USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 19
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However, the honor of being the seat of justice was to last for only one year, for the Legislature as its next annual session (February 16, 1871) removed it to Otter Tail City. It is interesting to note that during this year the county commissioners ordered a court house and jail built at Tordenskjold, but the act removing the county seat to Otter Tail City became effective before any work was done toward building. The act establishing the county seat at Tordenskjold located it in the southwestern quarter of section 32, although the postoffice of this name was situated in the southwest quarter of section 29. The advent of the rural route took away the duties of this
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office and it was withdrawn and no other attempt has ever been made to establish a town.
The present township officers are as follows: Supervisors, G. A. Jen- son, Ole Gunderson and A. M. Thoreson; clerk,, H. C. Christensen; treas- urer, H. A. Hanson; assessor, Jens Torgerson; justices, C. E. Olson and E. K. Johnson ; constables, H. J. Nelson and E. J. Hanson.
AURDAL TOWNSHIP
The exact date of the organization of Aurdal township appears to be confused. The commissioners' record under date of November 13, 1869, shows the following memorandum :
"A petition presented to organize township 133, range 42, to be known by the name of Aurdal, fixed the time and place of holding the first town meeting. The above petition granted, the time of holding the first town meeting shall be on the - day of - at the house of Jonas Hallan. Done by the order of the board of county commissioners, this 9th day of October, A. D. 1869."
Evidently the township was created at the October session, but for some reason not known it was not recorded until the November session. It may also be noted that no definite time was set for the election, a fact which makes it appear that there was no hurry about getting the township organ- ized. In fact, the township was not organized in accordance with the above order of the commissioners, since on January 4, 1870, "a petition was pre- sented to reorganize the township of Aurdal." The petition asked that the first election for township officials be held at the house of Jonas Hallan on the 24th of the same month.
On January 3. 1872, the unorganized lands south of Otter Tail river, in township 134, range 42 (now Friberg township) were added to Aurdal for all township purposes. The petitioners asking for the organization of Aurdal township were as follows: O. Jorgens, Aslag Torgusson, T. Torgusson. A. Annersen, Andru Annersen. Venet Halverson, H. O. Kaigen. Gunder Tor- gusson, Engebret Nelson, Nils Peter, Troud Svenson, Jon Monson, Knut Hendrikson, H. Nelson, N. E. Nelson, John Anderson. F. Anderson, S. Syverson, K. Erikson, C. Erikson, E. Oleson, Jonas Hallan, Ole Hallan and Ole H. Branden.
The township is thickly dotted with lakes, the largest being Fish lake, in the northeastern part of the township. Among the larger lakes may be men- tioned Brekke, Loon, Little, Nelson, Norway. Wall. Bass, Mid, Spring. Aunel and Egg. The Red river meanders through the western part of the township from the north to the south and affords ample means for natural and artificial drainage. Despite the fact that the township has so many
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lakes the land is not swampy, but, on the contrary, has much valuable farm- ing territory.
The first actual settlers in Aurdal township were Engebret Nelson, wife and four sons; Johannes Anderson, wife and one son, and Ole Erickson, a single man. These people, who were Norwegians, came from the southern part of the state, where they had stopped temporarily after coming from Norway. All but one of the ten were born in Norway. With their arrival in the summer of 1868 the township became known gradually as a Norwegian center, and so fast did the population grow that little more than a year later the township was asking for organization as a civil township. The diffi- culties which it met in getting established have just been stated, but with its formal organization it entered upon a healthy growth, which has continued down to the present time. The Nelsons settled on section 23 and represen- tatives of the family are still in possession of the tract originally home- steaded.
N. E. Nelson kept the first postoffice at his house and he remained the sole representative of the government for many years. N. E. Boen was the second postmaster and he kept it at his house in section 25 until it was per- manently established at Wall Lake. The first merchant, Julius Morstad, displayed his notions at Wall Lake, a village on the northern shores of the lake by the same name. At this same place Alfred opened the first black- smith shop in the township, which was one of the very first to make its appearance in the county. Wall Lake was never platted, the only platted site in the township being Mill Park. It was platted in the fall of 1893 and recorded on December 28th of the same year. It was platted by George A. Burbank for Charles D. Wright and is located in section 31. The township hall is in the extreme northeastern part of section 21, practically the center of the township. The Northern Pacific railroad runs east and west through the southern portion of the township and since it was built, in 1882, the township has had ready access to the outside world. Wall Lake station is on the railroad due north from the lake of the same name and is the only station stop in the township.
The present township officers are as follows: Supervisors, N. M. Nel- son, J. E. Boen and O. A. Haave; clerk, Louis Halvorson; treasurer, O. G. Torgerson; justices, G. S. Brekke and Alfred Bergerud; constables, J. B. Johnson and Ole Aas.
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CHAPTER IX. TOWNSHIPS OF OTTER TAIL COUNTY, 1870.
PARKERS PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
The township now known as Parkers Prairie (township 131, range 37) was organized as Jasper on January 4, 1870. The first election was held January 24, 1870, at the store of Henry Asseln, the first merchant in the village. On this same day a petition was granted to attach congressional township 132, range 37 (now known as Elmo township) and congressional township 132, range 36 (now known as Woodside township) to Parkers Prairie for civil and criminal jurisdiction.
The name of Jasper was changed to that of Parkers Prairie by a special act of the Legislature (approved March 1, 1873), the act reading as follows: "That the name of the township of Jasper, in the county of Otter Tail, and state of Minnesota, be, and the same is hereby, changed to that of Parkers Prairie, by which said last mentioned name the said township shall, for all purposes whatsoever, be hereafter called and known."
The petition which was presented to the commissioners for the organ- ization of this township gives a list of twenty-one of the early settlers of this township and is here given in the order in which they appear on the original petition : G. A. Lindquist, P. O. Nelson, P. N. Lindquist, J. Lindquist, J. G. Nelson, John N. Nelson, P. Smith, Peter Lindall, Wyent Van Alstyne, Walter L. Pease, Archy McMurdy, Benj. S. Pease, E. Wedeken, W. Wede- ken, J. Draper, Richard Handy, Will Morisson, John Miller, G. W. Levesten and H. Pelky.
Parkers Prairie is located in the southeastern part of Otter Tail county, on the Douglas county line. It is bounded on the north by Elmo, on the west by Effington and on the east by Eastern. It owes the early settlement of its territory to the fact that the land within its limits cannot be excelled by any other township in the county. The land in this section is very fertile and the early settlers took advantage of this and made it their permanent home. Another fact which may have had some weight in the settlement of this town- ship was the fact that the early settlers in this section all came in from the south and the location of this township in the southeastern part caused it to be reached first, and in consequence the first stopping place. There are about fifteen lakes in this township, ranging in size up to a half section. The largest is Nelson lake, with Rainy, Horse Head and Adley following in the order of their size. Other lakes in the township are Fish, Cora, Clarno and
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Lake Augusta. The lakes are the chief sources for natural and artificial drainage in the township, as there are no rivers or streams except those small creeks which feed the lakes. The Soo railroad runs north and south through the township. This road was completed in 1902 and has been a source of great benefit to this section. It gave the farmers a ready outlet for their products in foreign markets, and greatly increased the value of the farm land. There is only one village within the limits of the township-Parkers Prairie.
Parkers Prairie.
In 1880 Richard H. McMahan and Amanda H., his wife, secured A. M. Darling to survey their land in section 22, township 131, range 37, for a town- site to be known as Parkers Prairie. The plat was recorded on August 10, 1880. Twenty-three years were to elapse before the village made any effort to become incorporated, and it was not until the summer of 1903 that definite steps were taken in that direction. On August 29 of that year a petition for incorporation was signed by a number of representative citizens of the village and on the 2d of the following October this was presented to the county commissioners for their consideration. This petition was signed by W. E. Dickson, A. C. Smith, Dan Roach, Allen Erckenbrack, Steve L. Perkins, E. McFarlane, M. W. A. Murray, W. C. Enos, E. H. Cook, William F. Jensen, Stephen C. Wheeler, E. P. Curtis, Dr. O. C. Quitmeyer, Ed. W. Cook, C. J. Richards, John P. Post, J. E. Murray, George McDona, J. P. Erckenbrack, Rufus L. Hardy, W. B. Hibbard, Dr. E. L. Hills, Peter Carlson, E. Hazen, Hans O. Hanson, J. C. Simpson, E. E. Hallin, J. C. Jackson, John J. Lor- sung and George LaRose.
A census taken on August 29, 1903, showed that the territory seeking incorporation had a population of 182. The commissioners granted the petition on October 2 and ordered a special election held in the proposed town on November 17, 1903. Sixty-three votes were cast for incorporation and only six against it, according to the report of the inspectors in charge of the election.
The present village officers are as follow: President. C. H. Dahl- strom; trustees, C. A. Bergquist, J. E. Murray and John Embertson; clerk, J. L. Boline; treasurer, Ross Clarno; assessor, M. W. A. Murray ; justices. W. Chamberlain and L. H. Brockman; constables, C. L. Erckenbrack and C. A. Cook.
DANE PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
Dane Prairie (township 132, range 42) was organized as a civil town- ship by the county commissioners on May 10, 1870. Practically all of the twenty signers of the petition presented to the board were natives of Den- mark, and this fact sufficiently accounts for the name which was given the township. Their names follow: Niels Thygesen, Ernst Trochmann, John
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Christian Petersen, John C. Clemmensen, Hans Jacobsen, Gilbert Abraham- son, John Anderson, Christian A. Glorvigen, Peder Matzen, Ole Larson Crikken, Isak Carlsen, Ole Johansen Kasa, Hans Jensen, Hans Peter, Hanson Stevns, Lars Christiansen, Christian Hanson, Thor Thorsen Hille, John Grimseth, John Millstrom and Niels Millstrom. The first election was heid at the house of J. Grunseton the 28th of the same month.
The tax duplicate prepared in 1869 lists fourteen taxpayers, to-wit : Thomas McClue, Orcut Boardman, Henry Van Arman, Mary A. L. Flover, O. T. Langen, Johan Grimseth, S. H. Smith, Ashael D. Southworth, John I. Merriam, George B. Wright, Ester Gilman, Ole Johnson, Hans Olson and Ole Christopherson. Most of these taxpayers were non-residents of the township.
Dane Prairie township has more lakes within its limits than any other township in the county; in fact, there is not a single section in the township which does not have at least one lake in it. By actual count there are seventy- five lakes wholly or partly within this township, the largest of them being Wall, Swan, Indian, Larson, Lye, Fossan, Rosvold, Bronseth and Aanesnes. One of the largest lakes in the township in former years, Stang, is now prac- tically dry, having been drained through Wall lake to the Red river. It is interesting to know the difference in the altitude of these lakes above sea level; Rosvold is 1,309, Indian 1,278, Swan 1,193 and Fossan 1,245. Red river dips down into this township in section 5 and all of the northern and western portions of the township are in the basin of that river. The Pomme de Terre river reaches up into the southern part of the township and drains a portion of it.
There has been only one townsite platted in the township, Wall Lake Point, in section 4. It was platted for Lauritz L. Berg and his wife, Hilda, by Martin Aalberg and recorded on May 6, 1910. It stands on the western shore of Wall lake. ₹
The town hall is located in the extreme northwestern corner of section 22. The only church is located in section 21 and dates back to the early days of the township. The first public cemetery was very probably the one located in the eastern part of section 28. The Great Northern railroad runs across the southwestern corner of the county.
FERGUS FALLS TOWNSHIP
The first effort of the citizens of Fergus Falls (township 133, range 43) to organize a civil township was made June 29, 1870. The petition for the organization of Fergus Falls township carried the names of the following legal voters residing here at the time: Ernest Buse, Henry Oppermann, Gustav Kalling, Henry Hanigson, Carl Haarstick (?). August Westberg. Peter Johnson, Lars Johnson, Johannes Petterson, Mathias J. Halden, Erik
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Nilson, C. H. Westberg, R. Kalling, J. Kalling, Mathias Syverson, Frederick Iver Skistad, Mathias Halverson, Nels Johannson, Theodore M. Ulvigen, Henrik Burgdorf, T. Marks, C. Kosbau, T. C. Kosbau and Peter Sims. The first election was held at the house of Ernest Buse on July 15, 1870.
The first tax duplicate in Fergus Falls township ( 1870) gave the fol- lowing taxpayers: Andrew Holes, James McLane, Hiram S. Teall, Iver O. Skistad, John C. Guist, F. B. Van Hoesen, Syver Thorsen, Amund Nelson, Henry Lornier, James A. Beaver, Knut Halverson, Lars Larsen Bakken, Ole Gunderson, Charles Alexson, Mary L. Wells, Henry Opperman, William Tims, Joseph Smith, Charles Wells, George B. Wright, Lorenz Johnson, Henry Lehmier, Frederick Mathias, Henry Burgdorf, Michael Dalton, Albert T. Upham, N. P. Clark, Calvin F. How, Sewell A. Wolcott, Chester Wail, Henry Cook and Lewis J. Brown.
This was the eighth township organized in the county. It is bounded on the north by Elizabeth, on the west by Carlisle, on the south by Buse and on the east by Aurdal. There are thirteen lakes of considerable size in this township. Wedel and Oppermann are the largest, with Lake Alice and the others ranging down to a few acres. Red and Pelican rivers flow through this township and furnish excellent natural and artificial drainage for this section. The Red river also affords water power for the mills which are located along its banks. The Red river enters the township in the east central part of section 36, then takes a westward course and leaves it in section 34, meandering into section 31, then returning to section 32, where it leaves the township, flowing due south. Pelican river enters the township on the line between sections 4 and 5. It then flows across the northern por- tion of the township, entering Carlisle township from the southwest corner of section 18, only to return again in the southwest corner of 30, and empty- ing into Red river, where the latter makes the bend into section 31. The maximum elevation of this township is in the northeastern part and rises to a point thirteen hundred fifty feet above sea level, while the minimum eleva- tion of eleven hundred fifty feet is in the southwestern part, where the Red river leaves the township. The average elevation in the northwest central part ranges around twelve hundred fifty feet to thirteen hundred feet. There is much broken land in this section but, as a whole, it is excellent farming land.
Fergus Falls is the only town that has been platted in this township, and it will be taken up in another chapter. Most of the history of the township is concerned with the city of Fergus Falls.
The present township officers are as follow : Supervisors, H. Stein- bach, E. Peterson and L. Tomhave; clerk, J. F. Tomhave; treasurer, William
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Haarstick; assessor, William Schoening; justices, William Schoening and Max Kronemann; constables, G. A. Tomhave and Albert Schmidt.
EAGLE LAKE TOWNSHIP
The township of Eagle Lake (township 131, range 40) was organized on September 5, 1870. The first election was held at the house of Lars Hernes, September 24, 1870. The petition for the organization of this town- ship bore the date of August 9, 1870, and carried the following signers: Carl Torgerson, John Peterson, John Hagensen, Stephen Tyllam, Joseph Marcott, Ole J. Guldseth, O. Olsen, Lars Halversen, Peder Nilson Kjosnis, L. W. Weaver, Ole Hermansen, Nils P. Rosfmusen, Peer Jacobsen, Ole Perfen, L. L. Hermees and Tosten Norijen. Evidently the township did not take on a definite organization until after March 15, 1871, as shown by the following records in the commissioners' minutes : "Ole Hernes, being duly sworn, on oath says that the town of Eagle Lake refused to organize and elect town officers at the time fixed by law for holding their town meeting, and that no notice of any twelve freeholders has been posted to call a special town meeting for said town within thirty days after the annual town meeting.
"O. H. HERNES."
This report to the commissioners resulted in the ordering of an election at once, and, with the qualifying of the officials thus elected, the township formally began its career. Being one of the earliest settled townships in the county, it has many well-improved farms. The nearest approach to a village which the township has ever had is found in the eastern part of section 17, at which place a postoffice by the name of Hoff was maintained for many years. Here was the first store, grist-mill and blacksmith shop, but the embryonic village failed to grow. The fact that no railroad has ever invaded the quiet precincts of the township is another reason why no village has ever been established.
The water area is comparatively. small, although Eagle lake covers over a section. There are about a dozen other lakes which cover from fifty to three hundred acres, but the surface of the township is sloped in such a way as to afford easy means of drainage.
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP
The township of Elizabeth (township 134, range 43) was organized September 5, 1870. The first meeting was held at R. Niggler's store, Sep- tember 24, 1870. The petition for the erection of this township, dated June 20, 1870, contained the following signatures: Rudolph Niggler, Lorenzo B. Peirce, Alson A. Peirce, E. A. Evans, John Grows, Charles D. Keck, G. Spindler, Edward Burau, Louis Candaux, Carl Gustav Wagner, Rugler Zim- merman, August Burau, Jacob Frey, Thomas White, Herman Zimmerman.
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Henry Teuss, Peter Knold, Alex E. Erhard, Adolph Niggler and Erwin W. Sims. The township was named in honor of the wife of Rudolph Niggler.
The territory lying within the Pelican river valley was one of the first sections in the country to be settled, and the first settlers of Elizabeth town- ship date from the early organization of the county. No better farming land is to be found than lies in this township, while its proximity to the county seat has always had a tendency to give land a higher value than land in the more remote townships of the county. The largest lakes are Jewett, Long, Devil, Mason, Zimmerman, Reed and Helen, while a number of . smaller bodies of water are scattered over the township. The whole township drains into the Pelican river, which runs south through the township along the western side.
The Pelican Rapids branch of the Northern Pacific passes through the township from north to south and affords easy communication with the out- side world. This road was built in the early eighties. As a matter of fact, the township has had two railroads in its history, although the other one had only a brief career. The Great Northern built a branch from the village of Carlisle to Elizabeth and paralleled the Northern Pacific with its track to Pelican Rapids, but before the rails were laid it disposed of its right of way to its rival. The grade is now used in places as a highway. The history of these two roads is given in the chapter on railroads elsewhere in this volume.
The only village of any importance is Elizabeth, and it dates back more than forty years. A summer resort, known as Lake Mason, located on the northern side of the lake of the same name has been platted.
Elizabeth.
The village of Elizabeth, located in section 31, of the township bearing the same name, was platted in 1872 for Herman and Marie Burau. The plat was recorded September 19, 1872. The village was granted the right of incorporation by the district judge, L. W. Collins, on November 21, 1884. The incorporation included two hundred acres. The judge named Peter Maurin, M. H. Iltis and Peter N. Smith to give notice of the first election for village officials.
Elizabeth has all of the various business enterprises usually found in good rural villages, and boasts of general stores, an implement dealer, cream- ery, blacksmith shop, confectionery store, lumber yard, elevator, flour-mill, bank and one of the most substantially built garages in the western part of the state. A large amount of live stock is marketed here and thousands of bush- els of small grain are handled annually by the Maurin elevator and the Peli- can River flour-mills. The religious life of the community is well taken care of by three churches, the oldest being St. Elizabeth's Catholic church. The other denominations are the Swedish Lutheran and the St. John's Evangel-
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ical Lutheran churches. All three have flourishing congregations, excellent church buildings and parsonages. The German Evangelical church also has a good parochial school building. The two-story brick public school building was erected in 1905.
The present village officials are as follows : President, Henry F. Maurin ; councilmen, Frank Grouws, A. Marquard and Fred Wilde, Sr .; clerk, J. C. Rian; treasurer, Fred Wilde, Jr. ; assessor, C. S. Bell; justices, C. S. Bell and L. D. Barcalow; constables, Fred Wilde, Jr., and Walter Wilde.
OTTER TAIL TOWNSHIP
The first attempt to organize Otter Tail township was made in the spring of 1870, but for some reason which has not been discovered the organ- ization was not effected at this time. A petition dated February 26, 1870, and signed by fourteen legal voters of township 134, range 39, asked for its establishment as a civil township. The fourteen interested citizens were R. L. Frazee, William W. McArthur, Peter Willbrand, J. Covreth, Donald Mc- Donald, William McDonald, A. Bellegen. John Bunken, Charles Mason, George Mathews, James McDougall, C. H. Peake, Giles Peake and Louis Mayrand. The history of this township prior to 1862 is found in the chapter entitled "Otter Tail County in 1860."
The board granted this petition on the 8th of the following month and gave the name of Otter Tail to the new township. They set March 17 for the election of the first township officials and designated the store of C. H. Peake as the voting place. It is very evident that the election did not take place at this time, since a second petition for the organization of the same congressional township was presented to the commissioners on September 5, 1870. This second petition, dated August 24, 1870, carried the following names : William W. McArthur, J. E. Aanserdon, Z. Covrette, A. Bellengen, P. Bellengen, Peter Willbrand, Albert Gontwan, D. McArthur, William Mc- Donald, W. A. Plummer, Louis Dall, Martin Welch, F. H. Englundy, J. A. Wagg, Samuel Whitney, Philip Bower, James Hendry, Andrew Olson, John Pelissier, George W. Matthews, Simon Zenson, Byron Lent, R. L. Frazee and James Craigie.
In accordance with the order of the commissioners, granting the second petition, the first election was held at the home of William McArthur, Sep- tember 24, 1870. The next appearance of Otter Tail township in the com- missioners' records is on October 12, 1880, when A. S. Blowers, of the said township, appeared before the board and made an affidavit to the effect that "there has been no town meeting nor election held in said township for at least four years past and it has been without township officers during all that time and that the same is an organized township." Evidently there was no refutation of the charge, since the commissioners proceeded at once to
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