History of Lyndon
The first settlement on what is now the site of Lyndon, was in April 1869. The diminished reservation of the Sac and Fox Indians had just been opened for settlement. Madison M. Snow, William Haas, Benjamin G. Hall, and Samuel C. Gilliland conceived the idea of pre-empting a tract of land here with the intent of laying out a town and ultimately to secure the county seat. Each entered a claim of 160 acres, making the entire body of 640 acres, on Section 31, Township 16, Range 16, and on Section 6, Township 17, Range 16. Each donated 40 acres of their land where the sections crossed. The new town was called Osage Center.

In the fall of 1869, a post-office was established. Madison Snow was appointed postmaster. Early in the year 1870, N. D. Fairbanks, then a resident of Burlingame, corresponded with Judge Lawrence D. Bailey, asking assistance in forming a Town Company. Within a short period of time the Town Company was formed and Judge Bailey named the town Lyndon because he had spent some time in Lyndon, Vermont, and liked the name. On 7 March 1870 the town was surveyed and the Town Company began to sell lots immediately. Corner lots were sold up to $1,000 per lot.

By mid October there were about 100 homes and 20 businesses. At this time a county election was held to determine placing the county seat in Lyndon instead of Burlingame. Lyndon won the election, but officials refused to remove the records to Lyndon. Because Lyndon was not able to procure the county-seat, the residents began to desert, and lots were then for sale for very small amounts. It was not until 1878 that Lyndon finally won the struggle to get the county-seat. The Lyndon men started to Burlingame with guns and wagons to bring the county records to Lyndon, but a wise decision was made by the Burlingame residents to give up the records in lieu of a gun battle.

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