Litchfield's history dates back more than 150 years, as pioneers moving west settled in Meeker County.

When the town was first organized in 1858, it was named Ness, in honor of Ole Halvorson Ness who was one of the first Norwegian settlers in the area. The name stuck for 11 years, until the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. plotted a track through Ness on its way from Breckenridge to Minneapolis.

In 1862, a contract was made with E. Darwin Litchfield, an English capitalist and stockholder in the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. Mr. Litchfield and his brothers, Electus B. Litchfield, Edwin C. Litchfield and Egbert S. Litchfield, prominently aided in the construction and financing of the railway.

The iron for the railroad under this contract was purchased in England, unloaded at New York, railroaded to Chicago and unloaded there, reloaded and railroaded to Prairie du Chien. There it was loaded on barges and brought to St. Paul, loaded on cars at the bank and hauled to its final destination.

Before the coming of the railroad, the site where Litchfield now stands was a wheat field and pasture land owned by George B. Waller. It was surveyed, platted and filed for record on July 16, 1869.

To honor the Litchfield brothers, the citizens of Ness Township petitioned in 1869 to have the new village named Litchfield.

Later that year, in an election Nov. 2, 1869, the county residents voted to move the county seat from Forest City to Litchfield.

This was one of the first railroad companies in the country to construct its line ahead of settlement. Settlers were needed. The state and the railroads collaborated to induce emigrants to come to Minnesota. By means of pamphlets, newspaper advertising, lectures, bureaus of information and exhibits, the railroad companies, like the state government, attempted to spread information about life in Minnesota. There was always a glowing account of Minnesota's healthful climate and promise of future prosperity.

In some cases, as was the situation with the village of Litchfield, the railroad endeavored to keep settlement progressing along the routes of their lines by laying out town sites. Business and residence lots were platted, sites for factories and mills were reserved, wide streets were laid out, parks were planned and trees were planted.

The Album of History and Biography of Meeker County, printed in 1888, described the village: "Litchfield is beautifully located...and reaches north from the shores of lovely Lake Ripley. The entire city is well laid out with wide streets and avenues, and the site is dotted all over with handsome residences, many of them surrounded with elegant and well-kept grounds. The business portion of the city presents a substantial and thrifty appearance, owing to the large number of fine brick stores, offices, hotels, etc., all in fine taste. The stores are well lined with well-selected merchandise of a character above that usually found in cities of the size of Litchfield, and are doing a splendid business."

Litchfield brothers
After the Litchfield brothers left their mark on Meeker County, they continued to work in the railroad business.

When the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad wanted to build a branch line from St. Anthony to St. Cloud, it contracted Electus B. Litchfield, a railroad contractor in New York. To contract the land it cost St. Paul & Pacific Railroad $350,000. The actual construction of the branch line was handled by Electus’ son William B. Litchfield.

For many years, William B. Litchfield was the general superintendent of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, and became one of the company directors in 1866.

When rumors circulated that the Litchfields were planning to sell their stock to the Northern Pacific Railroad, negotiations took place between Edwin C. Litchfield, a New York lawyer and railroad promoter, and James J. Hill's associate George Stephen. After many meetings, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad bought the Litchfields' stock for $500,000, which included $100,000 in cash as a down payment.

Egbert S. Litchfield, a half-brother to the others, was the first partner for James J. Hill in St. Paul. Hill had been running a transportation business, but when the railroad started to gain popularity, the two partnered to create J. J. Hill and Co.

Many of the Litchfield brothers bought great amounts of land in the area. William B. Litchfield at one point owned almost 15 percent of French Lake township in Wright County.

In appreciation of renaming the village of Ness to Litchfield, Mrs. E. Darwin Litchfield donated generous amounts to the Episcopal church.

Later in 1915, William B. Litchfield's son Electus D. Litchfield was the architect of the new St. Paul Public Library and the Hill Reference Library.