Many of us have been to Mountain Lake, Minnesota. My siblings and I have been there often, mostly during our younger years going to visit our grandparents, Jacob J. and Agatha Toews. We have many fond memories of those visits, most of which are connected with either Grandpa and Grandma’s farm, their house in town, or the church across the street. However, there are places in the town which remain in our memories as well. One of these would be the park in the center of town, which I always used to remind me of how to get to our grandparents’ house.
If you have been to Mountain Lake, you probably have asked the questions reflected in the heading above. This is especially true if you have been to the Rocky Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains, or if you have been to Mille Lacs Lake, Lake Superior or any other good-sized, fresh-water lake. Mountain Lake, Minnesota, is on a rolling plain with no “mountain” in site, as far as the casual observer is concerned. Who in the world would give the town a name like Mountain Lake? It seems like such a misnomer!
Well, there is a history to the name which goes back to the time when the first non-native American entered the area. To tell the story, I will quote segments from a journal or booklet which I have in my possession, but which bears no periodical name, no publisher name and no author identification—so I can’t give credit where credit is due! Nevertheless . . .
“The area around Mountain Lake has been described by some as having been an open treeless prairie. The first white man in the Mountain Lake area was William Mason, a hunter and trapper. He came from New York to Wisconsin and then to southern Minnesota, where he found a large shallow lake with a large island. In 1865 he built a log cabin on the island and brought his wife. They lived there about three years, during which time their daughter, the first white child in this area, was born. It was Mr. Mason who named the lake, Mountain Lake; the large island, Mountain Island; and the small islands, Big Bug and Little Bug.
“The Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad came through Mountain Lake in 1871, platting villages and building stations as they laid track. In Cottonwood County there were three villages, which were Windom, Bingham Lake and Mountain Lake. The Mountain Lake station was located three miles east of the present site and was to be called Midway. This location was midway between St. Paul and Sioux City, and the railroad planned to call the village Midway. Mr. Mason insisted that the village be named Mountain Lake and that it should have the railroad station. The railroad consented at his insistence. The log station which had been built at the Midway site was then sold to A. A. Soule, who moved it to his homestead…. The dispute between Mr. Mason and the railroad regarding the town’s location and name lasted ten years.
“When one thinks of a mountain, a majestic snow-capped piece of rock jutting high above the surrounding countryside usually comes to mind. But if one has never seen a mountain, and the area is a treeless plain, a hill full of trees in the middle of a large lake can be just as spectacular. Many people coming to Mountain Lake for the first time ask where the mountain and lake are. The usual reply is that the mountain is two miles southeast of Mountain Lake and the lake is a “new” lake made during the New Deal days on the northwest edge of the city limits. When they see the mountain, they just shrug their shoulders. However, looking back in imagination to the 1860’s before easy transportation and television, a hunter in this desolate region stumbles upon a large lake of about 900 acres with 3 islands. West on the northern part of the lake are two small islands just above the water. About one-fourth mile south of these is a much higher island. Because of the shallow lake this island full of trees and thick vegetation gives the appearance of a mountain, and so the name “Mountain Lake” is born. This could have been the way William Mason looked at it.
“The lake was the home of much wildlife, including many bullheads and pickerel, plus deer, elk, fox, mink, otter, and wolves making this area their home. Many native shrubs added to the mountain beauty. Wild grapes, chokecherries, gooseberries, and currants grew there in abundance. In the 1870’s and 80’s the mountain was the source of wood fuel for the pioneer farmers.
“The area surrounding the lake was swampy lowland. Since 20 square miles drained into the lake, the lake was considered useless. The farmers wanted more tillable farmland, so a company from Windom was hired for the draining job. The company had their equipment on a boat for dredging the lake and digging a ditch through it. Apparently, the work was started in 1905 and completed in 1906. The lake bottom was fertile soil and reports tell of raising vegetables for the Canning Factory, and later sunflowers for the sunflower business. A road was built to the mountain for easy access. It has become a much used picnic area and now is set up as a County Park.”
(More on the mountain and the lake next time!)
Very interesting! I don’t remember wondering where the mountain was as a girl. Buying sunflower seeds at the store was always a major thought. Thanks, Jim.