"History and Description of Lyon County, Minnesota", 1884
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Town of Amiret.
Amiret, town 110, range 40, lies on the east line of the county and one mile from the south line.
The town was organized
March 19, 1874, and named
Madison. The election held at that time at the store of
Wm. Coburn gave as the first officers of the town,
Jas. Mitchell Jr., chairman;
L. Grover and
D. Hanks, supervisors;
Wm. Coburn, clerk;
J. H. Williams, assessor;
S. S. Truax, treasurer;
John Taylor, justice;
L. Mason, constable.
The first permanent settlers were
Charles and
Lafayette Grover, who took claims there in
1868, and
James Mitchell in
1869.
The W. & St. P. R. R. being built through the county in
1872, a store was opened on section 32 by
Wm. Coburn and a postoffice established with
Coburn as postmaster. The railroad company put in a switch here and the postoffice and station was called Coburg. The Indian trading station of Saratoga, which had been established by
Lynd about
1857 or before that time and which gave that name to the whole settlement on the
Cottonwood, was further south, claimed by some have been on section 1 in
Custer.
In
1874 the railroad company moved their station about a mile northwest and laid out the town of
Amiret on railroad land in section 19. The name it is said was given in honor of the wife of one of the railroad officials. The name of the township was changed by legislative enactment to correspond with that of the station. Mr.
Coburn moved his store to the new site and continued in business for two years.
In
1873 the Congregational society built a church on section 22, but the building was moved to the town of
Custer in
1875. The first religious services held in the town were conducted by Rev.
J. Rees in
1872.
The first school was taught by Mrs.
Warnick in a board shanty in the summer of
1873 on section 31.
The first death was that of a daughter of
L. Mason in
1872. The first birth a daughter to
Wm. Coburn and wife in
1863. The first marriage was that of
J. A. Hunter of
Marshall to Miss
C. A. Mitchell,
June 3, 1875.
Both branches of the
Cottonwood flow through
Amiret, the north branch draining lake
Marshall and
Goose lake and flowing through the north sections of the town, while the southern and larger branch flows from the southwest corner to its junction with the northern branch near the northeast corner This insures for the town an ample water supply, furnishes good meadows, and on the south branch considerable timber. The earlier settlers naturally took to the timber of the Big
Cottonwood, and as settlement came into the town rather slowly the interest in tree culture was not awakened till late in the town's history, so that by the last assessor's report there were only 27 acres of cultivated forest trees in the town. The acreage of cultivated land by the same report was, however, 3,199, of which 1,287 were in wheat, 870 in oats,428 in corn, 283 in barley, 57 in potatoes, 14 in beans, 57 in flax.
The soil of
Amiret is good and there is little waste land.
The town has now three school houses and its educational interests are not neglected.
The station of
Amiret now supplies a market, a store being operated by Mr.
Kelly and a grain warehouse by VanDusen & Co. The railroad company has a good depot, and a commodious school house has been built here. There is no good reason why at some future time there should not be a thrifty village on the present site of
Amiret.