USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 25
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The most striking feature of the topography of Friberg township is its large number of lakes, no less than sixty being scattered over its surface. The largest lakes are Heilberg. Tonseth, Long, Big Stone, Sproul, Wolf, Rice and Evans. Red river runs through the township from east to west through sections 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31, leaving the township in the center of the southern part of the latter section.
One of the first, if not the first, saw-mill in the township was located on Red river in the western part of section 26. Probably the first church was built by the German Lutherans in the extreme southwestern corner of the township. There was also a cemetery at this place. Two other burial grounds which date from the early history of the township are to be found in sections 4 and 34, respectively. The first postoffice was a Friberg, which stood in section 34 near the southern boundary of the township. At different times in the past, postoffices have been maintained at Weggeland, in section
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35, and at Rumsey, in section 16, a general store being located at both places. The present township officers are as follows: Supervisors, H. L. Munger, William Buchholz and Carl Shol; clerk, H. F. Duenow; treasurer, H. R. Wenstrow; assessor, F. W. Drews; justices, H. Wilshusen and E. W. Leeper ; constables, E. W. Olds and Fred Buchholz.
COMPTON TOWNSHIP.
The township of Compton (township 134, range 36) was born under inauspicious conditions. As a matter of fact, when the commissioners brought the fledgling into existence on May 10, 1875, there was no one present to christen it and not even one of the commissioners had a name to suggest. Two days later, May 12, the board, or some one interested in the township, gave it the name of Grant and it bore the name of that illustrious general until July 29, 1875, when it was changed by the order of the commissioners to Compton, so named in honor of one of the early pioneers of the county. The election for the first officers was set for the 3Ist of the same month at the house of a man by the name of Langly.
Compton is the central township on the eastern border of the county. It is bounded on the north by Bluffton, on the west by Deer Creek, on the south by Oak Valley and on the east by Wadena county. This township loses to some extent in picturesqueness, but gains in acreage of tillable land by not having a lake within the confines of its territory. The drainage of this township through the waters of Leaf river is excellent. The natural slope is to the north and the streams all take a due northerly course. Oak and Bluff creeks flow the entire length of the township and furnish excellent natural and artificial drainage to the farmers. These streams are tribu- taries of Leaf river, which latter stream flows across the northwestern cor- ner, entering from Deer creek and flowing into Bluffton township.
The main line of the Northern Pacific cuts the extreme northeast corner of the township, running wholly in section 1. The Fergus Falls division of this road branches off at Wadena Junction and runs southwest through the township. There are just seven miles of railroad in this township. Comp- ton was settled and organized at an early date. This was due, no doubt, to the building of the railroad through this section in .1871, as only four years elapsed until it was formally organized. There is no town within the limits of Compton, although the people have easy access to the villages of Deer Creek on the west and Wadena on the east.
EASTERN TOWNSHIP
The township of Eastern (township 131, range 36) was organized on July 29, 1875, on the petition of S. L. West and others, representing a majority of the legal voters of the said township. The first election was held at the house of S. L. West on the 16th of the following month.
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This township was attached to Jasper in response to a petition of the legal voters of the township to the commissioners dated January 4, 1870, which contained the following signatures: Henry Asselm, Henrick M. J. Drayer, Charles J. Velden, Benjamin L. Pease, J. S. Hogen, H. H. Carpenter, August Benggvist, Charles Svenson, Andrew Hanson, Sven Carlson, Hans Anderson, John Svanman, John Hakenson, Amor Bacon, Horis Aatkinson, Byron Rathbust, Hamilton Hall, Peter Lindall, W. A. Rathbun, Peter Jensen, G. I. Lundquist, P. A. Lundquist, P. Nelsen, P. N. Lundquist, A. Lundquist, John G. Nelson and John N. Nelson.
The petition for the creation of this county was not presented to the commissioners until five years after this first petition. It was dated at Parkers Prairie, July 19, 1875, and contained the following names: S. I .. West, William Melugin, William Boath, J. J. Melugin, Thomas Knott, John Tanglen, Peter Hakinson, John Svanman, C. Nyman, S. Caltras, Joseph Livesnosh, A. Peterson, Phillip S. Ireland and C. Haugen.
This township is the extreme southeastern township of the county and its location sufficiently accounts for the name which was given it by the county commissioners. It has six lakes of good size, Annalaid, Mary, Long, Rich, South and North Maple. The northern part of the township drains into Wing river and the southern portion is crossed by Spruce creek, which leaves the county in section 33. There is much valuable farming land in the township, and with drainage much more land can be brought under success- ful cultivation.
This is one of the several townships in the county without railroad con- nections with the outside world and this fact in part accounts for the town- ship having no village. Early in its history saw-mills were established in the northwestern corner of section 13 and in the northern part of section 33. .At the present time the sole industry of the people of the township is farm- ing, and the well-improved farms to be found indicate that the pursuit of this time-honored occupation has been successful.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, Hans Arved- son, Frank Fox and O. K. Hanson ; clerk, A. C. Rosenquist ; assessor, Oliver Williams: justice, Nels Benson ; constables, J. E. Nelson and J. A. Peterson.
OAK VALLEY TOWNSHIP
The majority of the legal voters of congressional township 133, range 36. presented a petition to the county commissioners on January 2, 1877. asking for the creation of a civil township. embracing the said territory to be known by the name of Oak Valley. This petition was dated November 15. 1876, and was presented to the county commissioners at their January term, at which time they ordered a laying off and naming of Oak Valley township. The names of the petitioners follow : William M. Noyler, John
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W. Noyler, Marion S. Dockstoder, George Broughton, C. A. Smith, Thomas R. Williams, H. C. Williams, James Williams, G. J. Ausbourne, John Biggs, C. E. Thomas, William Thomas, H. P. James, A. C. Packard, S. M. Pack- ard, A. M. J. O'Keefe, N. H. Packard, John Colson, Andrew Carlson, Charles G. Vedean, Andrew Hansen, W. M. Brattin, T. N. Brattin, J. M. Doudna, I. Hocking and David I. Johnson. The first election was held at the home of John Colston, January 22, 1877.
Oak Valley township lies in the eastern tier of sections and is one of the three in this county bordering on Todd county. It is bounded on the north by Compton, on the west by Inman and on the south by Woodside. This township is outside of the lake district, although there are two small bodies of water in the western side. The natural drainage of this township is to the north and two of the tributaries of Leaf river rise in Oak Valley. These are only small creeks, flowing due north on the eastern and western half of the township. The eastern branch bears the name of Oak creek, while the western bears the name of Bluff creek. Farming and dairying is the chief vocation in this township. The farms are well improved and the land is fertile, due partly to the advanced methods of farming. There is no rail- road and no towns in this section, although there were two postoffices for a number of years. These bore the names of Lyman and Ramsdell, but it has been impossible for the writer to determine their exact location. They have long since ceased to exist and the people in this section are accommodated with rural routes. Deer Creek is the nearest trading center for the inhab- itants of this township. The Oak Valley Co-operative Creamery Company is located in section 8 and has a good patronage from the dairies in this town- ship. There are three churches located in Oak Valley, namely, one in sec- tion I, one in section 8 and another in section 17. There is a cemetery located in section 8 and also one located in 26.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, F. G. Trol- lier, A. W. Chapman and N. J. Finn; clerk, William Beck; treasurer, G. Menge; assessor, J. H. Walbridge; justices, Homer Paine and E. V. Bush; constable, J. W. Wallingford.
WOODSIDE TOWNSHIP
Woodside township was organized as Wrightstown on January 2, 1877, in response to a petition signed by a majority of the legal voters of the con- gressional township 132, range 36. The house of J. H. Aldrich was desig- nated for the first election, the same to be held on the 22nd of the same month.
This petition was dated November 6, 1876, and contained the following names : Thomas Ward, Rollin Dutcher, David Adams, John H. Rease, Elmer Rease, John E. Rease, Edson Rease, A. M. Rease, E. Wright, W.
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Wright, Y. Wright, Felix Wentrell, James Pilop, Samuel Blodget, Henry Sharp, John Solman, Wan Harkam, Henry Goodall, Dwitt Vanguilder, J. H. Aldrich, William W. Dutton, John Hawkins, Harry Johnson, E. Wilson, Berten Young, Andru Stebeng, Jason Newell, Origin Bates and David More- house. It was evident that the township was not organized in pursuance of this order of the commissioners, since on March 22, 1877, a second petition asking for the organization of the township was presented and passed. This second petition was dated at Parkers Prairie, January 31, 1877. The follow- ing is a list of the signers, a majority of the legal voters of the township: P. W. Dutton, G. K. Aldrich, William Haskcom, Dwitt Vangilder, James Haskcom, H. Goodale, Andrew Stebbins, Samuel B. Young, William H. Wilson, O. G. Davison, J. Davison, E. D. Wilson, Origin Bates, T. Goodale, James Parlit, Jason Newell, John Hawkins, Wesley Wright, Tom Ward, John E. More, Henry Johnston, Samuel Blodgett, H. W. Sharp, John E. Rease, David Morehouse, John Mindwuoll, John More and E. Goodale.
The second petition asked that the township be called Woodside and also designated the house of J. H. Aldrich as a suitable place for holding the election. With the election on April 11, 1877, of the proper officials, the township took its place among its sister townships in the county.
Woodside township contains as much farming land as any township in the county, being one of the very few without lakes. It is drained largely by Wing river, which enters the township in section 19 and takes an easterly course through the township, leaving it at the center of section 25. Practic- ally all of the township is level and none of it is so rugged as to prevent its cultivation. The soil is largely black sandy loam and, under the careful tillage of its excellent farmers, produces good crops without artificial fertil- ization.
The first village in this township answered to the name of Wrightstown and stood in the western side of section 2. A store, postoffice, blacksmith shop, with an additional house or two, made up the village as it appeared thirty-five years ago. Wrightstown has never been platted and today it pre- sents a no more flourishing appearance than it did forty years ago. Not being on a railroad it has not been possible for it to become a trading center, and with the introduction of the rural free delivery a few years ago it prac- tically lost its right to exist. The first saw-mill in the township was on the farm of M. S. Dockstrader, in the eastern part of section 10. P. M. Wright also had a saw-mill on the corner of his farm in section 12. Both of these mills were in operation before 1880 and proved a great benefit to the sur- rounding farmers. The town hall is in the center of the township in the southeastern corner of section 16.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, J. T. Wag-
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ner, Andrew Johnson and Joe Dohson; clerk, Z. Wright; treasurer, H. S. Aldrich; assessor, R. V. Smith; justices, E. W. Smith and William Edes; constables, G. B. Wynn and William Zimmerman.
NEWTON TOWNSHIP
The. first effort to organize a civil township out of congressional town- ship 135, range 37, was made on September 3, 1872, when R. L. Frazee pre- sented a petition to the board of commissioners asking for its organization under the name of Frazee. This petition was dated August 31. 1872, and bore the following names: R. L. Frazee, A. G. Matthews, L. C. Nicoud, G. A. Johnson, D. R. Whitney, L. Jewell, Jona Heunkson, Harry Wilber, Andrew Bruteuson. C. W. Erickson, C. Bruteuson, John Christonson, Ole A. Dahl, M. Barg, Charles P. Jewell, Robert Buchanan, Alfred Pressy, A. Heutchinson and G. Sheets. This petition was granted and the township so named, but, according to the commissioners' records, there were "no boundaries defined and no affixed day for the first town meeting." Nothing appears to have been done towards putting the township organization into effect.
A second effort was made to organize. the territory in question into a civil township the following year. The petition was dated June 16, 1873, and the county commissioners at the regular session, September 1, 1873, granted the prayer of the petitioners and ordered that the aforesaid township be organized and called New York Mills. This petition contained the follow- ing names: Charles Townley, George L. Cornwell, A. Cornwell, J. H. Mc- Math. J. McDonald, John Setherland, G. Edwart, Gina Ramsdell, C. R. Jewell, J. A. Johnson, Thomas A. Morrison, Frank F. Saunders, Charles Mof- fat, Charles Lundgren, John Brown, R. McKinnen, John T. Kerr, Holida Henrickson, Frank Oelson, F. N. Hendrickson, Nathan Colby, Robert Grif- fin. P. Steinberg. S. A. Moffat. I. Grismer, N. E. Oppigaar, George Filzt, E. N. Hoggy, Blair Beveey, D. Jewell. G. W. Jewell. F. Jewell, G. H. Merwib. T. Springstead and John McKinnen. After the granting of the second petition the organizers of this township seem to have neglected to proceed with their organization. It was four years later. in fact, before a third and final attempt was .made to organize the territory in question into a civil township.
The actual beginning of Newton township dates from March 22, 1877, at which time it was organized under the name of New York Mills town- ship (township 135, range 37). This last petition was dated March 13, 1877. and bears the following signatures: J. C. Winslow, J. S. Austin, B. H. Winslow. J. Harrigan, Henry Fletcher. Alex Hendrickson, Thomas Rilley. John Welsh. A. Watson, I .. Walker. Thomas Ottio, Andrew Poopert. Alex Pekeine, Mats Ronkainen, H. Hawkins and Charley Townley.
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The commissioners designated the store of Towsley & Cornwell as a suitable place for holding the first election, and set April 11 for election day. The township continued to bear the cumbersome appellation of New York Mills until July 26, 1883, when it was rechristened by the name which it now bears. It is interesting to note that when J. S. Austin and sixty- four other petitioners asked on this latter day (July 26, 1883,) for a change in the name of the township they requested that it be called Woodland. but the board discovered that there was another township by the same name in the state and accordingly "selected the name of Newton and directed that the township be so named." The tax duplicate of 1870 gives the tax- payers in Newton township as Henry Van Arman, Esther Gillman and Charles A. Gillman. This was seven years before it was organized as a civil township.
This township was the thirty-fifth organized in Otter Tail county although it had the opportunity of being the twenty-third, but through the lack of interest on the part of the citizens they failed to take advantage of the first act organizing the township. Consequently, twelve other town- ships took on a civil organization from the time the first petition for the organization of Newton was granted until it actually became an organized township. This township is bounded on the north by Homestead, on the west by Otto, on the south by Deer Creek and on the east by Bluffton.
Newton bears a unique distinction, along with a very few of the other townships on the eastern side, of having not a single lake within its limits. The natural drainage of this township is excellent. The southern and eastern part of the township is drained by a tributary of Leaf river. This small creek rises in section 19 and meanders east and south, leaving the township from section 14. The north and eastern side is drained through Bluff creek, one branch of which rises in section 15, while the main stream enters from Homestead township and takes a southward course, leaving Newton township in the northeastern corner of section 25. These streams afford excellent natural and artificial drainage for the farms in this section. This township is densely populated and the farms range in size from forty to one hundred acres, but the greater percentage contain forty and eighty acres. The farms are all under good cultivation while the farming is car- ried on with all the advanced methods and improved implements. The main line of the Northern Pacific railroad passes through this township. running almost diagonally from northwest" to southeast. This road was completed in 1871 and accounts for the early and rapid settlement of this township. There are two stations on this line in Newton, namely, New York Mills and Dopelius. Boardman was the first village platted in New- ton township. This was located on the Northern Pacific railroad in section
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7, but as New York Mills was laid out only one-half mile from the former and eventually enveloped this town, it lost its identity and became a part of New York Mills. Boardman was platted for Alexander Watson, Henry T. Turner and John Harrigan by T. W. Jones. It was recorded in the office of register of deeds February 16, 1880.
New York Mills.
The village of New York Mills, located in section 8, was platted by E. W. Jones for the following proprietors: Henry and Anna Van Aernan, O. P. and Marshia Boardman, S. D. and A. P. Brown (his wife) and George L. and Ada Cornwell. The plat of the village was recorded on October 12, 1883.
A petition for incorporation, dated January 7, 1884, was prepared pursuant to chapter 17 of the General Laws of 1883, and signed by the following legal voters of the proposed incorporation: C. H. Yates, A. Caniff, E. F. Yates, Charles J. Johnson, O. Parry, Fred Reynolds, O. A. Austin, M. Henrikson, August Sitz, Ferdnand Stolz, W. H. Norton, John D. Campbell, B. P. Duffin, A. H. Norton, F. H. Stull, C. E. Kimberlin, A. McNally, A. P. Hahn, C. W. Fiske, F. Dixon, C. W. Reynolds, A. O. Sherman, W. C. Bickel, J. W. Kinney, Levi Stevens, A. W. Taylor, C. H. Gilman, William L. Taylor, H. Maratz, H. W. Nunn, Alexander Watson, A. S. Blowers and Levi Walker. An interesting statement in the petition refers to the reasons why the incorporation is sought. "The social as well as the business interests of said territory will be greatly benefited by a municipal form of government as the said town * * (is) situated on the Northern Pacific railroad * *
* and is a supply station for large numbers of railroad men and lumbermen." The petition states that the vil- lage has a population of "Three Hundred Souls." This population was scat- tered over an area of twelve hundred and eighty acres. This petition was presented to the judge of the district court, S. W. Collins, and on May 27, 1884, he granted the request of the petitioners. The judge appointed John Meggnis, A. P. Helm and O. A. Austin as judges of the first election for village officials.
New York Mills now has a population of five hundred. The town has grown and extended in the last few years and several modern buildings, both business and residential, have made it a village of prosperous appearance. The fire engine house was completed in 1914. This department is entirely volunteer. The equipment consists of a hose cart, gasoline engine, chemical engine, and a thousand feet of hose. The water is pumped from the rail- road tank, although there is a storage cistern under the fire house for use in case of emergencies. New York Mills has an excellent band of sixteen pieces. Andrew Lind is the present postmaster and H. A. Hanser railroad
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agent. Ethel Hopp is superintendent of the pump station for the railroad. There are three churches in this village: two Finnish churches and one Con- gregational. The Modern Woodmen, Modern Brotherhood of America and Royal Neighbor lodges all have chapters here. This village draws from quite an extensive farming area, but this is less on account of Perham and the other towns along the Northern Pacific railroad.
The present business and professional interests of the town follow : Elevators, Farmers Elevator Co., and Andrews & Gage; barbers, Adolph Smith; blacksmiths, D. F. Carmichael, John Borden; bottling works, W. F. Muckalah; creamery, New York Mills Creamery Company ; druggists, W. A. Miller; feed mill, T. H. Allars; garage, Atkinson & Stiner, and Mershu & Wapla; general store, M. R. Denison, C. A. Matla, Farmers Co-operative Co .; grocery, Victor Komulainen, Herman Hananen; hardware, Mershu & Wapola, Lind & Piilola; hotel, Merchants Hotel; livery, Fiske Bros., William Peters; lumber, Dower Lumber Co .; meat market, Charles Peckla; pool hall, William Peters; veterinary, H. T. Fiske; picture shows, S. C. Olson.
The present village officers are as follow: President, C. R. Stinar ; trustees, A. O. Mattson, W. F. Wood and Andrew Piilola; clerk, John H. Mursu; treasurer, E. R. Rosser; assessor, J. A. Muckala; justices, E. O. Quallom and R. A. Williams; constables, Matt Ruikka and William Stinar.
The village of Dopelius, the only other in Newton township, was recorded August 6, 1901, for Clifford W. and Bertha M. Baumhach (his wife) by Martin Aalberg. A postoffice was originally located in this town- ship in section 25 by the name of Amboy, but this was taken over by Dopelius when the latter was platted.
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CHAPTER XIII. TOWNSHIPS OF OTTER TAIL COUNTY, 1878-79.
SVERDRUP TOWNSHIP.
Sverdrup township was created by the county commissioners on March 18, 1878, under the name of Norman. The laws of Minnesota provided that the commissioners had to return the names of townships to the state auditor for his approval. The latter official had the authority to approve or reject the name, the rejection being determined by the question as to whether there was another township in the state of the same name. In the case of Norman township the state auditor reported to the county commis- sioners that another township of the same name already existed, and on July 17, 1878, the present name, Sverdrup, was given the township as set forth in the following resolution : "Resolved by the board of county commission- ers of Otter Tail county that the congressional township 133, range 41, organized at the last meeting of board be named Sverdrup as the first name ( Norman) was not accepted by the state auditor, another town in the state having the same name. Adopted, July 17, 1878."
The first election was held at the house of Olaf Bjornaas on April 6, 1878. Although Sverdrup was not officially created until 1878, a petition had been presented to the commissioners dated December 7, 1872, asking that township 133, range 41, which was at that time attached to the town of Tordenskjold and which contained at the time more than twenty-five legal voters, be organized into a separate township under the name of Nor- man. This was signed by the following men: John Olsen Kolstad, Aug. Nordenmalm, Jens Gveld, O. H. Jornaas, Ole Olsen Aune, Ole T. Homperd, Peder M. Henriks, Ole F. Loseth, Knud Knudsen, Bernt O. Sundeye, H. E. Nilson, Halvor Marken, Johan Marken. Ole Aiene, Jens Jensen, Johan Schroeder, John E. Hill, Iver L. Kotitad. Mattias Olsen Minge, Ole John- sen Butterud, Petter Lorssen, Ole Pedersen, Kalsten Halstensen, Knud Peterson and Andrias Olsen. This petition was rejected on March 18. 1873.
The second petition which resulted in getting the township organized, was dated February 5, 1878, and contained the names of the following qual- ified voters: A. W. Peterson, Hans Juelson, Oscar Hanson, Johan E. Hill, Charley Johnson Hill, Johna O. Nilsby, Ole F. Hamperd. Ole J. Butterud, Ole T. Bjornaas, Ole F. Loseth, Ole O. Aune, Ole Nygaard, Jens E. Wold. John O. Stompord, Peder M. Hendricks, James Randak. Even Johnson, John Sanao, T. C. Logge, Lars Hansen, Peder Sande, M. O. Sjolberg, Jor-
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