Badger Township, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Badger Township is a township
in Polk County
, Minnesota
, United States
. It is part of the 'Grand Forks
-ND
-MN
Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Under the United States
Public Land Survey System
it is a survey township
identified as Township 149 North, Range 42 West, Fifth Principal Meridian
. The population was 166 at the 2000 census.
. The township is located entirely within the drainage of the Clearwater River and its tributaries, which in turn flow into the Red Lake River
, the Red River of the North
, and on to Hudson Bay
. Most of the township is part of the glacial moraine
that formed the southeast shore of prehistoric Lake Agassiz
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, Badger Township has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.8 km²), of which, 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.33%) is water. It is located near geocoordinates 47.73N, 96.03W
of 2000, there were 166 people, 46 households, and 31 families residing in the township. The population density
was 4.7 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 57 housing units at an average density of 1.6/sq mi (0.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.78% White, 3.01% Native American, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.01% of the population.
There were 46 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples
living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 17.5% from 25 to 44, 13.9% from 45 to 64, and 44.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
Only 3 of the 166 people in Badger Township in 2000 (1.8%) were foreign born. Of those born in the United States, 95 were born in Minnesota, 52 were born elsewhere in the Midwest, 6 were born in the South, 2 were born in the West and 0 were born in the Northeast
.
The median income for a household in the township was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $16,999. About 6.7% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 6.1% of those sixty five or over.
of 1900, Badger Township had 448 people in 91 households, a density of 12.44 people per square mile, more than 2½ times as many people as in 2000. The population in 1900 was overwhelmingly Norwegian, with 72 heads of households (79.12%) having been born in Norway
, 6 (6.59%) born in Sweden
, 4 (4.40%) born in Wisconsin
, 3 (3.30%) born in Denmark
, 2 (2.20%) born in Minnesota
, and 1 (1.10%) in each of Michigan
, Illinois
and Canada
.
One hundred percent (100%) of the population in 1900 was reported as white
. One family consisting of four individuals (4.40% of the township population) had a French
surname (Dion) and another family from Wisconsin had a likely Yankee
surname (Gundy). Other than these, every surname of residents in the township was obviously of Scandinavia
n origin. Of all residents in the township in 1900, 84 (17.21%) were born in the United States, and 404 (82.79%) were of foreign birth. Not a single resident of Badger Township in 1900 who had been born in the United States was born in a state other than Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota or Wisconsin. The vast majority of these were born in Minnesota, most of them children.
A surprising number of those born in the United States but not in Minnesota (11, or 2.25% of the total population) were born in North Dakota
, indicating that at least some of the families in Badger Township had initially traveled further west before settling (at least temporarily) in Minnesota. The rest had migrated directly from Scandinavia or from the immediately adjoining states in the Upper Midwest
.
No persons of Native American
descent were listed in the Census of 1900, nor were there any persons of Hispanic
descent, Asian
or Pacific Islander
descent, or Black
, Negro
or African American
descent. In 1900, the Census focused more upon ethnicity as defined by country
of origin rather than racial background, but it is noteworthy that no residents of Badger Township in the Census of 1900 were of German
, English
, Slavic, Italian
or Southern European descent.
an settlement. The territory was traversed by occasional Ojibwe and Dakota hunting expeditions and may have been a seasonal food-gathering area for Ojibwe families, but was otherwise unpeopled until the mid-19th century. Indian artifacts, including grinding rocks, were excavated near Badger Creek in the SW 1/4 of Section 8 in the mid-1960s,indicating a periodic visitation pattern but no permanent residency. Bison
roamed over Badger Township into the 1870s, and were actively pursued by Indians
and Metis from the Pembina
Settlements. Several bison skulls and skeletal remains thought to be over 2000 years old, as well as an Indian grinding rock, were unearthed in a peat bog by the Nikolayson family in Section 33 in the 1960s, and now are on display in the University of Minnesota
in nearby Crookston
.
and hence technically a part of Rupert's Land
and Assiniboia
before becoming part of British Canada
as a result of the boundary settlement in the Treaty of 1818
, a which fixed the international border at the 49th parallel north
from the Northwest Angle
of Lake of the Woods
westward to the Rocky Mountains
.
, North Dakota
and St. Paul, Minnesota
crossed the Red Lake River
at Huot
, Minnesota
(the site of the Treaty of Old Crossing (1863)), which is a few miles northwest of Badger Township in what is now Red Lake County, Minnesota
. The trail skirted the western edges of adjoining Grove Park-Tilden Township
, Minnesota
and Knute Township
, Minnesota
but is not generally considered to have crossed into the territory of Badger Township. (Since Red River ox cart
trains used in trading expeditions between Pembina
and St. Paul, Minnesota
included many family members and hunters in addition to the oxcart
drivers, they tended to spread out across the prairie
except at key fords and crossings. It is likely that people in the trains entered what is now Badger Township many times before the extension of the railroad to Fargo
, North Dakota
put the Red River ox carts out of business in the early 1860s. Thereafter, while there is no specific record of its occupation prior to 1880, the history of the township is essentially indistinguishable from areas to the west, north and east in Northwest Minnesota).
was traversed by trappers and traders
, including Indians
, Métis
and other half-breed
people as well as white men
incidental to the fur trade
between 1790 and 1870. In 1797, the North West Company
established a fur trading post approximately 15 miles northwest of Badger Township at the confluence of the Red Lake River
and the Clearwater River, near the current site of Red Lake Falls
. The American Fur Company
, the Hudson's Bay Company
and several other fur trading companies had active trapping and trading operations throughout the Red River Valley
and Red Lake
region prior to 1858. After Minnesota statehood, although the area remained unsurveyed and closed to settlement, some squatters may have encroached into the territory of Badger Township as permanent settlers before 1880. The township was not opened for settlement until 1883, when as part of the "Thirteen Towns" of eastern Polk County
it was finally surveyed as a township
and made available for homestead under the Homestead Act
. Most of the township was initially settled by Norwegian immigrants in the late 1880s. The subsequent history of Badger Township
is virtually indistinguishable from that of most of Northern Minnesota
. Virtually all of the land was homesteaded
or sold as railroad land to farmers.
land.
and railroad depot were in operation in Cisco
until the late 1940s, and a few other home-operated family businesses may have had a fleeting existence, but none have endured. For example, the C.C. Spray Service operated between 1964 and 1966, providing Carbola whitewashing services to Grade A dairy farms throughout Northwestern Minnesota and Northeastern North Dakota.
A large grain terminal,including a mile-long circular siding capable of holding a 110-car freight train, is now operating in Section 32 of Badger Township on the east side of along County Road 18, south of Highway 2 and the Great Northern Railway (BNSF). This facility, known as the Erskine Grain Terminal, was developed in 2006–2007 by the grain co-ops of Oklee, Newfolden and Winger to allow area growers to assemble trainloads of grain for direct shipment to market in order to meet current freight pricing policies of the railroads.
were located within its territory.
The nearest towns are Erskine
, Mentor
and Brooks
, all located outside the township. There are no stoplights and no paved roads (other than a state highway and a US highway which pass through the township's eastern and southern fringes). The township is managed by a town board which mainly provides for road grading. The only public building in the township is a town hall on the north side of Section 21. There are no school buildings although at one time there were several; the township now is served by Win-E-Mac School District, near Erskine
. There is one historically active church (Saron Lutheran Church) and one new church (the brand new Old Believers
Church on the southwest quarter of Section 17, built in 2003), within the township, and there are four cemeteries (one at Saron Lutheran Church, another on Section 32 known as the Broderheim cemetery, a third at the northeast corner of Section 17 known as Sorum Cemetery, and the fourth and newest just established on the southwest quarter of Section 17 by the Old Believers Church).
within the township, although legend has it that at least one Indian
is buried within the southeast quarter of Section 17, cause of death unknown. One of the few residents who attained more than local repute did so as one of the founding directors of the dairy cooperative known as Land O'Lakes
– he was a dairy farmer by the name of E.O. Melsness, and farmed on Section 14 of Badger Township in the early 20th century. The Lee, Anderson, Espeseth, Bjelland and Skiple families were not only early pioneers
in the township, but continue as residents in the township to the present day. Many other family surnames, such as Massedalen, Noer, Gaasvigen, Wold, Amoth and Rundhaug, have simply disappeared from the township, the owners having moved to Manitoba
or Saskatchewan
before 1920 or else died off more recently due to lack of offspring.
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
in Polk County
Polk County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 14,008 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the 'Grand Forks
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
-ND
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
-MN
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Under the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Public Land Survey System
Public Land Survey System
The Public Land Survey System is a method used in the United States to survey and identify land parcels, particularly for titles and deeds of rural, wild or undeveloped land. Its basic units of area are the township and section. It is sometimes referred to as the rectangular survey system,...
it is a survey township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
identified as Township 149 North, Range 42 West, Fifth Principal Meridian
Fifth Principal Meridian
The Fifth Principal Meridian starts from the old mouth of the Arkansas River, and, with the base line running west from the old mouth of the St. Francis River, governs the surveys in Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota; those in Minnesota, west of the Mississippi River and west of the third...
. The population was 166 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Badger Township is located at the eastern edge of the Red River ValleyRed River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
. The township is located entirely within the drainage of the Clearwater River and its tributaries, which in turn flow into the Red Lake River
Red Lake River
The Red Lake River is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing through Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, and Crookston, the river merges with the Red River of the North in East Grand Forks. The total...
, the Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
, and on to Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. Most of the township is part of the glacial moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
that formed the southeast shore of prehistoric Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz was an immense glacial lake located in the center of North America. Fed by glacial runoff at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined, and it held more water than contained by all lakes in the world today.-Conception:First...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, Badger Township has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.8 km²), of which, 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.33%) is water. It is located near geocoordinates 47.73N, 96.03W
Demographic Trends
Badger Township is an area undergoing rural depopulation The highest population shown by United States Census data was 448 in 1900. The population then dipped to 391 in 1910, rose back to 447 in 1920, and fell back to 350 in 1930. The population has been in decline ever since.Current Demographics (2000 Census)
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 166 people, 46 households, and 31 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4.7 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 57 housing units at an average density of 1.6/sq mi (0.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.78% White, 3.01% Native American, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.01% of the population.
There were 46 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 17.5% from 25 to 44, 13.9% from 45 to 64, and 44.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
Only 3 of the 166 people in Badger Township in 2000 (1.8%) were foreign born. Of those born in the United States, 95 were born in Minnesota, 52 were born elsewhere in the Midwest, 6 were born in the South, 2 were born in the West and 0 were born in the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
.
The median income for a household in the township was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $16,999. About 6.7% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 6.1% of those sixty five or over.
Early Demographics (1900 Census)
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1900, Badger Township had 448 people in 91 households, a density of 12.44 people per square mile, more than 2½ times as many people as in 2000. The population in 1900 was overwhelmingly Norwegian, with 72 heads of households (79.12%) having been born in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, 6 (6.59%) born in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, 4 (4.40%) born in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, 3 (3.30%) born in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, 2 (2.20%) born in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and 1 (1.10%) in each of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
One hundred percent (100%) of the population in 1900 was reported as white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
. One family consisting of four individuals (4.40% of the township population) had a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
surname (Dion) and another family from Wisconsin had a likely Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
surname (Gundy). Other than these, every surname of residents in the township was obviously of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n origin. Of all residents in the township in 1900, 84 (17.21%) were born in the United States, and 404 (82.79%) were of foreign birth. Not a single resident of Badger Township in 1900 who had been born in the United States was born in a state other than Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota or Wisconsin. The vast majority of these were born in Minnesota, most of them children.
A surprising number of those born in the United States but not in Minnesota (11, or 2.25% of the total population) were born in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, indicating that at least some of the families in Badger Township had initially traveled further west before settling (at least temporarily) in Minnesota. The rest had migrated directly from Scandinavia or from the immediately adjoining states in the Upper Midwest
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the midwest. Although there are no uniformly agreed-upon boundaries, the region is most commonly used to refer to the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and...
.
No persons of Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
descent were listed in the Census of 1900, nor were there any persons of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
descent, Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
or Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
descent, or Black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent. In 1900, the Census focused more upon ethnicity as defined by country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
of origin rather than racial background, but it is noteworthy that no residents of Badger Township in the Census of 1900 were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, Slavic, Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
or Southern European descent.
Pre-European Contact
There were no permanent settlements in Badger Township prior to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an settlement. The territory was traversed by occasional Ojibwe and Dakota hunting expeditions and may have been a seasonal food-gathering area for Ojibwe families, but was otherwise unpeopled until the mid-19th century. Indian artifacts, including grinding rocks, were excavated near Badger Creek in the SW 1/4 of Section 8 in the mid-1960s,indicating a periodic visitation pattern but no permanent residency. Bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
roamed over Badger Township into the 1870s, and were actively pursued by Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Metis from the Pembina
Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians
Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians are a historical band of Chippewa , originally living along the Red River of the North and its tributaries....
Settlements. Several bison skulls and skeletal remains thought to be over 2000 years old, as well as an Indian grinding rock, were unearthed in a peat bog by the Nikolayson family in Section 33 in the 1960s, and now are on display in the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in nearby Crookston
Crookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
.
Native Land Cessions and Incorporation into United States Territory
Badger Township is not connected with any verifiable native or European historic events or circumstances until transfer in the Treaty of Old Crossing (1863) and the Treaty of Old Crossing (1864), which included extensive other areas and involved no physical acts within the township. Prior to that time, the territory now included in Badger Township was within the watershed of the Red River ValleyRed River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
and hence technically a part of Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
and Assiniboia
Assiniboia
Assiniboia refers to a number of different locations and administrative jurisdictions in Canada. The name is taken from the Assiniboine First Nation.- District of Assiniboia:...
before becoming part of British Canada
Canada under British Imperial Control (1764-1867)
Territories, colonies and provinces that would become part of modern Canada were under control of the English, and later British, Empire from the sixteenth century, when France also had claims in the area. However, the most populous areas of Canada in the St...
as a result of the boundary settlement in the Treaty of 1818
Treaty of 1818
The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, was a...
, a which fixed the international border at the 49th parallel north
49th parallel north
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
from the Northwest Angle
Northwest Angle
The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a part of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, and is the only place in the United States outside Alaska that is north of the 49th parallel...
of Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
westward to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
.
Red River Trail
The easternmost Red River Trail between PembinaPembina, North Dakota
Pembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
crossed the Red Lake River
Red Lake River
The Red Lake River is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing through Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, and Crookston, the river merges with the Red River of the North in East Grand Forks. The total...
at Huot
Huot, Minnesota
Huot is an unincorporated community in Louisville Township, Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States. The name of the village evokes the French-Canadian and Métis history of the Red River Trails and the Pembina settlements of Assiniboia.-History:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
(the site of the Treaty of Old Crossing (1863)), which is a few miles northwest of Badger Township in what is now Red Lake County, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The trail skirted the western edges of adjoining Grove Park-Tilden Township
Grove Park-Tilden Township, Minnesota
Grove Park-Tilden Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States which surrounds the city of Mentor. The townsite of Dugdale and the location Tilden Junction are located within the township, and Marcoux Corner is located at the edge of the township. Grove Park-Tilden township was...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Knute Township
Knute Township, Minnesota
Knute Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the 'Grand Forks-ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 496 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
but is not generally considered to have crossed into the territory of Badger Township. (Since Red River ox cart
Red River ox cart
The Red River cart was a large two-wheeled cart made entirely of non-metallic materials. Often drawn by oxen, though also by horses or mules, these carts were used throughout most of the 19th century in the fur trade and in westward expansion in Canada and the United States, in the area of the Red...
trains used in trading expeditions between Pembina
Pembina Township, Minnesota
Pembina Township is a township in Mahnomen County, Minnesota in the United States. The population was 471 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.6 square miles , of which, 36.5 square miles of it is land and...
and St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
included many family members and hunters in addition to the oxcart
Bullock cart
A bullock cart or ox cart is a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen . It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them.Used especially for carrying goods,...
drivers, they tended to spread out across the prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
except at key fords and crossings. It is likely that people in the trains entered what is now Badger Township many times before the extension of the railroad to Fargo
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
put the Red River ox carts out of business in the early 1860s. Thereafter, while there is no specific record of its occupation prior to 1880, the history of the township is essentially indistinguishable from areas to the west, north and east in Northwest Minnesota).
Initial Euro-American Settlement
Badger TownshipBadger Township, Minnesota
Badger Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the 'Grand Forks-ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Under the United States Public Land Survey System it is a survey township identified as Township 149 North, Range 42 West, Fifth Principal Meridian...
was traversed by trappers and traders
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
, including Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
and other half-breed
Half-breed
Half-breed is an historic term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American and white European parentage...
people as well as white men
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
incidental to the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
between 1790 and 1870. In 1797, the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
established a fur trading post approximately 15 miles northwest of Badger Township at the confluence of the Red Lake River
Red Lake River
The Red Lake River is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing through Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, and Crookston, the river merges with the Red River of the North in East Grand Forks. The total...
and the Clearwater River, near the current site of Red Lake Falls
Red Lake Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,590 people, 608 households, and 380 families residing in the city. The population density was 749.7 people per square mile . There were 652 housing units at an average density of 307.4 per square mile...
. The American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
, the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
and several other fur trading companies had active trapping and trading operations throughout the Red River Valley
Red River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
and Red Lake
Red Lake (Minnesota)
Red Lake is a lake in Beltrami County in northern Minnesota, USA. It is the largest natural freshwater lake in Minnesota, and the 16th largest lake in the United States. The lake is separated into two sections by a peninsula on the eastern side that almost bisects it in the middle. The community of...
region prior to 1858. After Minnesota statehood, although the area remained unsurveyed and closed to settlement, some squatters may have encroached into the territory of Badger Township as permanent settlers before 1880. The township was not opened for settlement until 1883, when as part of the "Thirteen Towns" of eastern Polk County
Polk County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile . There were 14,008 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
it was finally surveyed as a township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
and made available for homestead under the Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
. Most of the township was initially settled by Norwegian immigrants in the late 1880s. The subsequent history of Badger Township
Badger Township, Minnesota
Badger Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the 'Grand Forks-ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Under the United States Public Land Survey System it is a survey township identified as Township 149 North, Range 42 West, Fifth Principal Meridian...
is virtually indistinguishable from that of most of Northern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Virtually all of the land was homesteaded
Homestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
or sold as railroad land to farmers.
Current Land Use and Occupancy
Badger Township is essentially agricultural in character, although a large percentage of it is of marginal quality with thin, sandy soils or swampland and potholed, essentially abandoned or unused for any cropland or pasturage purpose. As a result, much of the land is now included in wildlife management areas, including Kakaik State Wildlife Management Area, Erskine State Wildlife Management Area, and Polk State Wildlife Management Area, and much of the remainder of the township has been enrolled as CRPConservation Reserve Program
The Conservation Reserve Program is a cost-share and rental payment program under the United States Department of Agriculture , and is administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency . Technical assistance for CRP is provided by the USDA Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation...
land.
Business
Until recently, no active business enterprises were operating in Badger Township, excepting farming operations which are mostly family owned. A general storeGeneral store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and railroad depot were in operation in Cisco
Cisco, Minnesota
Cisco is a place name for the remnants of a former unincorporated community located along the Soo Line Railroad and US 59 in the NW 1/4 of Section 11 of Badger Township, 149 North, Range 42 West, in Polk County, United States, approximately four miles north of the city of Erskine, and about the...
until the late 1940s, and a few other home-operated family businesses may have had a fleeting existence, but none have endured. For example, the C.C. Spray Service operated between 1964 and 1966, providing Carbola whitewashing services to Grade A dairy farms throughout Northwestern Minnesota and Northeastern North Dakota.
A large grain terminal,including a mile-long circular siding capable of holding a 110-car freight train, is now operating in Section 32 of Badger Township on the east side of along County Road 18, south of Highway 2 and the Great Northern Railway (BNSF). This facility, known as the Erskine Grain Terminal, was developed in 2006–2007 by the grain co-ops of Oklee, Newfolden and Winger to allow area growers to assemble trainloads of grain for direct shipment to market in order to meet current freight pricing policies of the railroads.
Community Organizations
There is no incorporated or unincorporated community of any size within Badger Township, although the former places known as Sletten and CiscoCisco, Minnesota
Cisco is a place name for the remnants of a former unincorporated community located along the Soo Line Railroad and US 59 in the NW 1/4 of Section 11 of Badger Township, 149 North, Range 42 West, in Polk County, United States, approximately four miles north of the city of Erskine, and about the...
were located within its territory.
The nearest towns are Erskine
Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Grand Forks- ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'.-Geography:...
, Mentor
Mentor, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 150 people, 82 households, and 45 families residing in the city. The population density was 79.3 people per square mile . There were 102 housing units at an average density of 53.9 per square mile...
and Brooks
Brooks, Minnesota
Brooks is a city in Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 141 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.U.S...
, all located outside the township. There are no stoplights and no paved roads (other than a state highway and a US highway which pass through the township's eastern and southern fringes). The township is managed by a town board which mainly provides for road grading. The only public building in the township is a town hall on the north side of Section 21. There are no school buildings although at one time there were several; the township now is served by Win-E-Mac School District, near Erskine
Erskine, Minnesota
Erskine is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. It is part of the 'Grand Forks- ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area'.-Geography:...
. There is one historically active church (Saron Lutheran Church) and one new church (the brand new Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
Church on the southwest quarter of Section 17, built in 2003), within the township, and there are four cemeteries (one at Saron Lutheran Church, another on Section 32 known as the Broderheim cemetery, a third at the northeast corner of Section 17 known as Sorum Cemetery, and the fourth and newest just established on the southwest quarter of Section 17 by the Old Believers Church).
Famous or Infamous Personages
No persons of national or international repute are known to have been born in or to have resided in Badger Township at any time. No famous or infamous criminals have operated there, and indeed there is no record of a single homicideHomicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
within the township, although legend has it that at least one Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
is buried within the southeast quarter of Section 17, cause of death unknown. One of the few residents who attained more than local repute did so as one of the founding directors of the dairy cooperative known as Land O'Lakes
Land O'Lakes
Land O'Lakes is a member-owned agricultural cooperative based in Arden Hills, Minnesota, focusing on the dairy industry. The co-op states that it has about 3200 producer-members, 1000 member-cooperatives, and about 9000 employees who process and distribute products for about 300,000 agricultural...
– he was a dairy farmer by the name of E.O. Melsness, and farmed on Section 14 of Badger Township in the early 20th century. The Lee, Anderson, Espeseth, Bjelland and Skiple families were not only early pioneers
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
in the township, but continue as residents in the township to the present day. Many other family surnames, such as Massedalen, Noer, Gaasvigen, Wold, Amoth and Rundhaug, have simply disappeared from the township, the owners having moved to Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
or Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
before 1920 or else died off more recently due to lack of offspring.
External links
- For a compilation of Sioux and Ojibwe (Chippewa) Indian Treaties and a generalized map of ceded territories by year, see
- For a guide to cultural, governmental and recreational resources of Northwestern Minnesota, see
- For information on the general history of the Red River Valley and the Red River of the North, see
- For information on the Broderheim Cemetery, its history and its deceased denizens, see
- For information on the Sörum Cemetery ( Wold Cemetery ), its history and its deceased listing, see
- Website of the Erskine Grain Terminal