Waskish Township ( ) is a township in

Beltrami County Beltrami County ( ) is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,228. Its county seat is Bemidji. The county's name comes from Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami from Bergamo, ...

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. The population was 116 as of the 2000 census, primarily in the community of Waskish (pronounced was'kish). The community is notable as the only settlement on either Upper or Lower Red Lake not within the boundaries of

Red Lake Indian Reservation The Red Lake Indian Reservation (Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganing'') covers in parts of nine counties in northwestern Minnesota, United States. It is made up of numerous holdings but the largest section is an area about Red Lake, i ...

. It is the location of

Big Bog State Recreation Area Big Bog State Recreation Area, a recent addition to the Minnesota state park system, is located on Minnesota State Highway 72, north of Waskish, Minnesota. It covers 9,459 acres (38.3 km2), primarily swamps, bogs, and upland "islands". T ...

. Waskish is derived from the

Ojibwe-language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian la ...

word meaning "deer".

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the township has a total area of 72.0 square miles (186.5 km), of which 65.0 square miles (168.4 km) is land and 7.0 square miles (18.1 km) (9.69%) is water. Nearby is the

and Upper Red Lake.

Unincorporated towns

* Domaas at * Waskish at (This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)

Major highways

Minnesota State Highway 72 Minnesota State Highway 72 (MN 72) is a highway in northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. 71 in Blackduck and continues north to its northern terminus at the Canada–US border in Baudette. The road cont ...

Lakes

* Larson Lake * Norman Lake * Upper Red Lake (east edge)

Adjacent townships

* Shotley Township (southwest)

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 116 people, 61 households, and 35 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1.8 people per square mile (0.7/km). There were 313 housing units at an average density of 4.8/sq mi (1.9/km). The racial makeup of the township was 95.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.59%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.86% Native American, and 0.86% from two or more races. There were 61 households, out of which 9.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 41.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.49. In the township the population was spread out, with 10.3% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 12.9% from 25 to 44, 44.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $29,750. Males had a median income of $17,813 versus $52,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $19,489. There were 12.8% of families and 26.8% of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 77.8% of under eighteens and 5.7% of those over 64.

References

United States National Atlas

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
{{authority control Townships in Beltrami County, Minnesota Townships in Minnesota