Matt Carter, Executive Director of the Dakota County Historical Society, chose to highlight this photograph of the Lebanon Town Hall from their collection in MDL:

Lebanon Town Hall, Apple Valley, c. 1970

Originally a one-room school, this became the Town Hall for Lebanon Township. It was located at the intersection of County Road 42 and Pilot Knob Road in present day Apple Valley. Orrin Thompson was a prominent developer in the area and while on a trip, he visited Apple Valley, California. He enjoyed it so much, he named his new subdivision in Lebanon Township "Apple Valley." Each house he built was given an apple tree. When it came time to incorporate, more residents lived in the Apple Valley subdivision than the rest of Lebanon. As a result, the name was changed to Apple Valley.

This image is significant for the story that goes along with the progress and growth of a community. For a small community to thrive, it was difficult. It was not uncommon for communities to form and later end up a ghost town due to a variety of circumstances, such as a financial panic (Nininger), or missing out on a railroad, creating a true ghost town (Lewiston). While Lebanon Township is not a ghost town, the name only exists in a few rare occasions. Even when it does exist (i.e. Lebanon Hills Regional Park), very few know the reason for its name. Though Lebanon is not a ghost town, the name itself was lost to progress and growth, eventually becoming one of the larger communities in Dakota County. Very few people recognize where the name "Lebanon" comes from.

This image is one of my favorite things due to the story behind it. While most townships had a one-room school and/or Town Hall, very few have as entertaining of a story as Lebanon and Apple Valley. As we share the history of Dakota County, we often get asked for the "Top 10 Things to Know about Dakota County," or for us to share interesting facts about the county. Whenever we get asked that, we include this fascinating story of progress and growth. Especially for those familiar with Dakota County, you can see a lightbulb go off as they make the connection to Apple Valley and Lebanon Hills Regional Park. As someone that works in the history field, there is no better feeling than someone saying "I never knew that is why it was named that way" in reference to either Apple Valley or Lebanon Hills Regional Park. This story remains one of the "fun" topics of Dakota County history and always generates a reaction from those that hear the story behind the naming of Apple Valley.

The photograph also represents the continuous growth that Dakota County is still experiencing. As the Twin Cities Metro continues to expand, more people are moving into parts of Dakota County that look far different today, than they did even a decade ago. This was true for Lebanon Township, as people moved into the Apple Valley subdivision. As it grew, it came time to incorporate and due to the continuous growth, it led to a name change. This name change is only visible to those that look at old maps that say "Lebanon" and question why it is called that instead of Apple Valley. It is our job as an organization to share these stories so that as Dakota County continues to grow, we can continue to preserve its history.

The Dakota County Historical Society was founded in South St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1939. The organization preserves, interprets, and promotes the history of Dakota County through three historic sites. The organization’s collection includes more than 50,000 items in an archive and research library, as well as 50,000 artifacts. The historical society contributed images to Minnesota Digital Library that show the changes that took place in the county before 1909, as well as a large collection of images created by Del Stelling, a former newspaper reporter and photographer from 1959 – 1984.

Browse the Dakota County Historical Society collection in MDL.

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