Windom Township is a township in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 640 at the 2000 census. The largest town in the township is

Rose Creek Rose Creek is an urban stream in San Diego, California that drains to Mission Bay. It flows in a north-to-south direction through Rose Canyon and San Clemente Canyon and their tributary canyons. Both Rose Creek and Rose Canyon are named for San ...

with a population of 354 people. All other area in the township is unincorporated. After unsuccessfully trying two names, the township was named in honor of Senator William Windom of

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History

Sylvester Davis, the first settler in the township, came to section 20 in the spring of 1855 and built a more permanent dwelling later that fall. The township was officially organized in 1858 and called "Brooklyn." At the first meeting of the township, the people elected a

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

, two

supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position that is primarily based on authority over workers or ...

s, a clerk, two justices of the peace, a collector, a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

assessor An assessor may be: * ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes * Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate * Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford * Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...

, a road supervisor and an

overseer of the poor An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England such as the United States. England In England, overseers of the poo ...

. In 1862 the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

told the township to change its name because another town had prior claim to it. It was then briefly called Canton but the name had to be changed again for the same reason. In May 1862 the township was named in honor of Senator William Windom of

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93.3 km), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 640 people, 224 households, and 183 families residing in the township. The population density was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km). There were 237 housing units at an average density of 6.6/sq mi (2.5/km). The racial makeup of the township was 93.44% White, 0.16% African American, 0.94% Native American, 0.78%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 4.06% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 5.47% of the population. There were 224 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.9% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.18. In the township the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $49,643, and the median income for a family was $51,528. Males had a median income of $32,361 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,372. About 2.2% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Cemeteries

*St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery is located in the southwest corner of the southeast quadrant of section 26 of the township. Its oldest known

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

dates to 1891. *Prairie View Cemetery is located in the northwest corner of the southwest quadrant of section 25 of the township. Its oldest known

dates to 1882.

History

Geography

Demographics

Cemeteries

References

Further reading