A Look Back: History of Rice Lake Village, Steele County

The Steele County Historical Society’s Jerry Ganfield shares the history of the Village of Rice Lake. In the 1850s, it was just east of the entrance to Rice Lake State Park and was a major stop on the stagecoach route from Rochester to Owatonna. The village hoped the railroad would go through it to spark continued growth, but when the rail line went through Claremont instead, the village disappeared. All that remains is the Methodist church, which was in service until the 1970s. The building has been restored and stands as the legacy of the Village of Rice Lake.

New episodes featuring Rice and Steele county history are posted to the Kat Kountry 105 YouTube channel and katkountry105.com each Sunday at noon, with information courtesy of the Rice and Steele county historical societies. You also can find previous episodes of A Look Back and Will Jerry Eat It?, as well as other videos, on the Kat Kountry 105 YouTube channel. Subscribe and follow Kat Kountry 105 on YouTube to stay up-to-date on our newest shows!

If you have a topic you'd like to learn more about, let us know! Email tamara.gruhot@townsquaremedia.com and we'll pass your requests to the historical societies to consider for presentation.