Larchwood is a city in Lyon County, Iowa, United States.

[2] Larchwood was founded circa 1872 by a group of McLean County, Illinois land developers: Jesse W. Fell (10 November 1808 – 25 February 1887) and Charles W. Holder (25 September 1819 – 10 April 1900).

Holder was a partner in many of Fell's projects, including Towanda and Normal.

In the summer of 1869, Fell traveled to northwestern Iowa and selected a tract of about forty sections, more than 25,000 acres (100 km2) of land.

Fell wrote, “I have never beheld such a large body of surpassingly beautiful prairie as is here to be found.

Fell frequently visited the site and in May 1873 and personally supervised the planting of some 100,000 saplings and tree cuttings.

The town did not grow as rapidly as expected, and in 1881 the development was sold to an Englishman, Richard Sykes.

[5] It is the northwesternmost community in Iowa and the most distant from the capitol, Des Moines.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.99 square miles (2.56 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the city was 98.60% White, 0.13% Native American, 0.51% Asian, and 0.76% from two or more races.

Larchwood belongs to the West Lyon Community School District, which also serves students from the nearby towns of Lester, Alvord, and Inwood, as well as the many rural children from farming families.

[11] The Grand Falls Casino Resort is located along the South Dakota border, northwest of Larchwood.