Editing Madelia, Minnesota (section)

==History==
Madelia was founded in 1857, and named for the daughter of a first settler.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA182|year=1908|page=182}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=21228|title=Profile for Madelia, Minnesota|publisher=[[ePodunk]]|access-date=2010-05-29}}</ref> A post office has been in operation at Madelia since 1860.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MN&county=Watonwan | title=Watonwan County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref> Madelia was incorporated in 1872.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n592 575]}}</ref>

In 1876, the remaining members of the [[James-Younger Gang]] were captured near Madelia after their [[Jesse James#Downfall of the gang|failed attempt at bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota]].{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Madelia used to hold an event every September called Younger Brothers Day. The event included several activities including a reenactment of the bank robbery as well as the gunfight and capture of the Younger Brothers.

From 1885-1890 Winfield Scott Hammond served as the Madelia School Superintendent. Hammond later went on to pass the bar exam and serve in Minnesota State Legislature, the U.S. Congress, and eventually ran and was elected as Minnesota's 18th Governor.

Madelia contains two properties listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]: the 1872 [[Flanders' Block]] and the 1908 [[West Bridge (Madelia, Minnesota)|West Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Minnesota National Register Properties Database |url=http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/nrhp/ |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |year=2009 |access-date=2017-12-29}}</ref>

In 2016, a fire greatly damaged downtown, destroying at least eight businesses.<ref>{{cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=February 3, 2016 |title=Overnight fire erupts in downtown Madelia; at least 8 businesses damaged |url=http://www.startribune.com/overnight-fire-erupts-in-downtown-madelia-multiple-businesses-damaged/367498781/ |newspaper=Minneapolis Star-Tribune |access-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref>