- Becker County -

History

BECKER COUNTY CREATED

Becker County was established by an act of the legislature, approved March 18th, 1858. That is to say, its exterior boundaries were designated and recorded; it was given a place on the map of Minnesota and named Becker County in honor of Gen. George L. Becker, of St. Paul. There were, however, no white people living in the county for ten years afterwards.

The territory included within the boundaries of Becker County is as follows: All of Townships 138, 139, 140, 141 and 142 north, of Ranges 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43 west of the Fifth Principal Meridian - forty townships in all.

There had been no county or township lines established in or around Becker County at the time it was created

In 1860 the Fifth Guide Meridian was established between Ranges 38 and 39 as far north as the south boundary of the White Earth Reservation, and the Tenth Correction line, which is the line between Townships 140 and 141, and which is also the south line of the reservation, was also established. These lines were run by J. W. Myers, Deputy U. S. Surveyor. There were no more government lines run until 1870, when government surveying was begun in earnest, and by the close of the year 1872 the county was about all surveyed.

The base line from which these townships are numbered runs east and west across the middle of the state of Arkansas, intersecting the Mississippi River near the city of Helena in Phelps County. The Fifth Principal Meridian, from which these Ranges are numbered, intersects this base line about twenty-eight miles west of the Mississippi, near the little village of Marvell. This point of intersection is called the initial point.

This Meridian line runs both north and south from this point, and in running north intersects the Mississippi River north of St. Louis where it is discontinued, all land east of that river in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota being surveyed from the third and fourth Principal Meridians.

The surveys from the Fifth Principal Meridian cover all of the State of Louisiana west of the Mississippi, all the States of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North and South Dakota and all of Minnesota west of Range 24 and the Mississippi River, except a little corner around St. Paul.

The famous Hot Springs in Arkansas are in Township No. 2, south, the south tier of townships of Missouri is Township No. 22, north, the north tier of townships of Iowa is Township No. 100, north and the north tier of townships in Minnesota is Township No. 164, north.

Before Becker County was created, it was a part of Stearns County. After Douglas County was organized, a change was made, and it was attached to that county.

The plat of the old townsite of Detroit, that was laid out in the spring of 1857, where the village of Frazee now stands, was recorded at St. Cloud on the 17th day of June, 1857, and Dr. David Pyles' certificate of appointment as notary public was recorded at Alexandria on the 19th day of January, 1869.

These are the only Becker County documents I know of being recorded in either county, but there were probably others.

Source: A Pioneer History of Becker County
by Mrs. Jessie C. West
pub. 1907, Pioneer Press Co., St. Paul, MN

---

The First Settlement by White People

---

• Home |
• MN Data Repository |
• Becker County |
• About |

• Contribute Records

---

Support Free-access Online History and Genealogy.
Support USGenNet!