In 1870, the Northern Pacific Railroad survey crew chose the spot where the tracks from Duluth to Moorhead would cross the Mississippi River. By March 1871, the first train rolled into Brainerd, named for the family of the wife of railroad president J. Gregory Smith. As the town site agent, Lyman P. White was responsible for platting the city and was therefore known as the "Father of Brainerd." The railroad established its headquarters and general...
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History