Albert Lea

Albert Lea Municipal Water Report Info
In 1835, Companies B, H, and I of the United States Dragoons, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen W. Kearney, explored Freeborn County. Lieutenant Albert Miller Lea served as topographer during this expedition. He described the shape of a lake he named "Fox Lake," which Joseph Nicollet later renamed Lake Albert Lea.

The settlement that would become Albert Lea began in 1855 on the northwest shore of this lake, taking its name from the body of water—which honored Lieutenant Lea. "The first settler on the present site of Albert Lea was Lorenzo Merry, who arrived in June 1855 and constructed a cabin at the intersection of Washington and Water streets." (Tribune, p. 11)

George Ruble came to the area in July 1855 seeking a mill site. He built a log home near his planned dam and mill location. When the dam was constructed at the east end of the marsh area, it created a waterway later named Fountain Lake. (Legacy, p.37)

By 1856, a stage line began operating through Albert Lea, and Julius Clark established the first store after being persuaded by Mr. Ruble to set up his business in the pioneering community. (Tribune, p.11)

Early 1857 found six buildings in the town: the Ruble house at 522 Bridge Street with his mill at the foot of Fountain Lake; the Thorne house between Grove and Fountain streets on Park Avenue; an empty building initially raised as a store that later served as a school; Clark's store at 119 East Clark Street; and Merry's home at the southeast corner of Washington and Water streets. (Curtiss-Wedge, p. 252)

Charles C. Colby platted Albert Lea town on October 29, 1856, recording it in Dodge County. On February 24, 1859, it was filed in the Register's office of Freeborn County. The Original Plat included approximately 36 square blocks along Washington Avenue, Broadway, and Newton Avenue, with designated areas for a courthouse, City Park (Central Park), and a school site along Spring Lake that never materialized.

The first public school term began in December 1857 in a small log building. Student Martin V. Kellar later recalled: "Three small windows provided light, seats were three long sections from Ruble's mill without backs, a wide board on wooden pegs in the north wall served as the only desk, and an old-fashioned box stove completed our furnishings. School was called by loud knocking on the window with a book or slate, as our biggest problem was the scarcity of books."

The town established local government on May 11, 1858, electing a board of supervisors with Dr. A. C. Wedge as chairman. As the town grew, the need for a proper city government became evident. The state legislature granted a city charter in winter 1878, and after voter approval, the city government organized on May 12, 1878, with Frank Hall as Mayor.