Editing New Prague, Minnesota (section)

===Late 19th century===
New Prague's early development was not spectacular for a variety of reasons. First, during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] years, 1861–1865, [[History of immigration to the United States|European immigration]] almost stopped as European immigrants were naturally wary of the American Civil War. Second, located in the middle of the [[Big Woods]], the enormous challenge of clearing fields proceeded at a slow pace.

The town was known as Praha from 1872 to 1879. On March 1, 1877, state of Minnesota approved the incorporation of Praha as a [[village]]. In 1879 the name was changed to Prague.

One of the most important developments in the new village occurred in 1877 when the [[Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway|Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway]] (M & St. L) reached New Prague. The arrival of the railroad era expedited [[Agriculture in the United States|agriculture]] as New Prague's most important industry. A link with the outside world enabled farmers to send their commodities to markets and created a conduit to bring inventory to the village's businesses. Just four years after the M & St. L reached New Prague, the first [[grain elevator]] and [[Gristmill|flour mill]] were completed, marking the beginning of New Prague earning its nickname, the “Flour City.”

[[History of immigration to the United States|Czech immigration]] to the United States reached its peak during the 1880s with 62,000 coming to the United States during this decade. Along with [[Montgomery, Minnesota|Montgomery]], which is approximately eight miles south of New Prague, New Prague was becoming the center of “The Bohemian Triangle” of Minnesota covering parts of Scott, Le Sueur and [[Rice County, Minnesota|Rice]] counties, which are neighboring counties. Through the decades since 1856, Le Sueur County has had more Bohemians than any other county in the state.

Construction was booming in the 1880s. The town's first bank opened in 1883, the [[Czech-Slovak Protective Society]] (C. S. P. S.) Opera Hall was built, the New Prague [[Foundry]] started business, the second [[State school|public school]] was built, and two [[hotel]]s were constructed.

The village's name was changed from Prague to New Prague on February 25, 1884.

The 1890s were probably New Prague's heyday decade. The town was becoming a major market for [[Crop|farm produce]] and was providing goods and services for growing numbers of farmers and villagers for miles around. Streets were being [[Grading (engineering)|graded]] and [[Sidewalk|wooden sidewalks]] built along the streets. New Prague was incorporated as a city on April 4, 1891. New Prague Flouring Milling Company completed its mill in 1895. [[Electric light]]s were installed in the city in 1895, and [[telephone line]]s were installed in 1898.

Similar to the rest of the state, the 1880s and 1890s were two decades with the greatest growth in population. New Prague's population more than tripled during that 20-year period going from 384 residents to 1228, while the state's population more than doubled during that same period.

Original businesses outgrew their original [[Storefront|log and wood-frame storefronts]]. A large [[commercial district]] filled with solid brick, stone, and wood-frame [[Commercial building|commercial structures]] developed along Main Street.<ref name=":0" />

New Prague had one of the largest earthquakes in Minnesota history. On December 11, 1860, there was a 4.7 magnitude earthquake with a Mercalli intensity of VI.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cse.umn.edu/mgs/earthquakes|title = Earthquakes &#124; College of Science and Engineering}}</ref>