Welcome to

Otter Tail County Minnesota

Maine 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 N134, Range W31
Government survey 18??
First Settled 18??
Organized September 5, 1871

History

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

The township of Maine (township 134, range 41) was organized by the county commissioners on September 5, 1871. The first election was held at the home of R. F. Adley, father of county superintendent Adley, on September 23, 1871. The township was named Maine at the request of Mr. Adley, a native of that state, and one of the earliest settlers within the present limits of the township.

The petition for the organization of this township was dated September 4, 1871, and contained the following names: A. Scribner, Joseph Nagle, Hug. Hunter, Allen Young, William McCall, William Turville, David F. Spalding, B. L. Bull, John Braun, Peter Peterson, L. H. Barry, G. A. Clark, Ole Olson, H. W. Putnam and N. Huse.

Maine township is fairly well supplied with lakes, the chief ones being Dead, Lost, Twin, Pickerel, Round, Peterson, Mud, Leon and Duck. Red river flows through the southern part of the township from east to west and an enlargement of the river in the southwestern part of the township is known as Lost lake.

Maine township was settled early in the history of the county, but so far it has never had a village platted within its limits. Three places have served as post offices in the past, but all of them are now discontinued. The first post office was known as Maine and stood in the northwestern part of section 23. This little settlement came as near being a village as any place in the township and at one time boasted of a store, blacksmith shop and cemetery, all three of which did a flourishing business. Long ago this store and blacksmith shop died a natural death and the only thing which is still in business at the erstwhile hamlet is the cemetery. Forty years ago there was a rural department store on the shore of Lost lake in the southeastern corner of section 19, but this too has passed into oblivion. As long ago as 1880 there was a store and blacksmith shop at Monitor Falls, section 35, along the banks of the Red river, and for many years a post office was maintained at this place. There are three churches in the township, located in sections 15, 23 and 32, respectively.

The present township officers are as follow: Supervisors, Charles Johnson, Bat Moore and A. O. Christianson; clerk, James Burns; treasurer, August Sandberg; assessor, H. Muse; justices, P. R. Sande and August Sandberg; constables, H. A. Northup and W. Dinsmore.

Population

Population totals in state and federal census summaries.

   Maine
 1870  
 1875  162
 1880  340
 1885  453
 1890  510
 1895  582
 1900  701
 1905  681
 1910  620
 1920  711
 1930  669
 1940  692

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

 Native (USA)  160   23%
 Minnesota  374   55%
 Foreign  147   22%
     Germany  7   5%
     Sweden  46   31%
     Norway  60   41%
     Canada  19   13%
     Ireland  6   4%
     Denmark  1   1%
     England  2   1%
     Poland  0   0%
     Finland  0   0%
     Russia  0   0%
     Scotland  6   4%
     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). Aaley , Osgood S ; Alak , August W ; Anderson , Swan ; Barnhard , William ; Beckford , Elmer A , Harley A ; Berry , Levi H ; Bickford , Elmer A , Harley A , John , Paul ; Bray , Burt E , Edward , Lafayette ; Brown , Collins M ; Bull , Barney L ; Burns , Charles ; Christianson , Thome ; Cruger , George , George W ; Deich , Charles , William ; Dow , William ; Fisk , Orville T ; Fogard , James ; French , William ; Hubbard , Marshal , Solon E ; Huntley , Lewis ; Johnson , John ; Laughlin , Austin ; Lee , Peter K , Sivert P ; Linne , Albert , Andrew A ; Marling , Joseph ; Marshall , Edgar A ; Moore , Bartholomew , Patrick ; Morten , Edward ; Morton , James , Royal L ; Mosher , Barnette B ; Nagle , Joseph ; Nedean , Olezum ; Olson , Ole ; Pederson , Peder ; Pember , Delos ; Perry , Thomas S ; Phelps , Elijah C , Osee ; Pierson , Joseph C ; Powers , Emerson ; Preston , Daniel V ; Renstrom , Eling ; Scribner , Aaron , Alanson F , Frank W ; Sharman , Franklin B ; Sharp , Benjamin ; Shearer , John ; Skovold , Ole I ; Smith , Charles A ; Spaulding , David F ; Svensson , Carl F , Peter ; Sverresvold , Ingebret O ; Thon , Ole N ; Turville , William ; Washburn , George E ; Wayman , James ; York , Bradford


Return to Otter Tail County Home Page