Udolpho Township, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Udolpho Township is a township
in Mower County
, Minnesota
, United States. The population was 458 at the 2000 census. There are no recognized cities
or town
s and the whole township is an unincorporated area
. Blooming Prairie
is only about a quarter of a mile away in Steele County
to the north. The township's name is taken from a gothic novel titled The Mysteries of Udolpho
by the English
author Ann Radcliffe
.
s arrived. The settlers could not agree on a name, so one was chosen, seemingly at random, by Col
. Rogers, one of the early settlers. It is taken from a gothic novel entitled "The Mysteries of Udolpho
" by the English
author Ann Radcliffe
.
, the township has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 458 people, 163 households, and 139 families residing in the township. The population density
was 12.7 people per square mile (4.9/km²). There were 173 housing units at an average density of 4.8/sq mi (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.25% White, 0.87% African American, 0.87% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.
There were 163 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.1% were married couples
living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the township the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 116.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $40,179, and the median income for a family was $41,964. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $19,140. About 5.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
on the southern border with Lansing Township
. It is located along Minnesota State Highway 251
.
that once had a hotel
, store, livery
, post office
and a sawmill
. The Milwaukee Road refused to stop at Madison because it was so close to Lansing, a stop less than three miles away. The village was started on September 3, 1857, and it was declared dead in 1907.
Township (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....
in Mower County
Mower County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,603 people, 15,582 households, and 10,315 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 23 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. The population was 458 at the 2000 census. There are no recognized cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
or town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s and the whole township is an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
. Blooming Prairie
Blooming Prairie, Minnesota
Blooming Prairie is a city in Dodge and Steele counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 1,996 at the 2010 census. Most of the city lies in Steele County; only a small part of the city extends into Dodge County.-History:...
is only about a quarter of a mile away in Steele County
Steele County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile . There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
to the north. The township's name is taken from a gothic novel titled The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in four volumes on 8 May 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London. The firm paid her £500 for the manuscript. The contract is housed at the University of Virginia Library. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows...
by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author Ann Radcliffe
Ann Radcliffe
Anne Radcliffe was an English author, and considered the pioneer of the gothic novel . Her style is romantic in its vivid descriptions of landscapes, and long travel scenes, yet the Gothic element is obvious through her use of the supernatural...
.
History
The township was first settled in February 1855 and the following spring at least seven other settlerSettler
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...
s arrived. The settlers could not agree on a name, so one was chosen, seemingly at random, by Col
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Rogers, one of the early settlers. It is taken from a gothic novel entitled "The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe, was published in four volumes on 8 May 1794 by G. G. and J. Robinson of London. The firm paid her £500 for the manuscript. The contract is housed at the University of Virginia Library. Her fourth and most popular novel, The Mysteries of Udolpho follows...
" by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author Ann Radcliffe
Ann Radcliffe
Anne Radcliffe was an English author, and considered the pioneer of the gothic novel . Her style is romantic in its vivid descriptions of landscapes, and long travel scenes, yet the Gothic element is obvious through her use of the supernatural...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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...
, the township has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
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 458 people, 163 households, and 139 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 12.7 people per square mile (4.9/km²). There were 173 housing units at an average density of 4.8/sq mi (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.25% White, 0.87% African American, 0.87% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.
There were 163 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.1% 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, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the township the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 116.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $40,179, and the median income for a family was $41,964. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $20,781 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 $19,140. About 5.0% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Corning
Corning is a small unincorporated areaUnincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
on the southern border with Lansing Township
Lansing Township, Minnesota
Lansing Township is a township in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,292 at the 2000 census. The largest city contained partially within the township is Austin with 23,314 people. The southern part of Austin is in Austin Township...
. It is located along Minnesota State Highway 251
Minnesota State Highway 251
Minnesota State Highway 251 is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 35 at Clarks Grove and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
.
Madison
Madison is a former village (now just a farm field) off U.S. Route 218U.S. Route 218
U.S. Route 218 is an original United States Highway, created in 1926. Although technically a spur of U.S. Route 18, US 218 neither begins nor ends at US 18, but overlaps US 18 for near Charles City, Iowa. US 218 begins at U.S. Route 136 in downtown Keokuk and ends away at...
that once had a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, store, livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. The Milwaukee Road refused to stop at Madison because it was so close to Lansing, a stop less than three miles away. The village was started on September 3, 1857, and it was declared dead in 1907.
Cemeteries
- Red Oak Grove Cemetery is located in the southwest corner of the southwest quadrant of section 19 of the township. It is one and a half miles north of Corning on Mower/Freeborn Road. Its oldest known burialBurialBurial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
dates to 1857. - Udolpho Cemetery is located in the northeast corner of the northwest quadrant of section 21 of the township. Its oldest known burialBurialBurial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
dates to 1862.
Further reading
- Mill on the Willow: A History of Mower County, Minnesota by various authors. Library of Congress No. 84-062356