Life in Worthington, MN

Adrian is a small but progressive community located in the western portion of Nobles County in Southwestern Minnesota. The City was established in 1876 as an expansion of the St. Paul-Dakota Railroad and was named in honor of Adrian Iselin, the mother of one of the railroad company's directors. Over the years, Adrian has maintained a solid economic base due to its agricultural ties and the many businesses that provide employment.

The City of Rushmore was established in 1878 by George Seney, as a result of the railroad expanding from Worthington to Sioux Falls. Home to 342 people. Our city is defined less by boundaries on a map than by the sense of shared values our residents hold dear.  We take pride in maintaining a wholesome lifestyle, rich in cultural history, along with a deep commitment to the preservation of our environment and a progressive approach to local business.

In the City of Wilmont, we are defined less by boundaries on a map than by the sense of shared values our residents hold dear. Small town values, guided growth, preservation of historical, cultural, and natural heritage are just a few of the core principles that makes City of Wilmont a wonderful place to call home.

The municipality of Round Lake comprises territory of approximately 520 acres and has a present population of 375 with approximately 200 households. Round Lake was a creation of the Rock Island Railroad. The plat for the new town was filed with the Nobles County Register of Deeds on December 29th, 1882. The city is surrounded by land that is gently rolling with several beautiful lakes including Round Lake, Indian Lake, Iowa Lake, Illinois Lake (Plum Slough), and Lake Ocheda. Fishing and water sports are primary recreational activities in this area. Round Lake is also located 25 miles from the Spirit Lake Okoboji area which is known as one of the finest recreational areas in the upper mid-west. 

The City of Ellsworth was founded in the fall of 1884.  It came into existence as a direct result of the building of the Burlington Railroad through this part of the country. The City received its name in honor of Eugene Ellsworth, one of the stockholders and directors of the Burlington Railroad. Ellsworth resides in Grand Prairie Township. Grand Prairie Township is so named due to the beautiful lay of the land AND was established in October of 1873. Currently the census of Ellsworth is 497 residents.   Ellsworth is a farming community with diligent, honest people.

The town of Bigelow was the third community to come into existence in Nobles County. Bigelow remained nothing more than that - a spot on a map - until the spring of 1872, when the tracks of the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway reached the site of the present-day town. A railroad depot was constructed in September 1872, and Mr. S. O. Morse assumed duties as station agent. He went into partnership with a man named Frothingham, and the two established a small grocery store in the depot.

The story has it that Leota was the name of a young Indian woman who figured in a romantic story familiar to W. G. Barnard, one of the township's first residents. Leota was established in 1891 as a settlement of Dutch Farmers who migrated northward from another Dutch Settlement in Orange City, Iowa. The first building erected in Leota was the Dutch Reformed Church. The town was surveyed by M. S. Smith for James TenCate, and the plat was dedicated on January 1, 1902.^[6] Leota was never incorporated, though it remains a thriving community

In the year 1879, the Southern Minnesota Railroad began building a route from Heron Lake, to Fulda. A rail station was proposed for the Graham Lakes region, and the site selected was briefly named Airlie in honor of David Ogilvy, the 10th Earl of Airlie. The Earl was president of the Dundee Improvement company, a Scottish company formed for the purpose of founding a town in southwest Minnesota.

Learn About Kimbrae

Dundee was established in 1879 when the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway Company built a branch line, then known as the Heron Lake & Black Hills Railroad.