Mission Statement:

“We will promote the Alexandria Lakes Area as the ultimate destination to live, work, play and prosper through public promotion and member and information services.”

Everything that had been Alexandria was gone by the end of the 1860’s. The town site was deserted, but because of the Homestead Act by President Lincoln, Alexandria made a new beginning.

People began arriving again, looking for adventure and for new opportunities. Drawn by the prospect of free land, they arrived on foot, by horseback, by oxcart. Long distances were covered primarily by stagecoach, which at first, went as far as St. Cloud. The name, "stagecoach", comes from the fact that it traveled in stages, stopping every 15 to 20 miles to change horses, the way we stop for gas today. The changing or relay station had stables and, at times, a home where passengers could spend the night. Early roads were very rough often had no bridges, so stagecoaches, prairie schooners and riders on horseback had to wade through the streams and rivers along the way. Sixteen-hour rides were common. The stagecoach drivers were rugged men and well respected on the frontier. The driver not only was responsible for his team, passengers, but also for the all-important mail that he transported.