[8] It is the headquarters of the Schwan Food Company and the home of Southwest Minnesota State University.

[9] Lake Marshall Township had been established in the area two years earlier, and included a post office and several farms.

Before that, the site was occasionally used as a campground for groups of Dakota, who hunted and traveled throughout the region.

After much discussion, James J. Manton decided on Marshall in honor of Governor William R.

In 1873, Samuel Biglari published Marshall's first newspaper, the Prairie Schooner.

The diversion channel and Redwood River underwent major upstream and downstream improvements, completed in December 2000.

During the spring and fall of 2010, the Marshall area experienced unseasonably high amounts of moisture, but the Redwood River remained within its banks through town.

Marshall is situated at latitude 44.47N and longitude -95.78W, with an elevation of 354 meters (1,161 feet) above sea level.

[12] It is in a predominantly rural and agricultural area that was originally an expanse of northern tallgrass prairie.

The racial makeup of the city was 91.35% White, 2.79% Black or African American, 0.35% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.52% Asian, 0.03% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

69.6% of Marshall residents affiliate with a particular religion: 34.5% report that they are Catholic, 31.4% are Protestant, and 2.9% are another Christian faith.

It is a $3 billion organization and Minnesota's third-largest privately held corporation, after Cargill and Carlson.

With approximately 14,000 employees in the U.S., Schwan has become one of the nation's largest producers of frozen pizza and egg rolls.

A large corn wet-milling facility operated by Archer Daniels Midland Company is in Marshall.

It was formerly run by a farmer's cooperative, Minnesota Corn Processors, but merged with ADM in 2002.

Other major employers in the city are US Bancorp, Affiliated Community Medical Centers (ACMC), Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, Hy-Vee, Walmart, Runnings, Menards, Southwest Minnesota State University, Turkey Valley Farms, and Marshall Public Schools.

An additional service for grades 7–12 is Marshall East Campus Learning Alternatives.

Southwest Minnesota State University is a public, four-year liberal arts and professional studies institution.