The Railroad Comes to Town

The Railroad Comes to Town:

Developers Alfred Parslow (right) and William Van Fleet (left) arrived in this area in the late 1870's with the dream of establishing a railroad. Both men purchased land and established homes here, and chose names for the lakes situated on their property. Van Fleet named lakes Van and Medora, and Parslow named the large lake fronting his property Lake Alfred. Eventually the city was named after this lake, after having gone through several name changes.