Summit Lake Township is a township in
Nobles 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 368 at the 2000 census.
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 36.2 square miles (93.6 km), all land. The main geographic feature of Summit Lake Township is the
Buffalo Ridge
Buffalo Ridge is a large expanse of rolling hills in the southeastern part of the larger Coteau des Prairies. It stands 1,995 feet (608 m) above sea level. The Buffalo Ridge is long and runs through Lincoln, Pipestone, Murray, Nob ...
, a drainage divide between the
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
Missouri River
The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...
systems. Other geographic features include the Kanaranzi Creek, which flows westward to the Missouri River via the
Big Sioux River
The Big Sioux River is a tributary of the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa in the United States. It flows generally southwardly for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataTh ...
, and the Jack Creek, which flows eastward to the Mississippi River via the
Des Moines River
The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...
. Summit Lake once existed in section 11 of the township, but was drained in subsequent years. If the lake existed today, it would have the highest elevation of any body of water within the state of Minnesota.
Main highways include:
*
Minnesota State Highway 264
(Discontinued - renamed Nobles County Road 25)
* Nobles County Road 25
* Nobles County Road 13
* Nobles County Road 14
History
Organization of Summit Township was approved by the Nobles County Board on May 20, 1873. The first township meeting was held on June 5, 1873. The original name of the township was Wilson Township. However, the county board was informed by the state auditor's office that another Wilson Township existed elsewhere in the state. The township was briefly renamed Akin Township on June 15, 1874, but once again, the county was informed that another Akin Township existed within the state. On July 27, 1874, the township was given its present name of Summit Lake Township in honor of a lake in section 11 of the township. Presently, two
Wilson Townships currently exist within Minnesota, one in
Cass County and the other in
Winona County
Winona County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,671. Its county seat is Winona. Winona County comprises the Winona Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Wisconsin Territory was es ...
. There is no Akin Township anywhere within the state. Summit Lake, the namesake of the township, no longer exists having been drained and lost in the passing years.
Names of Nobles County by Raymond Crippen
/ref>
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 ...
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was 10.2 people per square mile (3.9/km). There were 138 housing units at an average density of 3.8/sq mi (1.5/km). The racial makeup of the township was 96.20% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.82% African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.54% Native American
Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States.
Related terms and peoples include:
Ethnic groups
* Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
, 1.36% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population.
There were 131 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% 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, 3.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the township the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $38,958, and the median income for a family was $43,250. Males had a median income of $26,023 versus $19,196 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 $13,955. About 4.2% of families and 6.9% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Summit Lake Township is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district spans southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly due to pop ...
, represented by Mankato
Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The population was 44,488 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Mi ...
educator Tim Walz
Timothy James Walz (; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States, vice pre ...
, a Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
. At the state level, Summit Lake Township is located in Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
District 22, represented by Republican Doug Magnus
Douglas Rudy Magnus (born November 1950) is an American, Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate, who represented District 22, which includes all of Cottonwood County, Minnesota, Cottonwood, Jackson County, Minnesota, Ja ...
, and in House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
District 22A, represented by Republican Joe Schomacker
Joseph "Joe" Roy Schomacker (born March 25, 1986) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2011. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Schomacker represents District 21A in the southwestern corne ...
.
Local politics
Summit Lake Township is represented by Nobles County Commissione
Marvin Zylstra
References
{{authority control
Townships in Nobles County, Minnesota
Townships in Minnesota