History of Crow River and Union Grove Townships, Meeker Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: -Z- Submitted: Dec 2001 ========================================================================= History of Crow River / Union Grove TownshipThis page is about some history about Union Grove Township and the hamlet in the township, Crow River. For starters, Union Grove Township is an area of 36 square miles located in extreme northwest Meeker County, Minnesota (Township 121, Range 32) basically being an area from all the southern shores of Lake Koronis straight south to the Middle Fork of the Crow River. The hamlet of Crow River is near the banks of the Middle Fork of the Crow River south of Lydia Lake. For hundreds of years, this area was Indian Territory, and left behind to this are Indian Burial Mounds (possibly dating back to 100 BC to 200 AD) located just east of the Lake Koronis outlet. Known as Behr's hill, many Indian artifacts could be found on the side of the mound down towards Lake Koronis. In 1856, this area was opened up to people of European ancestry, and Lyman Allen, Lyman Baker, Andrew Hamilton, and a Mr. Haywood made the first group settlement, and later the same year came a Mr. Brawn, S. H. Caswell, Alonzo Cook, S. Dickenson, John W. Goodspeed, James Hamilton, Cyrus Lewis, James Nelson, Judson Pierson, and William Wheeler. Cemetary grounds were chosen in this new area, located in Section 25, and the first burial occured in the cemetary occured in 1859. The cemetary was incorporated on January 20, 1880, as the Manannah Union Cemetary. The following year saw Albert Bridges, Florinda Bryant, Albert Alonzo Caswell, Jeremiah Leaming, James A. Lee, Charles and Wilmot Maybee, William Rodgers, Thomas Ryckman, and James Shears moving into the area, and the first marriage of the area was performed, joining James Nelson and Elizabeth Caswell together. The first birth in this area also is noted, that of Charles Allen, son of Lyman Allen. In these days, the means of transportation was ox or horse drawn carts, and one trail led through this area, that being the government trail which went diagonally through the area which is now sections 5, 9, 15, 23 and 24 of Union Grove Township. In the spring of 1858, D. B. Hoar moved into the area, and very few more followed in settling into the area. The first death was recorded, that of Samuel Clyde. In 1859, the first school was established in a small log cabin owned by Nathan Caswell and was taught by Mary Caswell, who later became Mrs. Gould. On August 17th, 1862, the Dakota Indian Uprising began at Acton, approximately ten miles south, and within days, the effects would touch upon the Union Grove landscape. Settlers fled the area, but not all escaped the terror of the Dakota. Joseph Page, Phillip H Dick, Linus Howe, and Wilmot Maybee were killed by the Dakota on August 26, 1962, just north of the Middle Fork of the Crow River one mile west of Manannah and laid to rest in the Manannah Union Cemetary. After the Uprising was quelled, an organized patrol came through the area on the government road from Paynesville to Manannah. The first religious services were held at the home of Thomas Ryckman in 1865 by Reverend George Hardy. The Township of Union Grove was organized April 30th, 1866, at a meeting held in the home of Thomas Ryckman. C. D. Hill was the chairman, Charles H. McCune, clerk, and George Hardy, C. W. Puther, and David Newcomb served as members of the election board. The following officers were elected; Supervisors Lucien J. Perry, chairman, with David Newcomb and A. D. Pentler, C. H. McCune as clerk, A. T. Pentler as assessor, S. O. Campbell as treasurer, James Nelson and William Stockdale as constables, and C. W. Puther and G. W. Hardy as justices. The first schoolhouse was erected in 1867 in the Southwest Quarter of Section 24, with Miss LaVina McNabb as the first teacher. The Union Grove Methodist Church had its beginnings in 1867, with 16 members in Union Grove meeting at the schoolhouse. Reverend Griswold held these services. In 1868, a post office was established south of Lake Koronis and called Koronis (a dot on an old map shows in around section 5), which continued operation until 1874. The Burr Oak Cemetary was a result of Miranda Hubbard's (Mrs. Joseph Hubbard) death in June of 1870. The community did not have an organ- ized cemetary, and Joseph Hubbard and David Hoar took a one-half acre parcel from thier land and created the Burr Oak Cemetary July 25, 1872. The First Universalist Church of Crow River was organized in 1876 and Joseph Hubbard was chosen deacon. In 1881, a lot was purchased or given on the Marcus Doll farm to the Union Grove Methodist Episopal Church Organization and a church building was erected shortly afterward. This lot would be midway between Lydia Lake and the Middle Fork of the Crow River. Reverend Haskell is credited with being the first pastor of the church, with D. B. Hoar, George Carpenter, and George Heddin were among the early church officials. In the late 1800's, water power was used by flour mills, and a wooden dam was built at the outlet of Lake Koronis, which had a gate on it and would regulate the water for the Manannah Mill pond six miles downstream on the North Fork of the Crow River. In the early 1920's, rock was hauled in to make a stone dam, and a few years later, a concrete dam was built. In 1902, a subdivision was platted in Section 33 and was called Crow River. The same year, the hamlet attracted businesses such as a general store, post office, and creamery. On January 29, 1906, an addition was platted to Crow River, and before long, a feed mill and blacksmith shop were also constructed, and by 1909, the making of a village appeared to be in the works In 1908, a bridge spanning the North Fork of the Crow River was constructed in Section 24 (365th Street). In 1921, Legislation was passed at the State level creating a State Highway System, and the roads which were designated in the Township to be State Highways eventually became known as Highway 55 and Highway 4. In October of 1922, an 8.44 acre tract of land was purchased for a community park for $1300 approximately three miles up the shoreline west of the Lake Koronis Outlet, and the South Koronis Community Park Association began, with a nine member Board of Directors. The first order of business was to provide additional funding, which was done by selling operating memberships for $5 each. Local residents then began to start cutting trees and brush to prepare for a roadway down into the lake area from the main road, and men with horses and scrapers and one steam engine built up a one-quarter mile road grade, which was completed in time for a Fourth of July celebration, 1923. An eating shelter was erected thereafter. In 1923, Bridge #4033 was constructed spanning the Middle Fork of the Crow River in Section 36 (560th Avenue). In 1926, an auditorium and a refreshment stand was built at the park for approximately $1000. In 1927, the State Highway Department put in a bridge spanning the inlet of Lake Koronis for Highway 55. The Union Grove Methodist Church underwent remodeling in 1930 with the construction of a basement and addition to the front of the church. In 1936, electricity was being brought to the area. To the immediate west of the Koronis dam was an access and a beach as the roadway was just yards away from the lake. This area near the dam proved to be deadly in July of 1941 as two people drowned in the current. On April 18, 1946, the Tri-County Cooperative Telephone Association was organized, merging several individual companies into a single company. This area now makes up the Irving- Koronis Exchange of the Mid-State Telephone Company, which serves two-thirds of the township. In the 1948 election, local resident Fred Marshall ran for a seat in Congress, and won, starting a tenure in Congress until 1962. In 1950, the State Highway Department relocated Highway 55 from running along the County line to a sweeping curve to the south for safety reasons due to the speed of automobile traffic and the alignment of the Lake Koronis inlet bridge. From 1954 to 1957, the State Highway Department relocated Highway 4 from it's original designation around the east end of Lake Koronis, crossing the outlet of Koronis, and south through the middle of the Township, to a straight road aproximately 1.5 miles to the east. In 1957, the Believers Fellowship Mennonite Church was organized in the area. In 1968, the park, becoming increasingly difficult to manage as it became an attraction to those from outside the community, ownership was transferred to Meeker County. Soon afterward, it was learned federal funding could be available if Stearns County and Meeker County could operate the park cooperatively, and agreement was reached in 1973. On June 25th, 1969, a tornado cutting a path 3 miles long touched down in the Whitney Lake area, causing $25,000 damage. In 1958, the Union Grove Methodist Church had 66 members, but by 1970, the members decided to disband the church and many members joined the Grace United Methodist Church in Paynesville. On June 28, 1970, the Believers Fellowship of Mennonites took possession of the old Union Grove Methodist Church and started holding thier services there. In 1973, the Koronis Regional Park underwent renovations starting with main shelter, rebuilt to accomodate approxi- mately 200 people with kitchen facilities, and the camping area was moved. In 1976, improvements were made to the Koronis Regional Park, adding to the east side of the main park and the west side of the main park. In 1979, the Koronis Regional Park auditorium was remodeled. In 1985, a new town hall was erected in the northeast corner of Section 30 in place of the old school which was torn down. On July 1st, 1997, a tornado caused minor damage from the hamlet of Crow River and eastward two and one half miles. In 2001, reconstruction of the County Road 25 bridge spanning the Middle Fork of the Crow River occured, as well as upgrading and paving the Road through the Township, and bridge replacement in Section 24 over the North Fork of the Crow River (365th Street). Other projects included paving 390th Street from County Road 20 to 532nd Avenue, and south for a tenth of a mile on 532nd Avenue, and resurfacing through the hamlet of Crow River. *Information contained is credited to the Minnesota Historical Society, Paynesville Historical Society, bar2@willmar.com , Minnesota Department of Transportation, Meeker County Historical Society, 'West Tier of Towns' - a book by Frank Lamson,