The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-05-19
BIRTHDAYS Twelve
GOPHER COUNTIES
MAY az IMPORTANT DAY
IN MINNESOTA
sKTY.FIVE YEAR OLD
No Special Program Will Mark
This Event; Not Oldest
In State.
[Associated Press pispatch.l

lAsSociaied Prass Qispatcn.J
st, Paul. May 11.--Niay the tven-
anniversary of the establishment OF
twelve counties of tho state. No
special programs will be held be
cause of this event, according TO
information obtained from the stan
OF the Minnesota Historical So
ciety.
These twelve counties, although
not the oldest in the state, are
among the pionee- state units
which Were established in Mime
sofas territorial days. The Oldest
SsSetss OCT e re st 1915 y Tssy es s
Ramsey, Benton and Dakota. PEN
nington county Is the most recently
established, this unit being formed
and organized on Nov. %, 1910. The
counties which will be sixty I've
year OF age on May 23 next are, Ait
kin, Anoka, Carlton. Cottonwood,
Grow Wing, Jackson Martin Mile
Laos Murray, Mobiles Pipestoae and
Aitkin county established May
%, 1857 and organized June 80,
1871, was named for William Alex
snder Aitkin. fur trader with the
ojibway Indians. For many years
roneously spelled "Aitken" with
which it Is identical in pronuncia
ton, but 1t was changed TO its pres
ent form of spelling by an act of
legislature in 1872.
Anoks County.
The name of Anoka county was
taken from the town OF Anoka,
which was first settled In 1851
1852; Anoka is a Dakota or Sioux
word, meaning ION both sides"
This was chosen because the town
Rum river. Carlton county was
.oragnized three years following IFS
establishment and was named In
honor of Reuben B. Carlton, one OF
tine first settlers of Fond du Lac,
at the Head of Lake navigation On
the st. Louis river. near the line
between st. Louis and Carlton
counties.
Cottonwood county derived its
name from the. Cottonwood river
1t is translation of Waraiu. the
Dakota or Sioux name note BY
keating and ID; Nicollet's report and
was so named from the abundance
of this tree on its hanks The tree
is a native of this section.
The Olibway nan e, kag1wigan,
or Gagagiwigwuni, by some trans
lators, meaning raven feather fiy-
err" later freely translated by the
settlers as Grow Wing was ap-
piled to the county which nbw
bears this name. The county was
organized March 3, 1870. following
its establishment May %, 1857.
Historians are unanimous iH their
its name from Hon. Henry Jackson,
the first merchant in St Paul. He
came to st. Paul In June, 1912, and
was appointed the first justice OF
peace, 1913; was the first pestmas
ter, 1868 and was member
of the first territorial legislature.
He died several months following
the establishment OF TIE county
bearing his name.
Naming Of Martin County
Martin county, according to the
concurrent testimony OF IT'S best in
honor of Henry Martin, who When
the county was established, was 4
resident of Mankato. Some histor
ians, however, claim that the county
was named for Morgan L. Martin,
who was closely identified with the
development Of Wisconsin territor-
ial days.
Mile Laos county was named
because of the numerous lakes
within its boundaries, the name
meaning "a thousand lakes" The
Sioux referred TO it as Mde Waken
a resident of st. Paul of the
pioneer days, William Pitts MUIR
ray. was given the honor OF having
a county named for him. This
county Is Murray county, Establish
ed May Is, 1857, AM organized
Mobiles comfy, organized Get. 2T,
1870, following its establishment
Is years previous, was named for
William H. Mobiles, a member q:
the Minnesota territorial legisla-
ture in 1854 1855. He also started
the construction Of wagon road
for the United States government,
crossing southw estern Minnesota and
the county which bears his name
Pipestone county, although es-
taflished May %, 1857. was organ.
lied twenty two year later byieg-
islative act approved Jan. 81, 1879.
Its name was first applied. however.
by an error of the original act In
1857 to the area that is now Rock
county, while the name was given
to the present county Of Pipestope
These counties therefore exchange
names by an act OF legislature Feb
30. 1862. The transportation was
needed as Pipestone county now
includes the celebrated Indian quarry
OF red pipestone to which its name
refers, and Rock county now has a
prominent rock mound near Lus
verne. which similarly WAS the