The Cedar Mills City Hall provides a bit of public space and shade near the Luce Line State Trail. The village of Cedar Mills was founded in 1860. Its name is a combination of "Cedar Lake," a body of water with numerous red cedars, and the flour and saw mills located on the South Fork of the Crow River. One interesting tidbit of local history is that during the US-Dakota War of 1862, the local postmaster buried the records and supplies of the office, and there was no post office in the community for several years.