Township Organization
Townships are classed as congressional and civil town
ships. The former are the six-mile-square tracts as
shown by government survey, while the latter are
sub-divisions in the county, and may or may not, conform
to the six-mile square tract of land included in the
government surveyed township, and are termed "towns," or
"civil townships." Brown County has sixteen civil
townships, with the territory included in the city of
New Ulm, which really constitutes another civil
sub-division of the county. These civil townships are:
Albin, Bashaw, Burnstown, Cottonwood, Eden, Home, Lake
Hanska, Leavenworth, Linden, Milford, Mulligan, North
Star, Prairieville, Sigel, Stark and Stately townships.
Townships Organized
At a meeting of the county commissioners held on April
12, 1858, the matter of township organization came up,
as required by on Act of the Legislature, and it was
resolved that "Whereas, Minnesota has not been admitted
to the Union as a state, and the said Legislature had
acted under the authority of the state of Minnesota,
which not being in existence yet, and, whereas, the
organization of townships as proposed is very expensive
for a new country, the following resolution was adopted
by the board:
'Not to take any steps in regard to the township
organization until Minnesota is admitted as a state and
the benefit of Brown County will require it.' "
On June 28, 1858, notwithstanding the above resolution,
a session was held for the purpose of carrying out the
provisions of the township organization act. There were
only two of the commissioners present, Jacob Brust and
P. Roebbecke. It was resolved "that the board has now a
legal right to organize the county into towns, whereas
Minnesota is admitted into the union as a state." The
following towns were established, which shows that Brown
County township history has all been within and under
the state and not under the territorial form of
government, as many Minnesota counties were. The civil
townships formed by the board at the last named meeting
were: New Ulm, Ludwigs, Lower Sioux Agency, Yellow
Medicine, Leavenworth and Cottonwood. The remaining
portion of this county was attached to Leavenworth.
Elections were ordered held the second Tuesday in July,
1858. The clerk was ordered to make out a record of the
proceedings of the board concerning the township
organization and to give notice to the different
townships, and also to cause the proceedings to be
published in the New Ulm Pioneer.
The elections were duly held and the first meeting of
the board of what was then known as the county super
visors was held on November 8, 1858. Those present were
Jacob Barbier, representing New Ulm; Jacob Brust,
Cottonwood; John Doster, Milford; John Armstrong;
Linden; Mr. Rutledge, Medelia; the other townships had
not yet been perfected, but the board went ahead and
commenced the business of the county, electing Jacob
Brust as their chairman. The original townships have all
changed in form and size and many in name.
Brown County |Minnesota
AHGP
Source: History of Brown County,
Minnesota, L. A. Fritsche, M.D., Editor, Volume I, 1916.
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