On This Date in Minnesota History: January 15

January 15, 1889 - James Holmes, indicted for assault with a deadly weapon; J. A. Nelson, indicted for giving and passing checks on the National Bank in Detroit, Minn., where he had no funds on deposit, and John Anderson, indicted for biting off O. H. Ulen’s nose, broke jail in Detroit this evening, going through the heating register in the floor. They left a note to the sheriff, suggesting that he should look after the locks on the cells, and bidding him an affectionate farewell. Considerable snow fell tonight, and the sheriff has been unable to track or get any word on the fugitives.

St. Paul Daily Globe; “Tired of Jail, Three Toughs Escape From the Rickety County Coop at Detroit.”; January 16, 1889; p. 1.

As a result of continuous postal mix-ups between Detroit, Minn. and the better-known Detroit, Mich., the city's name was changed to Detroit Lakes in 1926.   

http://www.visitdetroitlakes.com/relocation/history

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/41115679.jpg