By the late 1830s, the fortress served as a destination for newcomers—lumbermen, missionaries, farmers, traders and travelers—migrating to the borderlands people were now calling "Minisota".

[6] Minnesotan Franklin Steele reached the area in 1837 and worked as a sutler, selling goods to soldiers.

[7] Fort Snelling's garrison made up the bulk of the area's population,[8] along with Henry Sibley and Alexander Faribault's 75-person American Fur Company operation.

Other small settlements of traders, farmers, missionaries and refugees began to develop outside the fort, some with permission, some without.

Richfield was one of the earliest postwar suburbs in the Twin Cities to be populated by veterans returning from World War II, but its claim to be Minnesota's oldest suburb date to the land's connection to Fort Snelling in the 1820s.

The Harmony post office, south of the Richland Mill on Lyndale Avenue, opened in 1854.

They helped supply its restaurants, hotels, grocers and citizens with fresh produce, with enough left over to ship by railroad to other cities.

That day, local citizens met in a schoolhouse at present-day 53rd and Lyndale to form a municipal government.

At that meeting, those who previously said they lived in Harmony or Richland Mills chose the name Richfield for their community.

Wheat immediately became the cash crop, sold in the area's first major market, St. Paul.

Those in southern Hennepin County found it more profitable to haul their wheat crop to St. Paul than to the St. Anthony Falls district.

The market featured a massive platform for gardeners, including Richfield's sizable contingent, to unload and display produce.

The new system freed streets from traffic snarls by allowing each person to unhitch and put up their horses, while their wagon was backed into an assigned space.

Wholesale customers could then bring their teams to the platform and negotiate prices when the starting bell sounded.

[17] Today's boundaries differ markedly from those the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners set forth on April 10, 1858, when it established the towns of Richfield, Minneapolis, Bloomington and Eden Prairie.

Richfield originally ranged to Minneapolis's Lake Street on the north, to what is now Highway 169 on the west, to Bloomington on the south, and to Fort Snelling and the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers on the east.

The growth of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport during the last half of the 20th century and additions of land to the Fort Snelling compound meant further reductions.

From 1908 until 1950, Richfield's local government consisted of a president, three trustees, and a city clerk.

By the late 1940s, the city's population started increasing rapidly as farmland was sold to developers building homes for veterans returning from World War II.

The Richfield Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1955 and has been deeply involved in the community's development and redevelopment.

[19] Over the years, populations of all nearby communities increased and after World War II, Richfield flourished with commuters to Twin Cities jobs.

The Richfield Rediscovered Housing Program has established an environment of change in the community as it encourages home remodeling, expansion, and reconstruction.

The program is gradually changing the face of Richfield's residential neighborhoods, upgrading them from small, post-WWII styles to larger homes.

[37] 2017-2019 brought a major overhaul of 66th street to improve the look of the city and increase recreation opportunities, with new, dedicated bike and walking lanes for pedestrians.