City History

    Finley was officially incorporated as a village in November of 1903 with Frank E. Curry as president, H.C. Bergum was clerk; and trustees were E.J. Pepper, Alf Windness, R.D. Patterson, and B.J. Long.
    On July 12, 1926, Finley was incorporated as a town.  The following March the town held it's first election and B.J. Long was elected as the first mayor of Finley. Alderman were A.H. Nelson, Samuel Oxton, A.B. Mickleson and Dr. L.P. Larson.
    City government officials met in a variety of places over the years.  In 1978 the city was given their present city hall facility by the family of the late Alfred B Mickleson, who had served on the city council for a number of years.

Finley... The New Steele County Seat

    After winning the approval of Steele County residents over Hope, Finley became the Steele County Seat in 1925.  The board of Steele County Commisioners passed a resolution on the 12th day of November 1918 which designated Finley as the county seat as of the 16th Day of December 1918. The first meeting of Steele county officials in their new county seat was held on January 6, 1919 on the second floor of the city fire hall.
    In January of 1925 county commisioners authorized the expenditure of $141,242 for the construction of a new courthouse.  The Steele County Courthouse was completed and officials occupied the building on the 28th day of November 1926. 

The 785th Radar Squadron Comes to Town

    In 1948 construction began on the Air Force base that would become home to the 785th Radar Squadron. Since opening in May of 1950 numerous Air force personnel have integrated into our community. While some members of the squadron have continued to live in our area, since the closure of the base in 1980, and others have pursued other directions, Finley and the Steele County region have benefited greatly from the involvement of the Air Force in our lives.