Welcome to

Otter Tail County Minnesota

Blowers Township

 HISTORY
 POPULATION

 LAND MAPS

 NAMES



From Trygg Historical Maps, Trygg Land Office, Ely, MN www.trygglandoffice.com/maps.html
b=bottom land, m=marsh, p=prairie, s=swamp

 Basic Facts:

Township 136N, Range 36W
Government survey 1870
First Settled 18??
Organized March 20, 1884

History

[Copied by Lory Brasel, lbrasel@leagent.net, from the book "History of Otter Tail County" Volume I - 1916 by John W. Mason]

BLOWERS TOWNSHIP

The township of Blowers (township 130 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 contains 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 township 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 1. 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. Jacobson, 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.

Population

Population totals in state and federal census summaries.

   Blowers
 1870  
 1875  
 1880  15
 1885  126
 1890  246
 1895  310
 1900  441
 1905  450
 1910  442
 1920  585
 1930  610
 1940  618

Places of birth for Blowers Township in the 1905 state census.

 Native (USA)  55   12%
 Minnesota  229   51%
 Foreign  166   37%
     Germany  19   11%
     Sweden  29   17%
     Norway  8   5%
     Canada  2   1%
     Ireland  2   1%
     Denmark  2   1%
     England  0   0%
     Poland  0   0%
     Finland  104   63%
     Russia  0   0%
     Scotland  0   0%
     Other  0   0%

Land Maps


Names



The following names have been extracted from original land records (by John Nelson) and Mason's History (by Karen Terry). Ambers , Ole ; Anderson , Henry , Latta ; Becker , Fritz , Heinrich ; Bengtson , Martin , Nels ; Berglov , Per ; Bjorkland , Charles ; Blowers , AS ; Brown , John ; Bruning , Heinrich F ; Conner , Andrew ; Erickson , Gustaf A ; Erikson , Knud A ; Gerner , Fred ; Granstrom , Carl G ; Green , John B ; Hansen , Christ ; Hedman , Louis ; Hietala , Emil , John ; Holtti , Mikki ; Jacobson , OP ; Kanthack , John ; Kertscher , Fredrick F ; Kiviaho , Abrami ; Koski , Andrew ; Kyrola , Gust ; Laine , E ; Lee , William ; Lemke , Henry ; Maatta , Conrad ; Matson , Charles , John ; Miller , Fredric B , Henry J ; Mursu , Peter ; Nekkari , Matts ; Nikkari , Sakris ; Olsen , Jens , Otto ; Persson , Carl ; Putikka , John ; Reilund , Matti ; Roiko , Andrew ; Satio , Greta N ; Savela , H ; Savinenni , Henry ; Sheets , George ; Sieckela , Erick ; Sporre , Per A ; Stierna , Siver ; Stover , Heinrich ; Tolpe , John ; Tolppi , John O ; Waha , Matti ; Welker , Edwin C ; Windels , Emelie , FM ; Witell , Leanter


Return to Otter Tail County Home Page