Marshall Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Mower County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 382 at the 2000 census. The largest town in the township is Elkton, which has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 149 people. All other areas in the township are unincorporated.

History

The land of Marshall Township originally contained a few small, shallow

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s, but they have since been drained to allow for increased

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. Helge Erickson. a Norwegian,

settled A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

in the western half of the southwest quadrant of section 36 in 1856 and John Osmunsen (born Jone Hauske Osmundson), another Norwegian, came from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and settled in the eastern half of the southeast quadrant of the same section the following year together with his wife Ellen Serena Osmundsen (born Vignes, Hansdatter / daughter of Hans and Siri Olsen Finnøy, Norway). The township was first named "York" and later "Beach" before finally being named for

William Rainey Marshall William Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825January 8, 1896) was an American politician. He was the fifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866, to January 9, 1870, and was a member of the Republican party. He served as the Colonel of the 7t ...

in 1870. Marshall was the fifth

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory ...

and he owned land in Marshall Township from 1868 to 1874. At the organizing meeting of June 6, 1870, the people of the township elected 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 and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...

s, a

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, 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 gro ...

, a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

, an assessor, a

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

two justices of the peace and two

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

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of 34.6 square miles (89.6 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 382 people, 122 households, and 105 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 126 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was: two Native Americans, and two Asians, and the rest of the people are white. There were 122 households, out of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.9% were non-families. 10.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 3.38. In the township the population was spread out, with 31.2% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $50,536. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $23,542 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $16,322. About 2.0% of families and 3.3% of the population were 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 ...

, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Cemeteries

*Hoflanda Cemetery is located in the southwest corner of the southwest quadrant of section 8 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 1883. *St. John's Lutheran Cemetery is located in the northeast corner of the northeast quadrant of section 4 of the township. Its oldest known

may date to as early as 1887.

History

Geography

Demographics

Cemeteries

References

Further reading