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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Dodge County, Minnesota.
Official Website
The area of present Dodge County was a hunting and battle ground for the Mdewakanton Sioux, often fighting Sauk and Fox Indians who wandered into their territory. Possibly the first non-indigenous person to enter the territory was a French fur trader from Canada in 1655. After the fur trappers and early explorers, the area was populated by settlers from New England. The 1820s and 1830s saw significant emigration, eased by completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and the end of the Black Hawk War (1831). They brought a passion for education, establishing many schools, as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were members of the Congregational or Episcopal church. Culturally Dodge County was similar to colonial New England during the nineteenth century. In 1853 government surveyors set lines for the townships. In 1854, two Mantor brothers and Eli P. Waterman established their claims in the area of present Mantorville. In early 1855, Dodge County was organized for local government. It was named for Henry Dodge, the first governor of Wisconsin (1836-1841).
The Minnesota State Constitution placed Dodge County in the Fifth Judicial District on May 11, 1858. The county courthouse was constructed in 1865; it is presently the oldest still-used courthouse in Minnesota. As the 20th century began, emigrants from Germany, Sweden and Norway flowed to Minnesota in increasing numbers. Their influence added Catholic and Lutheran influence to the cultural mix.
Adjacent Counties
Cities
- Blooming Prairie (part)
- Claremont
- Dodge Center
- Hayfield
- Kasson
- Mantorville (County Seat)
- West Concord
Other Townships & Communities: Ashland, Beme, Canisteo, Claremont, Concord, Danesville (part), Eden, Ellington, Milton, Oslo, Rice Lake (Ghost Town), Ripley, Vernon, Wasioja and Westfield
Cemeteries
Links
Dodge County Historical Society
