The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1920-03-11
C0UNTY'S PROGRESS
Gradual Development of Mile Laos
County From Southern BOun-
dairy to the Big Lake.
Court House Policy of County Has
Been Conservative and Amount
of Money Spent Small.
Continued from last week

Dlu yOo SVSI IlOIiCe Glic peCulldI
shape of Mile Laos county? How it
is about ferty-eight miles long and
only twelve miles wide for the southern
thirty miles thereof, and then for the
north eighteen miles it broadens out
an extra township and thus becomes
top heavy with it's eighteen miles Of
length and BREADTH This northern
Asst Of the county is commonly known
r. The lake country and comprises the
eth commissioner district. We're it
not for the fact that Mile Laos lake
cuts into the territory for some of
1.-The townships Of the fifth dis
jtrict this so-called lake country
would almost equal in area the balance
of the county. To be exact, it would
be just twenty-four sections smaller,
as a government correction line cuts
off the north tier of sections in the
= townships Of Mudgett and Daley.
The settlement Of the lake country was
badly hampered in the beginning by
the fact that goodly share Of it was
in the old Mile Laos lake Indian reser-
walton and whole lot of government
red tape had to be unwound before this
: fertile country could be opened up
FOR settlement. Another big drawback
in the early days was the total lack
or railroad facilities, but this was
3r-enome in 1907 when the 500 crossed
8 aAsfhole breadth of the lake country
% gave the first big impetus toward
ia e rapid and thorough development
and settlement Of this end of the coun-
y.
While all natural conditions had
seemed to combine to retard OPEN
ng up the lake country, the south end
IF the county had settled up quite rap
dly and the south central part fol-
! owed in rapid strides with the result
hat we have an unequal stage Of set
cement and development right in the
county today. However, it is only a
natter Of few short years now until
he north end is going to overcome the
'ad effects of its delayed start and
hen let the south end and the center
ook to their laurcls, for they have a
labit of doing big things, and doing
hem we'll, in the lake country.
Back in the old days it was sl,rewd
nd far-sighted Horace Greely who
anded out the advice, go west, young
nan, go west" Had Greedy lived in
lille Laos county at that time he
Jould have no doubt changed this good
dvice to, $50 north, young man, go
orth." And the young man, whether
e willed it so or not, would have been
avn over northward in this county,
slowly but surely the center of
,.@74lation, settlements and development
lrked it's natural way northward,
zen as it is still doing today. In the
arly eighties we only had three orga-
lied townships in the county and
aese were all southern townships
reenbush, Milo and Princeton. Grad
ally Bogus Brook, Borgholm, Milaca
nd some of the older towns of the
Ike country reached that stage of de-
elopment which entitled them to or
anize as separate townships, and the
lst fifteen years have witnessed the
rganization of the towns of Page,
ayland, Daley and Mudgett.
The ink is hardly dry yet on the or
er of the county board organizing
,wnship Al range 27, into the new
,wn of Bradbury, thus giving the
fth commissioner district another
rganized township, and in the near
1ture there will probably be a move
.ent started to organize township IL,
snge Is, into new township. When
Happens the fifth district will have
I organized townships, and one of
:, Kathio, still a double header.
ne history of the villages of the
,unty shows still stronger the prog
IS of the center Of population from
e south towards the north. Prince
n was organized in the seventies.
preston was Incorporated in 1889 and
ilaca followed suit in 1892 and re-
eorporated in 1897. For a long
lriod of time these three were the
ly incorporated villages in the coun- !
but, after the 500 blazed it's new
\ across the north end, Onania,
on and Isle came rapidly into ex-
Ia, thus giving the county six
7sorated villages, three in the lake
and the other three in the
antral part of the county.
ME day, probably in the near fu-l
4, there will be north and south
broad through the entire length Of
county with the further possibility
an electric line following the Scenic