On 19 July 1878, C. J. Norby and twenty-seven others formulated a petition to request that a new town be organized. The town was to be called Springdale, but when the petition was granted, the name was changed to West Bank. The name comes from its location west of the Chippewa River.
West Bank's total area is 36.2 square miles.
The town's first election took place on 11 March 1879.
The citizens of the town helped to create a good system of roads, ditches, and bridges. Jorgen, his brother-in-law Erick Halvorson, and L. S. Saterlie were the men on the committee to view the bridge across the Chippewa River, between the towns of West Bank and Swenoda.
The town's only church, the West Bank Lutheran Church, was organized in 1892. The building was completed in 1897. It burned down in 1907, but it was rebuilt, and the new building was dedicated in 1913.
There are three cemeteries in West Bank: the West Bank Lutheran Church burial ground, the Golden-Olson Cemetery on the Golden Brothers farm, and a cemetery on the John Tvedt farm.
At the time of the 2000 United States Census, the population of West Bank was 200. There were 74 households and 54 families. The population size was about the same as it was in 1880.
Saint Paul Daily Globe, 30 July 1880, page 2
References
General Laws of the State of Minnesota Passed During the Thirtieth Session of the State Legislature, Commencing January Fifth, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Seven. Delano: Eagle Printing, 1897. Available from Google Books.
Minnesota's Population. Saint Paul Daily Globe, 30 July 1880, page 2.
Swift County Historical Society. Swift County Minnesota: A Collection of Historical Sketches and Family Histories. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing, 1979.
West Bank Township, Swift County, Minnesota
No comments:
Post a Comment