Local History & Genealogy
Please note:
Our libraries are located in Lyon County, with our main building located in the City of Marshall, MN. If you’re looking for information about Marshall County, MN, you may wish to contact a library in the Northwest Regional Library System: nwrlib.org.
Our Marshall location has a variety of resources related to the history of Lyon County, surrounding counties, and Minnesota as a whole.
Historical newspapers on Microfilm
- Balaton Bystander : April 6, 1900-September 1, 1900
- Cottonwood Current : April 24, 1897- December 29, 1911
- Lyon County News : May 28, 1879-January 9, 1885 *
- Lyon County Independent : August 29, 1940-June 2, 1955
- Marshall Prairie Schooner : August 23, 1873-September 24, 1875 *
- Marshall Messenger : October 1, 1875-December 19, 1884 *
- Marshall News Messenger : January 16, 1885-June 29, 1928 *
- Marshall Messenger Daily : May 2, 1938-September 3, 1940, July 26, 1955-August 6, 1973
- Marshall Messenger Independent : August 6, 1973-August 30, 1974
- Marshall Independent : September 4, 1974- [present, with an approximately 6 month delay].
Several historical Lyon County newspapers (indicated with *) are also available digitally through the Minnesota Historical Society.
Yearbooks
- Marshall High School Marhian (Marshall Public Schools) [view years available]
- Marshall Junior High yearbook (Marshall Public Schools) [view years available]
- Marshall Elementary Schools yearbook (Marshall Public Schools) [view years available]
- Lakefield Public School Lakers yearbook [view years available – at Cottonwood branch only]
Cemetery records for Lyon County
Selected plat, Polk, and phone books
Family Tree magazine
Minnesota History magazine
Roots magazine
Minnesota Room Collection
- includes local publications, historical publications, and other regional interest books
Online Resources
- Minnesota State Historical Society
- eLibrary MN (ELM)
- Minnesota Reflections Digital Image Library
- Ancestry.com resource database (available only on computers within the Marshall library building)
Still need more information?
Other local organizations may have what you need.