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Townships- how they got their names.
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This information, about how the townships were named, was submitted by one of the volunteers participating in the Todd County "Building a Sense of Place" project.
TOWNSHIPS IN TODD COUNTY
BARTLETT: 1861, named after Ira Bartlett, one of the first settlers of the county who settled here.
BERTHA: 1878, named for Bertha Ristau, the first while women to settle in the area.
BIRCHDALE: 1869, named for the birch trees abundant in that area.
BRUCE: 1897, named by a Scottish settler to honor the hero of Scotland.
BURLEENE: 1888, a misspelling of Germany’s Berlin, the homeland of Joseph and John Steidl, immigrants who suggested using the name. The town clerk spelled it as the Steidls pronounced it.
BURNHAMVILLE: 1870, named after David Burnham who fought in the Civil War and moved from his native Maine to settle in Todd County.
FAWN LAKE: 1881, is named after a fawn emerging from the water.
EAGLE VALLEY: 1880, named after Eagle Creek (named for an eagle).
GERMANIA: 1986, organized in 1880. John Paul Steinbach suggested using the name of the ship that carried his parents across the Atlantic.
GORDON: 1869, named after James Gordon who settled near Lake Osakis in the late 1850’s.
GREY EAGLE: 1873, both the township and city named by Alvin M. Cromwell who killed a large eagle in that area.
HARTFORD: 1867, named for Hartford, Connecticut by settlers from New England.
IONA: 1881, originally named Odessa after the Russian Black Seaport.
KANDOTA: 1870, takes its name from the Indian word meaning “Here we rest”.
LESLIE: 1876, named for settler John B. Leslie.
LITTLE ELK: 1867, named after Little Elk stream.
LITTLE SAUK: 1881, named after Little Sauk stream.
LONG PRAIRIE: 1867, also named for the rolling prairie grasslands.
MORAN:1877, most likely named for lumber man John Moran who settled there.
REYNOLDS:1871, named to honor a Civil War general from Michigan under whom several Todd County settlers had served.
ROUND PRAIRIE:1868, named for the rolling prairie grasslands.
STAPLES:1882, Klng G. Staples hosted the first town meeting in 1881 and was elected the first town clerk.
STOWE PRAIRIE: 1877, named after James, Amos and Isaac Stowe; brothers who were early settlers.
TURTLE CREEK: 1880, was named for the Turtle Creek stream.
VILLARD: 1882, named for Henry Villard, president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
WARD: 1867, named after and by John Wait
WEST UNION: 1867, named by settlers after West Union in the state of Iowa.
WYKEHAM: originally called Eden Township from 1872-1880.
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This page last updated on 2/12/2003.
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