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 N, Range W Government survey 18?? First Settled 1868 Organized September 8, 1869

History

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

TUMULI TOWNSHIP.

Tumuli township was first known by the name of Union, having been established under that name by the board of county commissioners September 8, 1869, being the third organized township in the county. The town­ship continued under its original name until May 10, 1870, when it was changed to Tumuli by an order of the commissioners. It is not shown in the record when and where the first election was held, but it is presumed that an election was held and officers elected soon after the organization of the township.

The petition for the organization of the township was signed by the following residents of congressional township 131, range 42. From the head­ing of the petition it is evident that some of the voters, or, at least, those who wrote the petition heading, were uncertain as to whether the county was organ­ized at that time. They had an understanding that the county organization had been effected and that “officers were officiating in their several capaci­ties,” and so they prepared the following “partition” for presentation to the “humble body of county commissioners.” It is here given as it appears in the original document:

“We, the undersigned legal voters of township one hundred and thirty-one (131), range forty-two (42), partition your humble body of County Commissioners for a set-off of our town from the town of Otter Tail, as we understand that the county is organized, and Officers are officiating in their several capacities, and you are satisied by the presentation of this partition that we the legal voters of the above named town did on tile 7th day of August assemble and organize by choosing a full set of officers. “G. W. McComber, Town Clerk.”

This petition was signed by the following voters, every one of whom, with possibly one or two exceptions, were native-horn Norwegians: Lars Nelson, Ole Simonseen, Butler Olson, Robert Halvor, Erick B. Brakke, Tolleff Nelson, O. C. Torgersen, B. T. Trane, Nels Nelson, Ole C. Dahl, Simmen C. Dahl, Ole A. Oimo, Hans Denesen, John Nitsen, James Wood­wort, Truman S. Robbins, Bjorn Ch. Dahl, Anders Christensen, George NV. McComber, Ole Jeorum, Esten Larsen, Lars Johanson, John E. Saternes, Engebret Mortensen, Andrew O. Stavne and Ole Eitensen.

The tax duplicate of 1870 lists the following taxpayers in Tumuli town-ship: Ragnold Onstad, Arthur A. Flom, John J. Holen, John Hansen, John S. Memam, Nels Knutson, Andrew Haldorson, George B. Wright, I. D. Southworth, John Johnson, F. B. Van Hoesen, Louis A. Flom, Knut Paul­son, Thomas C. McClure. Anders Oleson, Nils Cristofferson, Nils Nelson, Lars Nelson, George W. McComber, Truman Robbins, John E. Wedeken, Harold Syverson, Toleff Nelson, Hans Johnson, Lewis Anderson, Osmund Osmundson, John Golden, Patrick I. Kelley. James H. Fretenn, Anders Bjerikes, Ole J. Larson, Charles Wells, Ole P. Buck and Peder Norstad.

The present township officers are as follows: Supervisors, John Ben­son, P. P. Moen and Ole Paulson clerk, L. T. Nelson, treasurer, M. N. Rovang; assessor, John Dahlager; justices, W. F. Moebius and M. N. Rovang; constable, A. W. Bye.

Dalton.

The largest urban center in Tumuli township is the village of Dalton. It is located on the Great Northern railroad, in section II, and is surrounded by a country of fertile farming land. This village was platted for Ole C. Dahl by Robert Miller in 1882, the plat being recorded October 30 of that year. For ten years or more the village struggled along without being incor­porated. January 23, 1905, the citizens of the village drew up a petition and secured a number of signatures, asking for the privilege of voting on the question of incorporation. This petition was presented to tile county com­missioners March 21, 1905, and their request was granted. The petition, which stated that the proposed incorporation contained one hundred and sixey-six actual residents, was signed by the following legal voters:

J. O. Hatling, D. P. Thurnau, O. I. Brandvold, Albert Rustad, C .H. Weiby, Eilef Malen, J. D. Cannon, N. J. Larson, O. J. Hatling, M. O. Stangvik, H. O. Dahlen, A. R. Olson, E. Comelius, P. M. Moen, Lewis Hatling, J. A. Stortroen, E. N. Heald, Avle Brandvold, B. Rustad, A. L Bakke, Alvin Rustad, Olaf L. Olson, N. B. Anderson, Peder J. Udby, L. A. Davis, S. O. Lersland, H. O. Aliverson, John J. Stangvik, J. H. Gregory, George Rustad and Lars Grong.

The commissioners fixed the 2d of May, 1905, as the day for the ques­tion of incorporation to he submitted to a vote of the village legal voters. The result of that election was an almost unanimous vote in favor of incor­poration, only five out of thirty-two votes cast being in the negative.

The present village officers are as follow: President, L. A. Davis; trustees, J. A. Stortroen, Emil Hagen and A. H. Rostad; clerk, J. O. Hat­ling; treasurer, J. P. Brendal; justices, J. O. Hatling and E. T. Risbrudt; constables, J. O. Hatling and Ingvald Hagen.

Parkdale.