Dotson is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Brown County,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, United States.
History
Dotson was a community located in Section 12 of
Stately Township, Brown County, Minnesota, established in 1899 by the Western Town Lot Company, a division of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. Originally named
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
after a town in
home to one of the surveyors, the town name was changed to Dotson in 1901 after Enoch Dotson, an early settler in the nearby area of
Sanborn.
In the early years of its existence, Dotson was home to two general stores, a railway depot, post office, lumberyard, creamery, bank, school, dance hall, and a number of homes. In 1905, only a few years after the town was founded, the Post Office would close. The school, built in 1921, remained open through 1964. The Dotson Farmer's Elevator closed in 1954. By 1963, all but nine residents remained in Dotson, all of which were members of the nearby Balbach family.
Today, only the school, a brick vault from the Dotson Bank, and a building that once housed an implement dealer remain. In 2019, the Brown County Historical Society unveiled an historic marker to remember the City of Dotson.
References
Unincorporated communities in Brown County, Minnesota
Unincorporated communities in Minnesota
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