New Auburn Historical Society
On August 4, 1854, the town council registered "New Auburn" so named because some of the new settlers came from Auburn, New York. The legal description is the southwest quarter section 17, lots 1 & 2, township 114, range 28 and west quarter of section 20, township 114, range 28. The name of the town council are not known because of a fire on October 18, 1863.
Another town site with a general store was entered by Bell and Chapman and laid out on the present cemetery location, and called "high Island" because of the improvements which were required by law and the claim was lost by the jumping process, well known by settlers and changed the name to "New Auburn". It was incorportated in 1856.
New Auburn is located in the northern part of Sibley County, bordered on the west and north by MCleod County, on the east by Green Isle Township and the south by Dryden Township. The first settlers found timber, prairie, lake, island, peninsula and bay right here. The Indians would camp in October between the High Island Lake and Shillings Lake while the squaws would busy themselves gathering wild rice and pound it with their stone hammers. The stage would run from Henderson to New Auburn and then on to Glencoe.
When the Indian outbreak occurred in 1800's, some settlers fled to New Auburn to hide in the woods and a few settlers went by ox team to Henderson where the soldiers were stationed. Only one man, Willoughby Vaughan, stayed to care for the stock. He had a boat and slept on the island nights to keep away from the Indians.
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