Joshua H. Gates arrived at Diamond Lake in 1857 and claimed land in Sections 17 and 20 of Harrison Township, where he may have been the first farmer in what is now Kandiyohi County. This was the site of the Joshua and Lucinda Gates family homestead. Born in Scholiarie, New York on August 4, 1824, he studied to become a teacher, married Lucinda Saper in 1846 in New York, and had six children. As early as 1859, he organized, built, and taught his own school for the children of the Diamond Lake settlement. He taught 20 terms and served as superintendent in both Monongalia County and later in Kandiyohi County. He also served as county commissioner and the first county auditor.