Sunrise Township is a township in Chisago 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 1,994 at the 2010 census, up from 1,594 in 2000.

Geography

Sunrise Township is located in east-central Chisago County, with its northeast border following the St. Croix River, which is also the state line between

and

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 ...

. The township is bordered to the west by the cities of Harris and North Branch, to the north by Rushseba Township, to the south by Chisago Lake Township, and to the east of its southern half by Amador Township. 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 , of which is land and , or 1.43%, is water. The Sunrise River crosses the township from south to north, flowing into the St. Croix River. The unincorporated community of

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

is located along the river about a mile south of its mouth.

History

In 1852 or 1853, William Holmes, whose birthplace is unknown, established a farm on the Sunrise Prairie, located on the Sunrise River about a mile south of its mouth at the St. Croix River. John A. Brown from Pennsylvania and Patten W. Davis from Virginia started farming in the vicinity in 1853. That same year, Brown and Patten built a road to St. Paul with the help of Henry L. Ingalls and his wife, Lavina. The couple were natives of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

who had migrated to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and then

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before arriving in Sunrise. Mrs. Ingalls was likely the first white woman in Sunrise. Also in 1853, a circuit-riding preacher began holding services in the new settlement. His efforts resulted in the establishment of a congregation that remains to the present day as Sunrise Bible Church. In 1852, John G. Mold arrived and built a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

(1854), later establishing a store (1869) and a hotel. By 1855, Brown had also established a store, hotel and sawmill. Brown platted the original town site of Sunrise City, comprising approximately , on June 6, 1856. George S. Frost established a post office the same year. Brown and others platted additional lands in the following years. In 1857, a large colony of settlers from western

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

state came to Sunrise and began establishing farms, homes, and businesses. They included the Collins, Deming, Gwynne, Smith, Starkweather, Wilcox, Wilkes, and Wolleat families. On October 26, 1858, Sunrise was organized as a township. The unincorporated community of Sunrise is still located on the plat of Sunrise City. However, it was never incorporated into a city but remains under township jurisdiction.Folsom, W.H.C. ''Fifty Years in the Northwest.'' 1888. Reprint, 308-310, 328-329, Taylors Falls, Minnesota: Taylors Falls Historical Society, 1999.

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 1,594 people, 538 households, and 444 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 568 housing units at an average density of 12.5/sq mi (4.8/km). The racial makeup of the township was 97.80%

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 ...

, 0.38%

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 ...

, 0.50% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.88% 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 0.38% of the population. There were 538 households, out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.3% 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, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.3% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.22. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $60,223, and the median income for a family was $60,721. Males had a median income of $40,820 versus $25,074 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 $22,336. About 3.3% of families and 4.2% 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 3.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Jerald C. Anderson Jerald Clayton Anderson (April 4, 1934 – January 7, 2014) was an American dentist and politician. Born in Sunrise, Minnesota, Anderson received his bachelors and dentistry degrees from the University of Minnesota. He then served in the United ...

, dentist and politician, born in Sunrise Township. *

Frank Orren Lowden Frank Orren Lowden (January 26, 1861 – March 20, 1943) was an American Republican Party politician who served as the 25th Governor of Illinois and as a United States Representative from Illinois. He was also a candidate for the Republican pre ...

(1861-1943), served as the 25th

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

from 1917-1921, born in Sunrise Township before moving to

Hardin County, Iowa Hardin County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 16,878. The county seat is Eldora, Iowa, Eldora. The county was named in honor of Col. Joh ...

. *

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

, actor, born in Sunrise Township

References

External links

Sunrise Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Chisago County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1853 Townships in Minnesota 1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory