In 1903 it was clear that the NPRR was soon going to build into the vicinity of the Turtle Lake post office in NE 1/4 Sec. 26-147-81, Lake Williams Twp. This rural post office had been established in 1886 by Peter Miller (1827-1924), a native of Ireland who had settled here in 1884 and had served as a county judge. Mr. Miller began promoting this location, and within a few months a machine shop, Livery stable, hardware store, and a general store were operating at the fledgling townsite. Meanwhile Christian Paulson took over the post office and moved it to his land one mile to the SW, where he started a rival townsite called Wanamaker. The NPRR arrived in 1905, but built its station two miles further to the west, and both townsites moved to that site, retaining the name of the old post office, Turtle Lake.

This was a farm post office established January 25, 1886 with Peter Miller pm at his home in NE 1/4 Sec. 26-147-81, Lake Williams Twp. The post office was actually on the south shore of Lake Williams but it was named for Turtle Lake, three miles WNW of here, which was named for its shape. In 1903 it moved one mile SW to SE 1/4 27-147-81, the home of new pm Christian Paulson (1876-1938). In 1905 the new NPRR terminus station was founded in SE 1/4 Sec. 29-147-81, and after considerable competition and political maneuvering, the Turtle Lake post office moved to the townsite with a retention of the name. The elevation is 1899, the Zip Code is 58575, and a peak population of 839 was reached in 1950. It incorporated as a village in 1916, and became a city in 1946 with Gus Samuelson as mayor.

Peace Cemetery  Section 1

Turtle Lake Cemetery  Section 31

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