall. The Historical Society showcases the history of the entire county, from its land grant beginning to today.

Eye-catching exhibits enhance the visitors understanding of the importance of rural and village communities in the county's development.

The center piece of the museum's collection is the Schwan's Dairy Lunch Counter, a real 1950's ice cream and soda fountain counter. The cabin was dismantled and then reassembled inside the museum building. Another display showcases and preserves the pop-culture of the 1960s.

Future Plans

The Lyon County Historical Society exists to preserve and to present to future generations the history of the county and area. To accomplish this we operate a museum located in downtown Marshall and have small auxiliary buildings located on the grounds of the West Side Elementary School and the Lyon County fairgrounds. We have outgrown the present museum site so are presently in search of a larger permanent home that will allow us to program exhibits for children and adults. For example, we would like space to put our 1950's style soda fountain back into action as an actual working display and to have classroom space available for school, club and other organizations to use as they learn about history here in Southwest Minnesota. Any and all help in obtaining a new facility would be very much appreciated.

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