1921 Duluth & St Louis County MN, Van Brunt.pdf - Garon.us

678 DULUTH AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY
detaching part of the Township of Canosia. It is not now in existence,
part of its territory reverting to Canosia, but the greater part
going to constitute the Township of Fredenburg.
Petition was presented to the county commissioners on September
4, 1896, signed by Peter E. Michaels and other freeholders of
township 52 north, range 15 west, and sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14
of township 51 north, range 15 west, all then under jurisdiction of
the township of Canosia, praying that the designated territory be set
apart to form a separate township under the name of Dinham.
The commissioners made known that at the next monthly meeting
of their board, hearing of any objections to the proposed separation
of land from the Township of Canosia would be held. No
opposition showed at the October meeting, and the commissioners
consequently approved the petition, and set apart the land asked for,
and designated October 26, 1896, as the day upon which voters
should gather at the house of Peter Michael, in the northwest quarter
of section 12 of township 51-15, for the purpose of holding the first
township meeting of the township erected.
Fourteen votes were cast at that meeting, and the following
named residents were elected as township officers : W.
McComber,
chairman; T. Maleska and E. Kehtel, supervisors; L. Ostrovitzki,
treasurer; P. E. Michaels, clerk; M. Navitzki, assessor; P. Michaels
and F. Kehtel, justices; T. Novitzki and M. Langan, constables.
Petition to reinstate the Township of Canosia to its original
dimensions was filed on February 5, 1897, but the petition was denied
at the February meeting of commissioners. The agitation was, however,
persisted in, and eventually the Township of Dinham passed
out of existence, the land reverting to Canosia. '
Eventually,
how-
ever, congressional township 52-15 was taken from Canosia to form
the Township of Fredenburg. (See Canosia and Fredenburg parts
of this chapter.)
Duluth,—The Township of Duluth was one of the first to be
organized. It is not necessary here to more than briefly touch upon
its history, as that will be found in appropriate place in the pioneer
Duluth chapters of this work.
In 1873, the Township of Duluth was one of the five included on
"Tax Notice of St. Louis County" for that year, the township being
divided into two districts, Nos. 3 and 4. Its taxable property was
then valued at $571,016. The tax levy was 28 mills.
At that time there was only one incorporated place, the City of
Duluth, and five townships, Duluth, Oneota, Fond du Lac, Rice Lake,
and Herman. In 1920. St. Louis County had twenty-five incorporated
places, and at least sixty-nine organized townships. The degree of
development and prosperity is even more strikingly shown in tax
lew. In 1877, the total tax lew was $29,034.41 for the whole of
St.'Louis County; in 1919 the tax levy was $20,797,144.95.
The present bounds of the Township of Duluth are those of
congressional township 52-12, and fractional township 51-12. Con-
gressional township 51-13 was taken from Duluth in January, 1902,
to form the present Township of Lakewood ; and congressional townships
53 and 54 north, range 12 west, were detached on September 8,
1920, to form the Township of Alden (see Lakewood and Alden
articles, this chapter).
Duluth Township, even with the two congressional townships
taken to form Alden, had onlv 841 inhabitants in 1920. In 1910 the