Lund Township

Compiled and written by Ginny Swartz

Lund Township was established 1 March 1872, comprised of congressional Township 130 North, Range 40 West. The first meeting was held at the house of John Wahlin. The original petition asked that the township be named Christina, but the name Lund was adopted. About two weeks after the new township was established, the commissioners received a petition asking that it be set back in the township of Evansville, to which it had formerly been attached, but as all the signatures to the petition were in the same handwriting, it was not given any serious consideration.

The Village of Melby was founded in Lund Township about the turn of the century as a railroad town and flourished for many years with a general store, railroad station, and variety of small businesses. In 1963, they still had a post office, store, gas station, supper club, and a blacksmith shop. Melby is located in Section 17, just south of the largest lake in Township, Lake Christina. The only businesses in operation currently is a convenience store/restaurant/bar built in 1986.

In the 1920�s, the area became a popular redhead and canvasback duck hunting area due to Lake Christina. The local residents met the train and transported hunters to their lake retreats. Long time residents of the area were the Nels Palmquist family. They sold small sites to hunters on which small hunting cabins were built. Many still exist today.

There were six school districts in Lund Township: District #104 in Section 1, District 58 in Section 11, District 102 in Section 17 (or 20, varies with different plat maps), District #35 in Section 25, District #89 in Section 25, District #38 in Section 31.

Christina Lake Cemetery, Sections 22, is one of two cemeteries located in Lund Township. The small church located by the cemetery was, according to early church records, originally Swedish Lutheran. Across County Road 24, in Section 15, is another small cemetery once referred to as Mission Cemetery and now part of Christina Lake Cemetery. The earliest graves are for an elderly woman in 1879 and then a number of small children between 1881 and 1884.

According to records located in the Recorder�s Office at the Douglas County courthouse, the following individuals were the first owners who received a patent from the U.S. Government on land in Lund Township. The year noted is the year the patent was recorded; often the individuals had been on the land one or two years prior to recording the patent.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Constant Larson's History of Grant and Douglas Counties, Plat Books for 1886, 1912, and 1940, and Minnesota Geographic Names by Warren Upham.

Return to Townships