On April 19, 1919 thirty to thirty to thirty five men met at the city hall in Little Falls to form a temporary organization of The American Legion. A.H. Vernon was chosen chairman of the organization and Ernest J. Carlson was elected Secretary. It was decided at this time to call the local organization The Morrison County American Legion, Mr. Vernon explained the purpose at this time was to render assistance to the boys as they come home; to have an organization so that when they are called upon to take part in any public affair there will be a means of getting to them; and to perpetuate the comradeship formed in military life.
The Morrison County American Legion was later named The Richard Howard Ferrell Post #46. Richard Howard Ferrell was the first local soldier to die in the World War. Richard was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs.Fletcher Ferrell. He was born in Little Falls in 1894, was graduated from the local high school and had always lived at home until his entrance into the Marines in December 1917. He went overseas in March 1918, and in less than six weeks was in the midst of the hardest fighting of the war.
during one of the earlier engagements he was gassed and incapacitated for further service and had since been listed with the casuals. In December he came back to Quantico,VA.and soon after spent a 30 day furlough at his home in Little Falls. On his return to Quantico he was taken seriously ill and the diagnosis being chronic nephritis and on May 27, 1919 at 7:50 AM he died of this disease.
On November 25th, 1919 the first annual meeting of the Post was held in the Elks Hall and the 150 members present elected the following officers: Commander Archie H. Vernon, 1st Vice Commander: Earl V. Wetzel, 2nd Vice Commander: Richard L. Meyers, 3rd Vice Commander: Archie Blake, Adjutant and Finance Officer: Frank E. Gannon, Executive Board: Canova Tomelty, Otto Thelander, Sylvester Lepinski. Richard Howard Ferrell Post #46 has been active in Little Falls since the first annual meeting in 1919.
Archie H,. Vernon was the first commander and was Department Commander in 1921 and signed the Post Charter.
Al Gierok of Little Falls was one of the Minnesotans who attended the Paris Caucas and he was later a Commander of Richard Howard Ferrell Post #46.

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