History Graham Lakes Township, Nobles County, Minnesota

stephen muck, first settler in nobles county



picnic @ graham lakes 1905 - photo luther king

organization of graham lakes township approved nobles county board on april 11, 1871. first township meeting occurred april 21, 1871. township named east graham lake , west graham lake entirely within township s borders. these lakes first noted on joseph nicollet s 1842 map based upon explorations of late 1830s , 1840s. nicollet named lakes after joseph duncan graham. graham served commissioner survey of northeast segment of boundary between united states , canada 1840 until 1843.

in month of may, 1867, pioneer named stephen muck pushed out unsettled graham lakes region , squatted on land on bank of west graham lake. when surveyed, land proved on section 22 of graham lakes township. there built log structure timber growing near lake, first house of wood in county. in fall of 1867, muck brought family jackson county, minnesota. earned livelihood trapping few years, turned farming. lived continuously on farm 1867 until time of death in 1897. stephen muck first permanent resident of nobles county.

the first town appear on map of nobles county curious place called gretchtown. according 1856 map - map drawn 11 years before arrival of stephen muck - gretchtown located on south bank of west graham lake, near muck s claim. rumors of railroad built through southwestern minnesota had circulated in 1850s, , though no survey had been taken railroad, town of gretchtown had been created - @ least on paper - serve stopping point. when nobles county formally created minnesota legislature on may 23, 1857, gretchtown briefly designated county seat of nobles county, county @ time without residents.

when route st. paul , sioux city railway surveyed in 1871, located far south of graham lakes region. no towns or villages existed in graham lakes township until 1879 when kinbrae , dundee established. neither town grew beyond few hundred residents. thus, graham lakes region has remained entirely rural, , lake shores of both east graham lake , west graham lake remain undeveloped.