"History and Description of Lyon County, Minnesota", 1884
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Town of Coon Creek.
The town of
Coon Creek lies on the west line of the county and six miles from the south line. It is town 110, range 43.
The town was organized in
1882. The name of
Garfield was first proposed, but as the state already had a town of that name it was changed to
Stowe. This name not being satisfactory, was again changed in
1873 to
Coon Creek, a name that is as appropriate as
Walrus Island would be for the equator. If there was ever a coon in the town it must have come with the south wind. The name, however, has one merit, individuality. There is no other town of that name in this latitude.
There is a creek called
Coon Creek rising on section 6 which runs in a southeasterly course, striking the east line of the town on section 24. It empties into the
Redwood river. This creek has some timber on its banks near its junction with the
Redwood.
The large quantity of school and university land in the town has been a bar to rapid settlement. The greater part of the improvement has been made within the last year or two.
Wood Lake, given as lake
Marguerite on some maps, lies in the north part of the town and is a beautiful little lake fringed with timber. The drainage of the town is into the
Redwood river, which flows across the south east corner and near the east line after leaving it. There is some timber along the river and wood has been sold in
Marshall from
Coon Creek, but the supply is limited and not sufficient for the future demands of the town. Last year's assessor's report gave 17 acres of cultivated forest trees and 250 rods on highways.
The town was first settled by
D. S. Burt who took land on section 24, in
May 1870.
J. R. Burgett came in
June 1871, locating on section 4 on the bank of
Wood Lake.
H. H. Hodgkins and
F. T. Burt came in about the same time. Very little settlement was made in the town for a year or two after.
The first sermon was preached by Rev.
R. Wait in
1875.
The first marriage was that of
Thos. Milner and
Ella Knapp,
Nov. 28, 1877.
The first birth was
William, a son of
Samuel Starrett, born at the house of Mr.
Burt in
1870.
The first death was that of a babe of Mr. and Mrs.
Burt,
November 1876.
A portion of the town is cut by the couteau range, making some rough and waste land. There are, however, fine farming and dairy lands in the town, and several thrifty farms have been opened by an enterprising class of settlers.