[8] The first settlers arrived in the Redfield area in 1878, and a post office was established two years later under the name "Stennett Junction."

Redfield rapidly became a major town in the region, due in part to its status as a railroad center—the town was a crossroads of two lines of the Chicago and North Western Railway, and was also served by the Milwaukee Road Railroad.

Railroads brought supplies, people, and animals, and also provided for transportation of crops back East.

In 1902 the "Northern Hospital for the Insane," a state institution, opened on a campus just north of town.

That facility remains in operation today as the South Dakota Developmental Center.

There were 1,187 housing units at an average density of 628.0 per square mile (242.5/km2).

39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.