Editing Sherburn, Minnesota (section)

=== Early years ===
In the mid-1860s, George Archer had a sod tavern on the north banks of what was then Lake Manyaska located just south of Sherburn. Marked by a lone cedar tree, pioneer travelers used it as a rest stop as they traveled from [[Fairmont, Minnesota|Fairmont]] to [[Jackson, Minnesota|Jackson]]. Soon there were pioneer settlers and a post office. As stagecoaches from Fairmont to Jackson and [[St. James, Minnesota|St. James]] to [[Estherville, Iowa|Estherville]] crossed the area, it was concluded that there was a definite need for a settlement.

The mid to late 1870s witnessed the arrival of many settlers to Martin County, primarily resulting from the growth of the railroad involving [[Winnebago, Minnesota|Winnebago]] and Fairmont. A company called Cargill, Bassett, and Hunting from [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]], anticipated the railroad expanding west of Fairmont and, consequently, bought land in the area. As steam locomotives took water often, stops were located every {{convert|15|mi}} or so, which may have contributed to the location of the Sherburn railroad station.

A post office has been in operation at Sherburn since 1879.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MN&county=Martin | title=Martin County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | accessdate=21 July 2015}}</ref>