Todd County: A Rich, Exciting History
Todd County was established by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in February of 1856. It extended east to the Mississippi River. Fort Ripley was in the original county. Young John Baines Smith Todd was in command of the Fort at that time. In keeping with the custom of the times, counties were named for prominent people, and Captain Todd lent his name to the county.
When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the county lines were changed with the land west of a line straight south of the junction of the Crow Wing and Long Prairie Rivers remaining in Todd County. The land east of that line became Morrison County. By 1867, the county was fully organized and those boundaries have remained as such for 125 years.
As early as 1845, Long Prairie was the site of the Winnebago Indian Agency. The Winnebago Indians were brought here to serve as a buffer between the Dakota and the Ojibway nations. The Agency continued to operate in Todd County until the mid-1850’s when the Winnebago Indians were relocated to the Blue Earth area.
In 1871, John P. Tweed, a trustee of the Long Prairie Land Company, gave a full block to Todd County. The consideration for this transfer stated “that the same shall be used for permanent County buildings”. The Todd County Courthouse was built in 1883 and the first jail was built in 1900 and was used until 1985. Construction for a new jail facility was started in July of 1984. Ground was broke for a new Court Facility in June of 1995, now known as the Government Center and Law Enforcement/Detention Center. Annex I was built in 1964 and Annex II was constructed in 1978 with an addition built in 1990. These buildings are all located on the original specified site.
Todd County is situated in the geographical center of Minnesota. It is part of the transitional area where “the eastern forest meets the western prairie”. The total land area is approximately 631,280 acres with over 27,000 acres of lakes.
Todd County is governed by five commissioners representing the various districts in the county. There are 28 townships and 13 towns in the County, with Long Prairie being the County Seat.
Historical Uses and Changes
The Long Prairie River played a vital role in the early settlement pattern of Todd County. History describes the Long Prairie River valley as a hunting ground for the Dakota and Ojibwa, with the river itself providing a transportation link with the Crow Wing and Mississippi.
Starting as early as the 1840’s the river and its grass filled valley were where the settlers first established themselves. By the mid 1860’s several settlements from the present site of Long Prairie to Motley were prospering, using flatboats, and for a very short time even a steam boat, for transportation and shipping. By 1877 the water level had fallen to a point that only very small water craft could navigate the river on a regular basis. In late 1877 H.D. Orendorf cut a road down the west side of the river from Turtle Creek to Motley. For many years this was the only road down the river valley.
Some of the villages that grew up along the 100 mile length of the Long Prairie have prospered, some have disappeared completely. Hartford, on the banks of the river, opposite the mouth of Eagle Creek was settled in 1865 by John Bassett who was attracted to the area by the open grasslands north of the river. The railroad brought about the demise of Hartford when they built on the west side of the river, the community migrated to it and became what is now known as Browerville.
Long Prairie was never a river town like Hartford. In the 1840’s, it was settled as the administrative headquarters for carrying out the agreement between Washington and the Winnebago Indians. The settlement developed along Venewitz Creek and was said to be more populous than St Paul at that time. In 1855 the Winnebago had been moved to a reservation and the lands were sold to investors from Ohio. The settlement was abandoned in the 1860’s during the Ojibwa uprising. The area slowly repopulated by settlers passing through the area who stayed, in many cases, because of the availability of the already constructed buildings and homes.
At the end of the Civil War the communities west of Long Prairie were settled by soldiers who had fought for the Union Army that were not very welcome in their home state of Kentucky. Once located at the present intersection of County Roads 38 and 11, Whiteville was settled by the three White sisters and their families. Clotho, it seems was settled where it is because settlers couldn’t go any further. The forests and swamps to the west were impenetrable.
At the time of Todd County’s original European settlement, the forested areas of the Long Prairie River Watershed were substantial. The Marschner Pre-European Settlement Vegetation Map, shows 65.5% of the area was covered by a variety of hardwoods and pines. The first commercial logging began about 1866 and continued through the mid 1890’s. Eagle, Moran, Fish Trap, and Turtle creeks were all large enough, at that time, to power mills and float logs to the Long Prairie River where they joined other log rafts on their way to the Crow Wing and to the Mississippi. As most of the trees were harvested, the sandy soils in these areas were left unprotected, increasing the erosion, and gradually filling the streams with sediment. The result is the very much smaller streams we have today. The 1990’s Land Use map shows only 21 % of the area forested, much restored due to reforestation plantings, and over 60% of the area as cultivated, hay, pasture or grassland.
As the Long Prairie River Watershed was settled, roads and railroads took over the job of transportation and shipping. Landowners used the river as a source of water for themselves, their livestock, and more recently, for irrigation. Industry located along the riverbanks and used the river as a source of water and as a discharge point for the waste materials generated by their companies. Few cities and villages used the river for drinking water, because the shallow sand aquifer along the river provided easy access to well water. Wastewater, however, was and still is discharged to the river and to Eagle Creek, one of the larger tributaries.
Early irrigation used mostly surface water sources, primarily the Long Prairie River. In the dry years of the late 1970’s, many irrigation systems were shut down at critical times because of low surface water levels. This action prompted most Irrigators to change over to wells. To this day, irrigation systems are flourishing in the deep water rich sands of the Long Prairie River Valley, but by 1994, only 14 surface water permits still existed in Todd County.
Submitted by: Todd County Soil and Water Conservation District
How did the Townships get their names?
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.
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 white 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: 1886, 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.
Historical Sites
On a lovely and breezeless Sunday afternoon in August, 1975 the Viking Altar Rock was rededicated in an ecumenical ceremony. At the Mass which was celebrated, the same set of holes was used to support the altar as served that purpose for the Viking faithful.
Since the Rededication a Viking Altar Rock display has been added to the Sinclair Lewis Interpretive Center at Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The band of brave Vikings will not be forgotten in the land through which they passed.
Were the Vikings, Scandinavia’s medieval seafarers, the first Europeans to visit Minnesota? The Viking Altar Rock, along with other artifacts that have been found throughout west and central Minnesota, would indicate this is so. A regular trail of historic finds, which are unquestionably of Scandinavian artisanship, approximates a water system by which the Scandinavian mariners would have traversed a good portion of present day Minnesota. One of these finds is the Viking Altar Rock near Sauk Centre, Minnesota.
History fortunately upholds what is otherwise just an exciting supposition. Records in the Norwegian archives Center show that in 1354 King Magnus of Norway and Sweden was roused to action by the report that one of his two crown colonies in Greenland had been abandoned in the face of persistent harassment by the Skraelings, or Eskimos, upon whose hunting grounds the settlers were encroachinq. The King appointed Sir Paul Knutson to lead an expedition to locate this lost colony. Treacherous weather throughout 1355 deterred the royal search mission from setting out till the next year when they finally sailed for Greenland.
Further reports in Norway show that Knutson’s party returned unsuccessful in either 1363 or 1364. The proposed route of Viking travel in Minnesota and the story of the Viking Alter Rock is easily the missing link.
Finding the Greenland colony entirely deserted and with no signs of violence it is logical that these men of conscience and determination would simply have continued their painstaking search. Pressing on across western seas they attained the coast of Vinland, named by Viking explorers as an attribute to the mildness and bounty of this little known land. Knutson almost surely was aware there had been abortive attempts at settlement here before and would have surmised that the Greenland colonists could have sought these shores to reestablish themselves safely beyond the sphere of Eskimo reprisal.
Methodical in their search, they must have made forays into every possible inlet along the Atlantic seaboard. This search may have consumed months, even years and it is likely a headquarters of sorts was established on the coast. Inevitably, by hugging the shoreline from Vinland north, they proceeded through icy channels into the vast Hudson Bay. Here,it is conjectured, the party split. Some of the men chose to go inland, presumably to seek a shorter overland route to their Atlantic base via rivers and lakes. The rest of the men would return through Hudson Bay to their Atlantic settlement where hopefully the two groups would rendezvous.
The overland expedition ascended the Nelson River to Lake Winnipeg and from there maintained a southerly course by way of fairly direct and navigable waterways. In this manner the Vikings earned their claim as Minnesota’s first European visitors. They could scarcely then have foreseen the future when this green and lake-studded land would be home to millions who share their own ethnic background.
Along the proposed route of Viking travel there have been found mooring stones plus the better known Viking Runestone. Medieval Scandinavian implements have also been unearthed. Vestiges of the Vikings passage through Minnesota seems to end in Central Minnesota at the enormous chancel-like stone referred to as the Viking Alter Rock, for to date it is the last in a series of related finds.
This rock, 27 ft long by 17 ft wide, stands bold on the lower slope of a knoll. Sauk Lake stretches off in the distance. One can picture the Vikings dispatching men form the anchored boat to find a suitable place to camp. Spotting this boulder with its striking similarity to a church chancel how natural that they would choose this site as an alter at which to offer thanksgiving to their God and ask His protection in this wilderness.
In the rock are two sets of roughly triangular holes, hand drilled by the Vikings who were experts in chiseling mooring stones as anchorages in their native fjords. The two horizontal holes are about forty inches above ground level. Thoughtful research indicates their purpose was to hold the altar shelf. The two vertical holes at the rock’s other end supported sticks or halberds onto which was secured a canopy that stretched protectively above the altar to give protection.
The Sauk Centre Knights of Columbus have worked un- flaggingly in their efforts to jog public awareness and interest in the Viking Rock. They felt that in rescuing this Altar Rock from anonymity they could memorialize the dauntlessness of those long ago Vikings, brave and faithful in their religion and in their king’s quest for his lost crown colony.
Eventually the Viking Altar project was assisted by WesMin RC & D (Resource, Conservation & Development). WesMin, part of a national program to conserve and develop resources, cooperated with organizational aid and technical services, thereby expanding the Viking Alter project beyond its original conception.
Through WesMin RC & D the Viking Altar was grafted onto a carefully designed “Trail of the Vikings” which embraced several more communities and gave the project a regional rather than local dimension. The Viking Altar is at the southern terminus of this Viking Trail which offers a selection of routes. This will enable the time-conscious traveler and the traveler who desires an intimate and more precise exposure to the history, scenery and culture of rural Minnesota’s first European visitors.
The stone house on the corner of Central Avenue and U.S. Highway 71 in Eagle Bend was built by George Wedner. He advertised that he would pay the rail freight on any unusual rocks people would send him. From the collection, he chose the ones to build his house. Although it is privately owned,not open to the public, people passing through Eagle Bend stop along the road to admire the beautiful stonework and photograph it.
10 miles West of Long Prairie on County Road 38
Think of homemade ice cream, and if you are, or ever have been, a resident or visitor to Todd County, you automatically think of the Clotho Ice Cream Social. It’s held the first Sunday in August near the Clotho United Methodist Church.
The ice cream social was begun in 1934 as a fundraiser for the church. It was discontinued about 1972 as interest had dwindled. In 1972 it was revived and continues to flourish today. People plan their vacations around it; come from all over the state and nation to partake of the delicacy, renew old friendships and enjoy the entertainment from its hayrack stage that is provided by whomever wants to perform.
405 Main Street West
Eagle Bend has had many public schools. Fire seemed to be a real problem, as at least two buildings and a temporary school building burned to the ground. The present school was built by the W.P.A. in the mid-1940s. For many years, it was known as Ye Olde Glass Block because of the number of windows in the building. Many were removed because of energy concerns. The building is unique. Its three levels are composed of poured cement with local workers hauling the cement to the upper level in wheel barrows. The interior floors in the main structure are terrazzo. The auditorium/gymnasium was added about 1950.
The school districts of Eagle Bend and Clarissa consolidated as the Eagle Valley Public Schools. Clarissa’s building became the elementary school. The building in Eagle Bend housed grades seven through twelve.
Presently the Eagle Valley School District is closed and alternate uses for the buildings are being sought in both Clarissa and Eagle Bend.
Veterans’ Memorial Park
This monument honors George H. Williams who was Village Marshal of Long Prairie. He gave his life in the line of duty. This memorial is also a tribute to the 208 law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Minnesota. The memorial is located at the corner of Highway 71 and Highway 27.
In 1998 the Todd County Law Enforcement helped dedicate a monument that is located just off U.S. Highway 71 and Riverside Drive in Long Prairie. The monument is in memory of Long Prairie Police Chief George H. Williams. He was killed in a shoot-out on the bridge with gangsters who had robbed the bank in Hewitt.
Museums
The Hewitt Museum is located in the city’s former school house, a magnificent building. In about 1910, an unknown contractor implemented plans to build School District 103. Workmen with horses pulled up buckets of cement to pour four solid walls. Round windows were installed and thin plaster, troweled smooth — all for $10,000! The Hewitt School District consolidated with the neighboring Bertha district. Some of the elementary grades continued to use the building until 1980. Shortly afterwards, the building was given to the city of Hewitt. A museum became a reality and began to occupy the building. Each room features a special exhibit such as a schoolroom, a kitchen, a church, etc..
The museum is open from Memorial weekend to Labor Day weekend on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 5 PM or by appointment by calling Hewitt Historical Society, 701-230-9047 or email hewittmuseum@gmail.com.
In the Spring each year, 7th graders at the Bertha-Hewitt School are invited to write an essay about some object in the museum whether they know what it is or not. A cash prize is offered for the best essay and some essays are printed in the local newspaper.
The Clarissa Museum is one of the newest museums in Todd County. It is located on Hwy 71 adjoining the Senior Citizen’s Center and contains much of the early history of the community.
127 East Main Street
The building housing the Eagle Bend Museum/Library held its grand opening on May 25, 1989. One side of the 42×74 foot building contains the museum. No walls separate it from the Eagle Bend Public Library, a branch of the Great River Regional Library system. The building was erected with money raised after three years of fundraisers, donations from former and present residents; and built by all-volunteer labor.
Eagle Bend’s museum contains hundreds of artifacts. There are copies of the Eagle Bend News from 1952 to the present, (the newspaper building had burned, destroying all of the papers from previous years). One of the most interesting items is a gavel made from an old school desk that was given to then- Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. He used it to convene the United States Senate and later returned it to the museum.
A collection of plates from all of the states is displayed; as well as a presidential quilt from Washington to (the first) George Bush that was embroidered by local ladies
Hours -Contact Carol W. Becker at 218-738-3852.
The Bertha Museum is located on the corner of County 24 and Bertha’s main street. It occupies the 1904 bank building that was deeded to the city when the bank moved to a different location. Among the artifacts are records from the old Bertha hospital, bound copies of the Bertha Herald, stories about the noted Negro baseball player, John Davidson, who played for the Bertha team; and mementos of the early history of its residents and the city of Bertha.
The Bertha Museum is open each Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. It is open during those hours from Memorial Day weekend through the 2nd Saturday in September. Contact person is: Verna Leyh who can be reached at 218-924-4278
The museum is located in historic downtown Long Prairie at 333 Central Ave. The building is located on the site of the former Winnebago Indian Agency in Long Prairie. The museum serves as a research and learning center for those wishing to know more about the county’s past. Also, visit the unique gift shop.
Hours are Wednesday 11:30 am to 6:00 PM, Thursday & Friday 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturdays by appointment. 320-732-4426
Admission: Adults $3 Children $1
Historical Members – Admission Free
Curator: De Eberle
Tours by appointment; for information call 320-732-4426.
Please visit our website at Todd County Museum
On Hwy 10 and 210, the Staples Museum is open weekends from Spring through Fall on Saturdays from 9 AM – 5 PM and Sundays from 1 – 4 PM. Contact Bernie St. Pierre at 218-894-2836 or Mike Blessing at 218-894-2337
Located on Central Ave and 1st Street South in Long Prairie. The home was built in 1901 by Dr. George Christie and his wife Susan. The house is in the Queen Anne style. Special features of the interior of the house are beautiful stained glass windows, Tiffany globes, hard maple floors, prism cut plate glass in window lights, collection of 1550 books. The house is nostalgic and interesting to townspeople and traveler, a solid reminders of a vanishing era. It is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tours are available Wed-Sun 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM.
National Register of Historic Sites
Many of Todd County’s historical buildings are listed on the National register of Historic Places.
They include:
The Bank of Long Prairie, also known as Michael’s Cafe, was added in 1985;
Christ the King Catholic Church, 1985, also known as St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Browerville;
Germania Hall, County Highway 11 north of Clarissa, 1995;
Grey Eagle Village Hall, 1985;
Hotel Reichert, Long Prairie, 1985;
Kahlert Mercantile Store, also known as Cole Graphics, 1985, Browerville;
Northern Pacific Railway Depot and Freighthouse, 1985, Staples;
St. Cloud and Red River Valley Stage Road, Kandota Section, 1991;
Todd County Courthouse, 1985, Long Prairie.
The Historic Courthouse
The main front of the building is toward the north. Plainly set in the solid brick walls, high above the entrance are the figures “1883”, to tell coming generations the year it was erected.
There were 400,000 bricks used in the building, hauled from Clarissa by team at 800 bricks per load.
Over 100 cords of stone were used in the foundation which is four feet wide at the bottom and sunk deep. the entire cost of the building will be less than $25,000.
The courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic courthouse contained all of the county offices, the museum and the upper level was the courtroom. The old two-story jail that sat upon the hill, also on the National Register, was demolished.
Over the years, many changes have taken place within the courthouse. It is nearly surrounded by additions, as other buildings have been added to the government complex. Many of the county offices have been moved. Annex 1 now contains the Veteran’s Service Office, Extension, Public Health and Social Services. Extending a second floor to the building provided additional space for Social Services, the county attorney, technology department and a commissioners’ meeting room.
A new detention center (jail) was built on the east side of the courthouse. A second floor was added in 1996. It houses the court administration, two courtrooms, judges chambers and the offices of the county’s auditor/treasurer, recorder and assessor.
The historic courthouse wasn’t vacant long. Planning & Zoning, Geographical Information Systems, and the County Coordinator / Personnel Director had their offices on the main floor. The upper level contained Hands of Hope and the Victims Resource Center. The old courtroom was occasionally used when a third judge is holding cases in the county.
Today the Historic Courthouse has the offices of Administration, Auditor/Treasurer, Assessor, Recorder, Planning and Zoning and Soil and Water, Extension, and also houses the Commissioners Board Room where all board meetings take place.
The Veterans Monument
Directly in front of the historic courthouse is a monument dedicated to the memory of the soldiers and sailors who died in the service of their country. In 1918 William E. Lee approached the county commissioners and offered to build the monument at his own personal expense. The specifications were drawn up by Clarence H. Johnston, architect; and the sculpture was done by John K. Daniels, St. Paul.
The monument now lists those from Todd County who gave their lives for our country in World War 1, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
The Christie House Museum
The home was built in 1901 by Dr. George Christie and his wife, Susan. It was designed by C.W. Smith, a Long Prairie architect. The house is in the Queen Anne style, an eclectic design which selected portions of the style we call Classic Colonial and portions of the design elements of Victorian Gothic. The majority of the original furnishings are stilt in the home.
Thanks to its board of directors and many volunteers, the Christie House Museum has become a great tourist attraction.
In 1998 the Todd County Law Enforcement helped dedicate a monument that is located just off U.S. Highway 71 and Riverside Drive in Long Prairie. The monument is in memory of Long Prairie Police Chief George H. Williams. He was killed in a shoot-out on the bridge with gangsters who had robbed the bank in Hewitt.
Riverside Park
Another of the County’s WPA projects is located along Riverside Drive in Long Prairie just across the river from the municipal liquor store. Several stone structures, 11 cabin slabs, 2 ponds, a waterway, 3 bridges and 2 sluice gates remain. Today the park is owned by Long Prairie and serves as a nature center with trails for hiking, biking or cross country skiing.
Kahlert Mercantile Store
The wood frame building on the corner of Main Street (also U.S.Highway 71) and old County Road 21 in Browerville is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built somewhere between 1875-1899.
Formerly known as Kahlert Mercantile Store, the building now houses Cole Graphicz, a computer store.
Christ the King Catholic Church
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. With its unique “onion” towers, Christ the King Catholic Church, earlier known as St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, on Browerville’s main street is one of the most beautiful Catholic churches to be found anywhere! It was built by German and Polish immigrants of the area. The two nationalities had a dispute over money; leading to the German families building their own church, St. Peters’s Catholic Church, a few blocks east of the “Polish church”. As the numbers of parishioners dwindled, the two congregations once more joined together as Christ the King. St. Peter’s was demolished and its parochial school became what is presently known as the Step Thrift Store.
Grey Eagle City Hall
The present Grey Eagle City Hall is another WPA project. It has served as home to a number of businesses before becoming the city hall. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Germania Town Hall
Five miles north of Clarissa on County Road 11 The Germania Town Hall was built in 1917 when a group of young farmers who had organized a coronet band raised enough money to build a one-story dance hall. An architect from Clarissa designed and oversaw construction of the building that was built on land owned by the band’s tuba player, Sigvard Bjerken. Many dances and other social events were held there.
In 1996, the Germania Town Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Sites.
The Germania Town Hall is still used for occasional dances, parties and even as a large family’s hunting headquarters.
