From Trygg Historical Maps, Trygg Land Office, Ely, MN www.trygglandoffice.com/maps.html b=bottom land, m=marsh, p=prairie, s=swamp

Basic Facts: Township 134N, Range 36W Government survey 1870 Railroad built 1871 First Settled 18?? Organized May 10, 1875

History

[Copied by Lory Brasel, [email protected], from the book "History of Otter Tail County" Volume I - 1916 by John W. Mason]

The township of Compton (township 134, range 36) was born under inauspicious conditions. As a matter of fact, when the commissioners brought the fledgling into existence on May 10, 1875, there was no one present to christen it and not even one of the commissioners had a name to suggest. Two days later, May 12, the board, or some one interested in the township, gave it the name of Grant and it bore the name of that illustrious general until July 29, 1875, when it was changed by the order of the commissioners to Compton, so named in honor of one of the early pioneers of the county. The election for the first officers was set for the 31st of the same month at the house of a man by the name of Langly.

Compton is the central township on the eastern border of the county. It is bounded on the north by Bluffton, on the west by Deer Creek, on the south by Oak Valley and on the east by Wadena county. This township loses to some extent in picturesqueness, but gains in acreage of tillable land by not having a lake within the confines of its territory. The drainage of this township through the waters of Leaf river is excellent. The natural slope is to the north and the streams all take a due northerly course. Oak and Bluff creeks flow the entire length of the township and furnish excellent natural and artificial drainage to the farmers. These streams are tributaries of Leaf river, which latter stream flows across the northwestern corner, entering from Deer creek and flowing into Bluffton township.

The main line of the Northern Pacific cuts the extreme northeast corner of the township, running wholly in section1. The Fergus Falls division of this road branches off at Wadena Junction and runs southwest through the township. There are just seven miles of railroad in this township. Compton was settled and organized at an early date. This was due, no doubt, to the building of the railroad through this section in 1871, as only four years elapsed until it was formally organized. There is no town within the limits of Compton, although the people have easy access to the villages of Deer Creek on the west and Wadena on the east.

Population

Population totals in state and federal census summaries.

	Compton	Wadena Village
1870
1875
1880	528
1885	660
1890	694
1895	763
1900	770
1905	740
1910	711
1920	757
1930	687
1940	650

Places of birth for Compton Township in the 1905 state census.

Native (USA)	120	16%
Minnesota	414	56%
Foreign	206	28%
Germany	71	34%
Sweden	101	49%
Norway	2	1%
Canada	8	4%
Ireland	4	2%
Denmark	4	2%
England	2	1%
Poland	0	0%
Finland	0	0%
Russia	0	0%
Scotland	14	7%
Other	0	0%

Land Maps

Names

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