USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 29
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Pine Lake was so named originally because of the trees of that species
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which surrounded it. It was but natural that the township which included the greater portion of this lake should receive the same name. In fact Pine lake is the only body of water of any size in the township and it covers approximately six sections. Red river, which flows through Pine lake, enters the township in section 6 and leaves it in section 18. The eastern part of the township is drained by small streams which empty into Pine lake. The topography of this township is not unlike that of many other townships in the county. The remainder of the township is slightly rolling, sufficiently so as to make it easily drained. The soil is uniformly fertile and farmers are not yet compelled to resort to artificial fertilizers in order to get good crops.
The Northern Pacific railroad, which was built through the county in 1871, passes through the southwestern corner of this township and the only village in the township is located in section 33 on this railroad. It was platted by George A. Burbank for Albert and Agusta Boedigheimer, the plat being recorded September 27, 1899. The village was platted as Richland, but owing to the fact that there was another town of the same name in the state, it was later changed to Richdale. The latter has a general store and postoffice which is managed by William Jezewski, who has the sole responsi- bility of both.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, E. Wendt. William Boedigheimer and Charles Bahls: clerk, J. B. Hemmelgarn : treas- urer, F. Rosenthal; assessor, John Schekal; justice, William Jezekski.
OTTO TOWNSHIP.
The township now known as Otto was first organized on March 14, 1871, and attached to Rush Lake township for civil and criminal jurisdic- tion. It remained a part of the latter township until March 22, 1883, when the commissioners organized it as Otto township upon the petition of George Udell, and thirty others residents of congressional township 135, range 38. The petitioners asked that the township be called Lake View. but for some reason, which is not stated in the record the board saw fit to call it Otto. The first election for township officials was held at the Jacob Smith school house on Tuesday, April 10. 1893.
The thirty-one signers of the petition asking for the organization of Otto township were as follow: George Udell, G. McDonald. Jacob Ander- son, Isaac West, John Teuki, Nils Johansen, Levi Stevens, S. F. Sawyer, Solomon -, Isak Carl Lunt. Ysak Mikalson (next three names illeg- ible) Henry Johnson, Gustav Wakkinen (next four names illegible). C. J. Hayes, E. Reynolds, William Roberts, Fred Reynolds, Edward Hewitt. Eliza Udell, William Smith, Martin Gillespie and John Smith. The illegible names on the petition are very evidently Norwegian or German.
Otto township lies in the immediate basin of the Red river system and.
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although it has no lake entirely within its limits, at least half of Rush lake is in the township. Section 19 is entirely covered by this lake, the greater part of sections 20 and 30, as well as parts of sections 18, 29, 21 and 28. This lake drains the entire township and is a great benefit for artificial drainage. The Red river enters this township in the southwestern part of section 6 and flows through sections 7 and 18, where it empties into Rush lake. This was the fifty-seventh township organized in the county, although it had been attached to Rush Lake for civil and criminal jurisdiction since 1871. It is bounded on the north by Pine Lake, on the west by Rush Lake, on the south by Leaf Lake and on the east by Newton. The Northern Pacific railroad runs through the northeast corner of the state, passing diagonally through sections I and 2. It is evident that this township was settled much earlier than some of the other townships that were organized much sooner, but evidently the settlers did not feel the need for separate township government. It is truly an agricultural township as there is no platted village within its limits. Before the advent of the rural routes there was a postoffice at St. Lawrence. The town hall is located in section 21. There are three churches in the township, one in section 31,. another in section 7 and a third in section 26. This township is thickly settled as evinced by the size of the farms which range from forty to one hundred and sixty acres.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, Walter Rey- nolds and John Perala; clerk, Walter West; treasurer, Jones Ogala ; assessor, William Oman; justice, Joe Nau; constable. Charles Nampa.
BUTLER TOWNSHIP.
An effort had been made a searly as 1880 to organize a civil township out of the territory now embraced within Butler, Corliss, Pine Lake and Homestead townships, but when a petition from the citizens of this territory asked on July 26, of that year, for such a township it was refused on the ground that it included too large a tract of land. Homestead was organ- ized at that time, but it was not until July 26, 1883, that township 137. range 37, presented a petition asking for its establishment as a civil town- ship. On this latter date A. O. Richardson and sixteen others, a majority of the legal voters of the congressional township, appeared before the board asking for the organization of the civil township to be known by the name of Red Eye. The petitioners were as follow: A. O. Richardson, Isaac Beetle. J. W. McCallum, J. Fish, William Matthews, P. B. Thompson, Jr., S. V. Wheaten. H. Budke, A. J. Pierce. H. G. Mckibben, W. H. Kimball, David Traille, Charles Kimball, Horace Kimball, John McGuire, Peter McGuire and J. S. Richardson. The board granted this petition on the above mentioned date, but refused their assent to the name Red Eye, calling
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it Butler instead. The first election was held at the residence of Peter McGuire on August 15, 1883.
Butler township lies on the northern border of Otter Tail county and in the second tier of townships from Wadena county. It is bounded on the north by Becker county, on the west by Corliss township, on the south by Homestead and on the east by Paddock. Bear lake, on the western side. is the largest body of water. Swamp lake, Lake Edna, Havey lake and Pierce lake are smaller bodies of water in this township, although there are several smaller lakes which bear no names. There are no streams in the southern half of the township but the northern half is well drained by Red Eye river and its tributaries. Red Eye river enters from Becker county in the center of section 4. It then takes a southeastern course and leaves the township in the northeastern part of section 13. Bear creek is the outlet for Bear lake and flows through the central part emptying into Red Eye river only a short distance from where the latter enters Paddock township. Another small creek drains the northwestern part and joins Red Eye river in the north central part of section ten. These are the main avenues of drainage for the northern part of the township. There is no platted town within the limits of this township, although there is a postoffice at Butler. The latter is located in the northeastern corner of section fifteen. A very plausible reason for the lateness of the organization of this township is its remoteness from the seat of justice. In traveling from the northeast corner of the township to the county seat one has to traverse sixty miles.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, Joe Fish, Gotliev Janke and J. H. Imonen; clerk, P. B. Thompson; treasurer, John Redetzke; assessor, Peter Johnson; justice, Prudence Jacques; constables, John Hubla and Joe Hollick.
CORLISS TOWNSHIP.
The record concerning the organization of Corliss township states that it was "organized and baptised and named" on January 3, 1884. On this date O. F. Russell and twenty-seven others presented a petition to the board asking for the establishment of township 137, range 38, as a civil township to be known by the name of Adams. The petition carried the following names : O. F. Russell, Almon L. Young. Mike Shuda, C. W. Russell, Samuel G. Wallace, Thomas Peisdersku, Jakob Luks, John Paleiky, Jacob Lezygd, Bernhard Brosha, Frank Chidenski, Maik Dubstsi, George Raehe, Charles Raehe. Adam Siring. Patrick Collins, Fred Wetmore, Johann Bauzzh, Joseph Kontowski, Joan Bautsch, Albert T. Neuman, Alexander Collett. F. Siring. H. Wellman, M. H. Mille, John Gavin, Mat Slattery and George Gavin. (Many of the names on this petition were written with a lead pencil and some of them were nearly impossible to decipher.)
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The board granted the request of the petitioners, but called the new township Corliss, in honor of E. E. Corliss, one of the earliest settlers of the county and now custodian of the State House at St. Paul. The name Adams could not be used for the reason that it had already been applied to another township in the state, a fact not known to the petitioners.
The first settlers in this township in many cases came from other parts of Otter Tail county, being drawn here on account of the cheapness of the land. The most enterprising of these early settlers were those who signed the petition for the organization of the township in 1884. This township has no urban centers and not even a townsite has ever been platted within its limits. For some years a postoffice by the name of Woodland, located in section 3, was maintained but since the introduction of the rural free delivery it has been discontinued. No railroad reaches this part of the coutny. The nearest trading center is to be found at Perham.
Topographically this township presents no unusual features and for the most part its entire area is susceptible of cultivation. One lake only is entirely within the limits of the township, although there are four lakes which are on the township lines, namely, Little Pine, Big Pine, Bear and Edna.
Indian lake, the one lying wholly within the township, was formerly more than twice its present size, extending to the north for at least a mile through sections 8 and 5. Another vanished lake is found in sections II and 14. Practically the whole township is within the basin of the Red . river. Three streams of considerable size drain in the general direction of Big Pine lake through which Red river flows. The largest of these three streams is Toad river, which rises in Becker county and flows in a southerly direction near the line between Corliss and Gorman townships.
Corliss township has one church, which is located in the western part of section 114. There is a cemetery adjoining the church while another burial ground is found in the northeastern corner of section 35. On the banks of Toad river in the western part of section 29 a grist-mill has been operated for many years. A saw-mill located in the northern part of section 2 has done a flourishing business for many years.
Some idea of the nationality of the people of this township may be gained from a glance at some of the landowners whose names are taken from the 1912 atlas of the county. They follow: Palubicki, Czopienski, Schatschneider, Eiswoldt. Pancratz: Kantowski, Sczygel. Rekowski, Lamski. Dulski. Shibitzski, Ziolkowski, Henningson. Foerstner and plain John Schmidt.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors. J. Stoldt. William Schmidt and Herman Rosen: clerk, C. A. Weigelt; treasurer, John
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Fiedler ; assessor, John Fiedler; justices, Sam G. Wallace and William Ebel- ing; constables, Emil Mieschke and Henry Meier.
BLOWERS TOWNSHIP.
The township of Blowers ( township 136, range 36) was created by the commissioners on March 20, 1884, and the first election was set for April 9, at the house of George Sheets. The petitioners had asked, or rather "prayed" as the petition states, that the new township be called Freedom, but this was refused on the ground that there was another township by the same name in the state. The commissioners named it in honor of A. S. Blowers, one of the prominent citizens of the early history of the county, and a member of the board of commissioners for many years.
This is one of the few townships in the county without a lake of any kind. The northern portion of the township is drained by Hay creek, a tributary of Red Eye river, while the southern portion falls within the watershed of Leaf river. The township is about equally divided between the two watersheds, and so well distributed are the branches of the two rivers that every portion of the township is easily drained. Blowers con- tains fine farming land and is settled with thrifty farmers who are fast bringing it to the front as one of the leading agricultural sections of the county.
This township was one of the last to be organized in the county, only two others-Orwell and Dead Lake-being organized later. This was due to a multiplicity of reasons, one of the chief being its remoteness from the county seat. It is seventy miles from the northeastern part of the town- ship to the city of Fergus Falls and at least twelve miles from a trading center of any size. For many years a postoffice by the name of Blowers was maintained, but it was discontinued many years ago and the township is now served by the rural free delivery. There has never been a town site platted within the limits of the township; neither has there ever been a church in the township, although there is a cemetery in the northern part of section I. A majority of the population are of German descent and with their usual thrift and well directed efforts they have made fine homes for themselves.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, O. P. Jacob- son, Martin Bengtson and E. Laine; clerk, Emil Hietala; treasurer, F. M. Windels; assessor, John O. Tolppi; justices, William Lee and H. Savela; constables, Gust Kyrola and Charles Bjorkland.
ORWELL TOWNSHIP
The township of Orwell was organized on July 27. 1886. by the county commissioners under the name of Liberty. For many years prior to its organ-
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ization as a separate township it had been known as West Buse, and it is so called in the petition of the citizens asking for its establishment as a civil township. The petitioners asked that the township be called either Huron or Ridgway, but "the commissioners selected the name of Liberty for the organized township, as it seemed to them that the voters of the township did not quite agree on any name of their own selection." The first election was at the school house on section 22, on Saturday, August 14, 1886. When the name of the new township was reported to the state auditor the latter official, in a letter dated August 7, 1886, reported back to the county auditor that the name Liberty was rejected on the ground that a township of this name already existed in the state. Thereupon the commissioners on November 3, 1886, ordered the name changed to Orwell.
The following qualified voters signed the petition for the establishment of Orwell township: Edwin M. Wright. William Winter, Lars Ouse, D. Burrows, W. P. Colvert, J. Welborn, Charles Russell, Thomas Carem, Charles B. Soule, John Woodfuff, M. P. Burrows, T. B. Ortendorf, Karl Heidgeken, H. Eikens, A. Svein, Charles Jackson, A. Lunde, Nils Petterson, Simon Olsen, S. Helander, James Knowles, S. J. Hylander W. W. Randolph, Olaf Engetriom and Peter Petterson.
Orwell was next to the last township organized in Otter Tail county, a fact due to the swampiness of the township. Red river runs through the township from east to west through sections 25, 26. 34, 28, 29, 32, 30 and 31. leaving the township and county near the line dividing sections 30 and 31. Rush lake is the only body of water of any considerable size, although there are several other small lakes within its limits. The landowners in 1880, as taken from the tax duplicate of that year, included E. W. Dewey, Eustace Cummings, J. A. Bell, E. S. Allen. N. P. Clark, B. B. Parsons, William Russell, E. P. Brainard, J. G. Smith, D. Stewart, W. H. Potter, F. S. Burnham, C. Tower, D. S. Wemple, Addison Hilton, John Nelson, L. Sherat, F. W. Woodworth, J. M. Scott, S. Garland, W. J. Van Dyke, William Elliott, William Taylor, L. Lathrop, David Hume, A. M. Ridgway, H. C. Menshing, T. J. Wiley, Fannie S. Burnham, A. Hennington, B. B. Parsons. John Larson, F. M. Rose, William Ridgway, Nels Holmgren, M. C. Davis, W. H. Bradford, P. McMaster. J. H. Grass, Lawrence Brainard, J. H. Holmes, A. Holes, P. O. Ryden, A. C. Vanderburg, William Kingston, H. Roberts, F. B. Van Hoesen, A. E. Wentworth, W. R. Lewis, C. F. Davis. Frank A. Gilmore, Fred Winter and James Knowles. The largest land owner was the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba railroad. It must not be understood that all of these taxpayers lived in the township at the time. since it is certain that only a few of them lived on the land they owned.
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There has never been a village platted within the limits of the township and it has never even had a postoffice.
The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, John Gander John Westerberg and Frank Noyes; clerk, B. R. Scott; treasurer, E. J. Scott; assessor, Fred Veit; justices, J. J. Martin and John Albright; constable, Fred Noyes.
DEAD LAKE TOWNSHIP
The last of the sixty-two townships to be organized in Otter Tail county was Dead Lake, which, for many years prior to its establishment as a civil township on March 24, 1897, had been attached to Perham for all township purposes. On the above date Henry Eaton and twenty-five other legal voters living in congressional township 135, range 40, petitioned the commissioners for the organization of the said territory as a civil township to be known as Dead Lake. The first election was held on the 10th of the following month at the school house in district No. 239 in section 16.
The petition bore the signatures of the following voters: Henry Eaton, James L. Richards, T. J. Elwess, N. J. Batton, T. A. Sampher, J. L. Bullock, J. D. Hitz, Parker Smith, George Bugbee. Calvin Comstock, Benjamin Ther- eault J. B. Batton, James L. Keith, H. Helms, J. H. Fairchild, P. L .. Bundy, Ansel Eaton, C. O. Simmons, C. S. Burnett, A. H. Helms, V. H. Miller, L. W. Hites. G. P. Eaton, A. S. Roberts, Amos McIntyre and L. W. Eaton.
Dead Lake township has two large lakes, Dead and Marion. Dead lake spreads out all over the southwestern part of the township and stretches across the township from east to west. It covers at least seven sections of land. This township is the most thinly settled of any in the county, but within the past few years a great improvement has been made in the general appearance of conditions in the township.
The only platted site in the township is known as Yaquina Bay, which is located in section 8 on the extreme northern shore of Dead lake. It was platted in the fall of 1910 and recorded in the office of the register of deeds `on November 23rd of that year. The proprietors were S. M. and Carrie Suffron. Although this township has not had a postoffice for some yeasr, there was once a representative of "Uncle Sam" stationed at a place called Redington, at least such a place is listed in old postal guides. There is not a church, not a mill of any kind and no villages to distract the attention of the wayfarer as he journeys through this township.
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CHAPTER XVI.
TRANSPORTATION.
HIGHWAYS.
The last report of the state commissioner of highways shows about ninety-two thousand miles of established highways in the state of Minnesota, exclusive of roads and streets in cities and incorporated villages. Of the mileage, approximately ninety per cent, or eighty thousand miles, are common earth roads, about ten thousand miles of the latter mileage being wholly or partly surfaced with gravel, sand, clay or vegetable loam. When there is taken into consideration the great wealth of the state and the available road- making material, this showing is anything but creditable to a state which boasts of being one of the great states of the Union. Many of the roads in the interior part of the state are but little, if any, better than the Indian trails which they have supplanted. What is needed is intelligent, well-directed methods of road construction, and until such a change is brought into use the farmers will continue to haul their grain to market in four-horse instead of two-horse wagons. Minnesota now has a highway commission and a step in the right direction has already been made. More money is being made available every year and the future is largely in the hands of the respective communities of the state. The old pathmasters of the seventies, with their haphazard methods of repairing and building roads, are giving way to a corps of skilled engineers, who are able to transform an Indian trail into a boule- vard and a mud-beclogged path into a highway which rivals the Appian Way of the ancient Romans.
An interesting sidelight on the troubles of roadmaking in the early his- tory of the county is disclosed by a letter which was written more than thirty years ago and filed with the commissioners' records. The sheet enclosing the letter bears the following inscription: "A sorrowful tale of grievance caused by the untamed denizens of the backwoods in the blessed town of Woodside by an honest taxpayer. Origen (al) Bates."
The "tale" is reproduced verbatim, no change being made in spelling, punctuation or grammar. The "tale" follows :
"Woodside July the 14 1883
"Town 132 Range 36 Road District no 2 complaint made by Origen Bates a tax payer in said road destrict to the county comisionrs of the proceedings of the town board and claim their proceedings ilegal and ruination to the raod destrict and that they are liable to be arested for misdemeanure in their office there hasent ben road work an nough don for the last 5 years through the
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path master to be worth as much as their bill last year there was a path master apointed and then they notified him not to do eny work till they told him wee to do the work they did not let him no where to do the work till it was to late to do the work then he resined then they apointed a thing in his place to get it off ove their hands and last winter the chairman told John Pease to go and build forty six rods of cordaroy at one dollar a rod without eny contract and then the board in the spring reviewed Said cordroy and excepted and said it was a nice Job when it was perfect worthless and no teams can cross it and paid the money for such work and this Spring after there had ben 2 path masters apointed and no one to take it I thought we had got to have roads although it seamed most impossible for me to leve my business and tend to the matter but as a tax payer to See the business done properly I volenteered to take it they apointed me I proceded to do one Job then the town bord and clerk picked a fuss with me and the bord refused to give me a order and I made up my mind that I would go through with the buisness all though I was hard up I proceded to review the roads acording to law and I found them in a retched condision I found one place were there was a little bridge broke down and one of my neighborsss cows had fell through crossing it and broke her back I notified the people out and procured the plank then the town board Served a notice on me to Stop work till I settled with the town then the fuss with Steve Odmels the town clerk and the board detained me 4 days they wasent willing to pay me for the time I spent on the road and bound to jangle and quarrel with me I was obliged to resine at this treatment and delay they havent procured no path master as yet as we no of no honest man will take it they way they serve them I request you amedatly to come to See me and See the roads and investigate the matter and deal with Such Supervisors according to law although they claim that you have no power over them do this ameadatly and oblige Origen Bates."
As far as the commissioners' records disclose, no action was taken on this letter "amedatly" or otherwise.
RIVER TRANSPORTATION.
With the Red river running through the county, it is easy to understand why there was considerable river transportation before the advent of highways and railroads. The rapids in the river within the limits of Fergus Falls were so precipitate that transhipment was necessary. Apropos of river navigation in Otter Tail county, the following article from the Fergus Falls Weekly Journal, July 31, 1873, will be of interest :
RED RIVER NAVIGABLE.
"Numerous fleet boats have passed down Red river all the way from Otter Tail City to Fergus and from below the falls to Fort Gary without
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