1902 – The citizens of Sleepy Eye, along with Red Eagle and his son, went to the spot under the large tree where Chief Sleepy Eye was buried. There was no mark of any kind to identify the place, but Red Eagle, who was then over ninety years old, placed his hand on the ground and asked to sink his spading fork there. This was done, and finding nothing, there was a look of disappointment on the face of Red Eagle, so he stopped again, and moved the fork six inches to the west and in going down the second time, they hit Sleepy Eye’s skull right in the middle. The remains were sent to the city of Sleepy Eye and buried with proper ceremonies in a small park dedicated to him. The park is located in the center of town, with a 50-foot tall granite obelisk marking Sleepy Eye’s final resting place.

The present depot building was built of red-faced brick and stone trimming. It consisted of a baggage room, men’s waiting room, family waiting room, telegrapher’s room, ticket room, and the east end lunch room. For 87 years, the Chicago and North Western Railroad had passenger rail service at Sleepy Eye.

Along with the new school and a growing congregation, the Catholic Church needed to construct a larger church. The new Baroque-style church, which could now seat 1000 people, was completed in the summer of 1902. Its two lofty steeples, which can be seen across the prairie for many miles in all directions, are 170 feet high, with the building measuring 175 feet in length. The church was solemnly blessed and dedicated to the worship of God under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians on October 16.

1914 – With a larger church and an even larger congregation, the present St. Mary’s Grade School was built, containing twenty rooms in a two-story building, which accommodated both grade and high school. A larger two-story high school was completed in 1951, providing thirty additional classrooms.

1921 – Because of bad business conditions and increased competition, the Sleepy Eye Flour Milling Company closed for the last time. Trademark passed to the St. Louis Flour Mills, then to the Pillsbury Company.

1922 - Sleepy Eye has always been a baseball town. The most famous baseball player to visit Sleepy Eye was Babe Ruth. He and Bob Meusel joined local players in an exhibition game on October 16, 1922. Ruth hit one homer, grounded out to the shortstop and struck out once for a .333 average. He played in the outfield part of the time and also did some pitching. Cool weather did not bother the Minnesota players, but Ruth and Meusel were huddled in heavy sweaters.

1925 – Growth of the community and of the St. John’s Lutheran parish made a new school a necessity. On September 13, members laid the cornerstone of a new brick school on the same site the old school had occupied.

1930 – The California Packing Corporation found a suitable location to build a pea and corn canning factory in Sleepy Eye. The first pea and corn pack took place at Del Monte Corp during that summer, where each pack lasted about 2 weeks working night and day.

1931-1932 - In seems almost impossible that a lake could go dry, but it happened to Sleepy Eye Lake. Several people took advantage of this misfortune and planted “Depression gardens” in the lake bed and a booming crop of potatoes were harvested.

1960 – The streamliner “Dakota 400” made its last stop in Sleepy Eye on October 25. After that, the depot served as a freight office until it was turned into the Depot Museum, which is filled with artifacts from the Sleepy Eye area. The depot was also named to the National Register of Historic Places.