ARGYLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Argyle Historical Society had a great year last year. Construction on our new addition has been going well. We have the east side close to being finished! We are planning to have all the plumbing done by June, so we will be able to use the facilities for Meet Your Neighbor Day. We hope to have the Genealogical Library useable by the end of summer. Last year we raised $18,716.00. We are hoping to raise close to that amount this year as well. We would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Historical Society. We would like to thank all contractors who have worked on the building. We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who have worked on the building or for our fundraisers. They have all done a great job, and their contributions have made the addition a great asset for the community. We have received two grants over the last year. One from the Minnesota Historical Society Legacy Grant. This was $6,383 for a Microfilm Viewer and Microfilm of the Marshall County Banner. This will be in our Library. We also received a grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation. This was $5,200 for a chair lift and installation. We will install this in the new addition to access the Depot building. A special thanks to Colleen Radeke who wrote both of the applications for these grants. We continue to have items donated to the Museum. We received a 3-wheeled Velocipede hand car from Mr. and Mrs. Emil Bedard. Mrs. Maurice Benson donated a chopping block, that came from the Gast Meat Market. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Yutrzenka donated a desk for our Library. We also have been receiving pictures and family histories. Please remember to donate a copy of your family history and family pictures, or pictures of the Argyle area. We want everyone who had anything to do with this area to have their history in the museum. We would like to invite anyone who is interested to join the Argyle Historical Society. Dues are only $5.00 a year. We need new members to be involved with our museum. Mason Sundby, one of our younger members, built a flower garden in front of the Depot, and he also suggested an Ice Cream Social in July. We tried that last year, and it worked out great. Hannah LaBine, also one of our younger members, is working on starting a Facebook page for the museum. Check it out. Remember that everyone is welcome to be part of the Argyle Historical Society.
Board Members: HISTORY Before James J. Hill bought the Great Northern Railway in 1879 and accepted the task of completing the line from Crookston to the Canadian border, there already was a settler located on the area of the Middle River where Argyle is today. The man was a French Canadian named Gervais, and that's not surprising since the French Canadians had been coming to the Red River Valley since the beginning of the 1800s. Gervais was cunning, and he had staked a claim right in the path of the railway line and called his community Louisa in honor of the French king. However, the James J. Hill gang outsmarted Gervais and located their railroad town just south of the Gervais property and subsequently south of the river and named the town Argyle. Argyle was incorporated in 1883. Because it is located all to one side of the river, it was relatively easy to dike off several years ago, so the community is safely protected from any threat of flooding. When the dike was built in 1988, the last of the "French town" located on the river was bought out with federal program dollars and the last vestiges of Gervais town disappeared. The early settlement included a large number of French Canadians. A school and hospital was started in Argyle by the Sister of St. Joseph, who came from France. The first general store was started by a Verbonceur, who arrived by train from St. Paul, Minn. Other settlers included immigrants from England, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Scotland, and Germany. Olson and Holen started a department store, which was popular for a radius of many miles during the early part of the century. The early townspeople and businessmen were always anxious to make Argyle an attractive community to the region Today the community still boasts of several businesses, which draw customers from the regional area. The ads in this newsprint reveal several businesses, which depend on the region to support a healthy commerce. At the same time, the strategic location of Argyle makes it a great place to raise a family and commute to one of the larger regional communities located within 45 minutes of Argyle. back to City Services
City of Argyle — PO Box 288 — Argyle, MN 56713 —
(218) 437-6621
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