Sigel Township
Sigel Township was originally a part of Cottonwood
Township and was named after Gen. Franz Sigel, who won
distinction during the Civil War as an officer in the
Union army, and later as a statesman. The northern
boundary has been changed numerous times on account of
crossing the Big Cottonwood River; in 1861 the boundary
was made to follow the course of the river as far as
possible. Sigel, as now constituted, is bounded on the
north by Milford Township, on the east by Cottonwood, on
the south by Lake Hanska and on the west by Stark
Township. It is somewhat cut up by rough land and
numerous little lakes. Among the larger of these lakes
may be named Clear Lake, in the northeastern part;
School Lake, in the center of the township; Lake Juni,
in section 26. There are no villages or railroads in
this township, but it is well cultivated as a rich
agricultural section. Its population for the last three
enumeration periods has been: In 1890 it was Six hundred
and eighty; in 1900 it was twenty-five less, and in 1910
it was six hundred and forty-five.
The first township meeting was held here on April 28,
1862; Ernst Brandt was selected moderator and William
Bruggert, clerk. Officers elected: Ernst Brandt,
chairman; Herman Plath and G. Guggesberg, supervisors;
A. Loomis, assessor; II. Hillesheim, treasurer; Fred
Frank and H. Manderfeld, justices of the peace, and J.
Scheisser, constable.
Several citizens from this township lost their lives in
the Sioux outbreak of 1862.
The first settler in this township, as now constituted,
was Almond Loomis, who located in section 3, in 1856. In
1862 he, with his brother, Uriah, William Tuttle and
seven others were killed by the Indians while trying to
reach New Ulm. Several others settled in 1856, among the
number C. C. Brandt, who, during the winter of 1856-57,
erected a wind-power grist-mill; this was the first mill
in Brown County. The buhrs were made from limestone out
of the river bed and the timbers were sawed by hand from
logs; later it was removed to New Ulm.
The township was created into one school district in
1864, known as No. 4.
Among other settlers who might justly be numbered among
the pioneer band in this part of Brown County are these:
John Berg, a German
Christian J. Engel, a German
Capt. Sylvester A. George, of Maine
Christian Krambeer, a German
John Lisenfeld, a native of Prussia
Anthony Manderfeld, of Prussia*
Christian Niedegger, a German
Matthias Penning, a German
Conrad Schweppe, a German
Almond Loomis, of New York, murdered by the
Indians at New Ulm |
* Who served in the wars in his native land and was in
the Union cause in this country and was at the New Ulm
massacre
Brown County |Minnesota
AHGP
Source: History of Brown County,
Minnesota, L. A. Fritsche, M.D., Editor, Volume I, 1916.
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