History:

As early as 1852, a trail from Henderson to Fort Ridgely meandered westward on high ground through what is now the Gaylord city limits. It was a stopping point on the main passage to the Dakota Territory traveled first on foot or horseback, and later by oxcart, wagon, and stagecoach. An 1856 lake house owned by Edward Price, located on the southeast shore of Gaylord's Lake Titloe, was a welcomed frontier outpost.

In 1881, the establishment of farms took place in what is now the city. Later that year, land was surveyed along with a railroad station planned. This was also the year that the city was named after E.W. Gaylord, a man liked and respected by those designing the course the steel tracks would follow.

In 1883, the first elections were held, the municipal government was established, and a petition was approved that incorporated Gaylord as a village.