Historic Downtown Charm; The Story of Litchfield

Without the railroad there likely would be no Litchfield.  Litchfield is a town of 6,624 people located in central Minnesota along highways 12 and 24.  The earliest settlers in the area arrived in the 1850s and they formed the town of Forest City.  The settlement of Forest City was established in the mid 1850s.  When the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad, later called St. Paul and Pacific and then the Great Northern, came through the area in 1869 they set up a water stop where Litchfield currently is.  Many of the Forest City settlers relocated to Litchfield to be near the railroad.  Litchfield was named for Electus Bachus Darwin Litchfield.  He was a contractor, an investor, and a stockholder in the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.

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To help tell the story of Litchfield I was joined by Danelle Erickson and Sandy Johnson from the Meeker County Museum and GAR Hall, former Litchfield Mayor Keith Johnson, and long time residents Kim Dolan and former Litchfield chamber director Judy Hulterstrum.

Danelle Erickson says some of the buildings from Forest City were moved to Litchfield in 1869.  Sandy Johnson says one of the buildings is still in Litchfield.  It is a residence now and is located on North Ramsey.  She says at one time it was the Meeker County Courthouse.  Erickson indicates many of the early settlers were of German or Scandinavian descent.  The GAR Hall in Litchfield has numerous pictures and bios of early settlers who came to the area after the civil war.

Erickson says Litchfield in the early days was a town that supported the farmers in the area and continues to do that today.  Keith Johnson says manufacturing really increased the growth of the town.  He says when he arrived in the 1960s it was a town of 5,400 and now he says it is closer to 7,000.  Key businesses included a Land O Lakes, a lumber company, Jenni-O, Custom Products, Towmaster, Agri-Systems West, and Anderson Chemical. Hulterstrum says many of these businesses are family based.

On the south side of Litchfield is Lake Ripley.  Keith Johnson says only 1/3 of the lake is inhabited by residents but there is a walking and biking path around the lake.  He says there are 10-12 lakes within a 10-mile radius of the area. Kim Dolan recalls the downtown being full of businesses with numerous hotels, grocery stores, butcher shops, drug, hardware and clothing stores, and a gas station on every corner. Sandy Johnson says Litchfield also had 2 pool halls and 2 movie theaters.  She says one is still operating.  Just north of Litchfield they have a drive line theater called Starlite Drive-in.

Keith Johnson says they have buildings downtown designated in the national register of historic buildings.  In 1874 Central Park was given to the community by the railroad.  Johnson says the park is used often for numerous events. He believes the gazebo in the park was built in the 1920s and has been renovated many times.  Johnson says he used to direct band concerts in the gazebo from 1967 to 1989.  Litchfield is also the county seat for Meeker County.

Notable people from Litchfield include surgeon Dr. William Nolen, former Gopher football coach Bernie Bierman, former Viking tight end John Carlson, musician and entertainer Wally Pikal, U.S. Army 4-star general John W. Foss and long time St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis.

Hulterstrum says one of the great things about Litchfield is the proximity to St. Cloud, Willmar, Hutchinson and the Twin Cities.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Kim, Judy, Keith, Sandy and Danelle, it is available below.