History History

In 1856, A. L. Herd, from New England, first settled in Arlington.  He developed the townsite in section 9 (now the NW corner of county roads 9 & 12) and sold portions to three developers who were to build a sawmill and make other improvements.  Mr. Herd also visioned a brickyard for Arlington for new homes in his village.

The Territorial Census in 1857 showed several businessmen residing in Arlington along with their families.  William White was a hotel keeper.  Mathias Bertrang had a blacksmith shop; Joshua Davis was a tailor, W. B. Williams, a hotel keeper, and Edward J. Wright, a merchant.  In June 1857, James S. Perry was appointed the first Postmaster in Arlington.

The stagecoach line left Henderson mid-morning, stopped in New Rome, and arrived at Klinkert’s tavern about noon.  Travelers were fed the noon meal before the stage traveled on to New Auburn and finally to Glencoe.  The Klinkert tavern was also a small general store and hotel.  Chris Klinkert also served as Postmaster from 1869 to 1878.

In 1873, Arlington was the site of the second annual Sibley County Fair.  The fair returned to Henderson only to return to Arlington permanently in the 1880’s.  There was talk of moving the fair to other towns in the 1890’s, but in 1900, Arlington citizens organized the Arlington Park Association which provided a permanent place for the Sibley County Agricultural Association to hold the fair.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church built a log cabin structure in 1872 on a site just east of the present cemetery.  The earliest graves are from 1872.

In the fall of 1881, the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reached Arlington.  Christ Klinkert, who had learned of the railroad’s plan to build a line through Sibley County, platted his land, and in the summer of 1881 built the first elevator to meet the railroad expansion through Sibley County.  With the coming of the railroad, Klinkert sold lots, and many businesses sprang up on the Main Street.  What had been called “East Arlington” became the main town.

The Village of Arlington was first incorporated in June 1883 upon petition of 31 signatures.  The petition stated that the village had resident population of 175.  On January 1, 1884, Christ Klinkert was elected President of the Village Council;

In July 1884, the Arlington Enterprise was published for the first time.  The village passed Ordinance No. 15 establishing the Arlington Fire Department in July of that year.  An “Engine House” for the fire department was built in 1890, but the building soon became the city hall.

The population of Arlington had grown to 222 according to the 1885 Minnesota State Census, and the 1895 census showed 589 residents.  Arlington had several saloon keepers, grain buyers, hotel keepers, dry good merchants, masons, barbers, blacksmiths, and many other small businesses listed on the census.

In 1896 Theodore Streissguth led an effort to move the county seat from Henderson to Arlington.  He had reserved a block in the Streissguth Addition to Arlington for the courthouse.  The voters rejected moving the county seat to Arlington, and by 1914 Streissguth began selling the lots in the proposed courthouse block.

In 1905 some Arlington businessmen considered establishing a canning factory.  By March 1905 they sold $6,600.00 worth of stock in the Arlington Canning Company.  A two-story 56 x 66’ frame building, a 28 x 70’ husking shed, and a 20 x 20’ brick engine house were constructed.  The day of canning was August 24, 1905.  The first year produced 300,000 cans of corn and was considered a success.  In 1919, Big Stone Canning Company, of Big Stone, Minnesota purchased the Arlington Canning Company.  Big Stone Canning Company was sold to Dean Foods in 1989, and Dean Foods sold to the canning factory to Agrilink in 1998.  Seneca acquired the Arlington facility in 1999.  The canning factory was closed in 2013 and property later sold.

The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad provided transportation to and from Arlington from the fall of 1881 until 1960 when the road was sold to the Chicago Northwestern Railroad (CNW).  Passenger service also ended in 1960.  By the 1980’s the CNW sought to abandon the rail line from Norwood to Redwood Falls.  Sibley County was one of several counties that fought to retain the railroad in the late 1980’s.  The Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority purchased the railroad in 1984, and the Minnesota Valley Lines operated the line at first.  After years of problems and failures the track was improved for higher speed operation, and in 2002 the Twin Cities & Western began operation of the line.

In 1947, Arlington residents voted to become a city, and in 1948, Arlington was incorporated as a “Home Rule Charter” city, with revisions to the charter occurring in 1982 and 2008.  The city was designated as a Minnesota Star City in 1990 and Tree City USA in 2008. 

Arlington population has grown over the years.  By 1900, the census recorded 712 people in Arlington.  In 1940, the population reached 1,122, and by 2000, the number was 2,048.  In 2026, the number of people has reached 2,353.

--contributed by Dwight Grabitske, Secretary of the Arlington Historical Society, and Arlington History Museum Curator.

Mayors of the City of Arlington

Christ Klinkert                                                1883-1886

Mathias Hilger                                               1886-1887

Christ Klinkert                                                1887-1889

Albert Zimmermann                                  1889-1896

Theodore Streissguth                                1896-1898

William C. Porter                                          1898-1899

Theodore Streissguth                                1899-1900

Frank F. Mansfield                                      1900-1902

Peter A. Cosgrove                                        1902-1904

Milo E. Bushey                                               1904-1906

William C. Porter                                          1906-1907

August Huckenpoehler                            1907-1908

Nick Thomes                                                  1908-1910

Vincent F. Schmoll                                     1910-1911

Nick Thomes                                                  1911-1913

William Duehlmeier                                   1913-1914

Nick Thomes                                                  1914-1916

Charles W. Kanne                                       1916-1918

John Thies                                                        1918-1920

Robert W. Fisher                                          1920-1921

Adam C. Buck                                                1921-1923

John M. Thompson                                     1923-1926

Dr. J.C. Ferrell                                                 1926

A.W. Luff                                                           1927

E.M. Dresser                                                   1928-1930

Louis Kill                                                           1931

Maurice F. Noack                                        1932-1938

Harold A. Timm                                            1939-1943

John Luff                                                           1944-1945

George C. Noack                                         1946-1951

Vernon Budahn                                            1952-1957

Vernie Dahl                                                     1958-1962*

Willard G. Phillips                                       1962-1963

Mike Spannaus                                            1964-1969

Arden Kreft                                                       1970-1993

Richard Thomes                                          1994-1998

David Czech                                                   1999-2006

James Kreft                                                      2007-2014

Richard Nagel                                                2015-2022

Matthew Scharpe                                        2023- present

 

*- Vernie Dahl resigned in May 1962, and Councilmember Willard Phillips became mayor.

 

The office of Mayor was a 1-year term until 1939, when it became a 2-year term. George Noack was the first Mayor to serve a 3-year term, and 3-year terms remained until the election of 1996 when Richard Thomes was elected to serve a 2-year term. and David Czech was the first Mayor elected to a 4-year term.