Main highway: Site selections: In the year 1879, the Southern Minnesota Railroad began building a route from Heron Lake, to Fulda.

In September and October 1879, Oglivy's company built a steam elevator with a capacity of 16,000 bushels, a hotel, and a general store building in Airlie.

In fact, the towns of Kinbrae (Airlie) and Dundee, though separated by a mere 1/2 mile, were rivals, built along the roads of competing rail lines.

Change of name: When the site was surveyed in December 1879, Airlie was formally rechristened DeForest.

The steam elevator was wiped out by fire on April 20, 1883, and this spelled the end of the Dundee Improvement Company's involvement.

As a historical footnote, David Ogilvy's granddaughter Clementine Hozier was married to Winston Churchill from 1908 until his death in 1965.

Ownership of Kinbrae passed into the hands of Hanson & Graeger, a Chicago land-colonization firm, but the company showed little interest in development of the new town.

The townsite was then sold to W. N. Bickley and W. E. Fletcher in 1895, who made great efforts "to boom the town," or to attract businesses and residents.

Kinbrae citizens briefly considered disincorporation in the year 2010, but elected to remain a municipality however small.

Kinbrae is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad, a Republican.

[11] Kinbrae is located in Graham Lakes Township and is represented by Nobles County Commissioner Marvin Zylstra.