63 topographic sheets cover 28 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources tell 1 story and name 4 people · people the book names include Hon. Hexrv O. Bjorge (Lake Park Township, 1907) · Geo. W. Britt (Lake Eunice Township, 1907) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Among them: Reminiscence Of The Cook Family Murder. These passages come from the identified county-history source books. Each inset names its own source and opens the exact section it comes from.
There were two families by the name of Small and Cook, who had formerly been employed by the i^overnment at ^^'hite Earth, who had moved into the vicinity of Audubon and taken up claims. Sometime after the shooting of JMr. Carlson, the Cook family were all murdered in the night, their bodies thrown into the cellar, the house set on fire and all consumed.
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Detroit Lakes Carnegie Library | building | 1976 | 76001045 |
| Detroit Lakes City Park | site | 2008 | 08000466 | |
| Edgewater Beach Cottages | building | 1989 | 89000138 | |
 | Graystone Hotel | building | 1999 | 99000774 |
 | Holmes Block | building | 2001 | 01000748 |
 | Northern Pacific Passenger Depot | building | 1988 | 88002833 |
 | Homer E. Sargent House | building | 1988 | 88003005 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 2,769 of them, burning about 39,874 acres. 12 started naturally and 1,415 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 1415 |
| Debris and open burning | 787 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 199 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 139 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 114 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 35 |
| Smoking | 33 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 13 |
| Natural | 12 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 12 |
| Other causes | 5 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,100 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | GREEN VALLEY FIRE |
| 7 May 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1,593 acres | Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District | NELSON PRARIE |
| 1 April 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,185 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | SPRING CREEK |
| 28 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,122 acres | Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District | HELIKSEN PRAIRIE |
| 11 November 1999 | Debris and open burning | 990 acres | Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District | HELLIKSEN |
| 6 April 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 818 acres | Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District | DONELY TILMAN |
| 3 May 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 507 acres | Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District | KENT |
| 24 April 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 501 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 5 injuries and about $5,906,290 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 255 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 170 |
| Tornado | 34 |
| Flash Flood | 16 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 |
| Flood | 9 |
| Lightning | 6 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1973 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | 3 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 1964 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tamarac Refuge | 1 hurt | Significant tree damage occurred near Elbow and Tulaby lakes, with about a half mile stretch of fallen trees. Six cabins sustained some damage, mostly due to fallen trees. One injury occurred to an individual who was outside during the storm. Ambulance services had to have numerous trees cut down and moved to reach the site. |
| August 1975 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Osage | $500,000 | A two stall garage was demolished and the contents strewn downwind due to downburst winds. Nearby roofs received shingle or roofing damage and numerous trees were snapped or toppled over from northeast Carsonville into northern Osage Township. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Callaway | $450,000 | Large trees and power lines were blown down. Wind driven hail damaged fields and buildings. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shoreham | $350,000 | Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted around Lake Sallie, Lake Melissa, and the greater Detroit Lakes area. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and power lines were blown down. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $350,000 | The wind gust was measured by a RAWS station. Numerous trees were snapped near Floyd Lake. One 24x40 foot shed was lifted and collapsed. |
| June 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Detroit Lakes | $200,000 | Street flooding occurred in Detroit Lakes. Roosevelt Avenue was barricaded due to water over the roadway, mainly on the north side of U. S. Highway 10. About 12 miles east-northeast of Detroit Lakes, rushing water washed out a culvert along highway 34. A nearby house also got water in its basement. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Two Inlets | $200,000 | A tornado tracked intermittently for nearly 8 miles to around 6 miles west of Lake George by 9 pm CDT. The tornado travelled for about 3 miles and crossed into Clearwater County about 7 miles north-northwest of Two Inlets by 850 pm CDT. It continued across extreme southeast Clearwater County into northwest Hubbard County. Numerous trees were knocked down along the path near state highway 113. Peak winds were estimated to 105 mph. |
| April 2006 | Flood | Countywide | $146,000 | Due to the quick snowmelt, water quickly drained into low areas, damaging many roads and bridges around the county. Becker County received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for damages caused by spring flooding. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Midway | $100,000 | A tornado tracked intermittently for about 2 miles to around one mile south of Midway by 643 pm CDT. Several poplar trees were snapped off along the path. The tornado was viewed from a point nearly 15 miles north-northwest. Peak winds were estimated to 85 mph. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Evergreen | $50,000 | Metal roofing and side panels were blown off a pole-shed with metal sheets strewn about and wrapped around trees near the intersection of State Highway 87 and CR43. Numerous poplar trees were snapped or uprooted across Spruce Grove and Runeberg Townships. Time estimated based on radar and public reports. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $50,000 | Strong winds hit the Soo Pass Ranch, which was preparing for its country music festival. Three travel trailers were flipped over, one completely wrecked. Signs, fence posts, and a booth were damaged. One tree fell on a large camper. Two boats were flipper over. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Frazee | $50,000 | Seventeen large trees were downed on a farmstead, one landing on a car. Nearby, 2 large turkey barns were damaged, and 30 trees were flattened. |
| June 1997 | Flood | Detroit Lakes | $50,000 | 2.5 to 4.5 inches of rain fell in two hours, flooding city streets and low areas. |
| June 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Lake Park | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Frazee | $40,000 | Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down by the strong wind. One tree fell on a car. |
| June 1997 | Lightning | Frazee | $30,000 | Lightning struck a house near Acorn Lake, igniting a fire in the attic. |
| July 1998 | Flood | Detroit Lakes | $25,000 | 1.6 inches of rain in 90 minutes flooded low spots around Detroit Lakes, including US Highway 10 and the industrial park. Several cars stalled in the deep water. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ogema | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1976 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1965 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EF1) | Cormorant | $20,000 | A rope tornado meandered southward for about 1.5 miles, tracking through a wind farm area with a mix of pastureland and gravel quarries. At an abandoned farmstead, it tore more of the roof off a barn and roofing panels off other farm buildings. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $20,000 | Strong winds knocked tree branches onto powerlines and blew over a portable greenhouse. A metal roof was torn off a building. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $20,000 | The Soo Pass Ranch was holding its Spirit Fest concert south of Detroit Lakes. The strong wind knocked over chairs, vendor booths, and sound equipment. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $20,000 | Strong winds knocked down many trees in the Lake Sallie area. One landed on an empty tent, another fell on a restaurant, and another fell on a pickup. Pontoons and sailboats were also flipped over. |
| July 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Rochert | $20,000 | 2 tornadoes touched down on the east side of Height of Land Lake, blowing down many trees and damaging 6 homes. 2 trees fell on one cabin and another tree fell on a garage. Boat lifts and docks were smashed and power was knocked out. One home reported several broken windows due to the tornadoes with everything in the house covered with fine sand. The tornadoes crossed highway 34 and dissipated. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Wolf Lake | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolf Lake | $15,000 | Strong winds damaged a mobile home and destroyed a 76x350 foot turkey barn. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Frazee | $15,000 | A 33 foot camper was rolled over by the wind at Eagle Lake. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Frazee | $10,000 | Metal roofing was peeled off of a garage. Time estimated based on radar. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $10,000 | Multiple trees blown down. Some trees have fallen on power lines. Shingles were torn of the roof of a house. |
| May 2010 | Flash Flood | White Earth | $10,000 | Water flowed over Becker County 109 south of White Earth. Several other secondary roads near the Becker and Mahnomen county line were flooded or washed out due to the excessive rain. |
| July 2002 | Lightning | Detroit Lakes | $10,000 | Lightning struck a house and ignited a fire in the attic. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $10,000 | Three boat docks were damaged and several boats were overturned. A large oak tree was also split. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolf Lake | $10,000 | 50 trees were blown down. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westbury | $10,000 | A motorhome was rolled over by the strong wind. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Detroit Lakes | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Wolf Lake | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Wolf Lake | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Two Inlets | $5,000 | Several large trees were blown down. |
| July 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Frazee | $5,000 | This tornado touched down intermittently along a roughly 10 mile track to about 3 miles west-northwest of Wolf Lake. Several large trees were blown over or snapped off at points along the track. Peak winds were estimated at 80 mph. |
| October 2004 | Lightning | Frazee | $5,000 | Lightning struck a large tree twice in less than 30 seconds. The tree was less than a foot from a house in which two people were sleeping. The loud noise gave one of the occupants a concussion. The electrical surge also wrecked several appliances. |
| July 2001 | Lightning | Detroit Lakes | $5,000 | Lightning hit a major downtown power substation, knocking out power for two-thirds of the city. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Detroit Lakes | $5,000 | Powerlines were blown down. |
| August 2000 | Lightning | Midway | $5,000 | Lightning struck and burned down a historic log cabin, one of the oldest in Becker county. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Park | $5,000 | Some weather equipment was damaged and large trees were uprooted. |
| May 2012 | Flood | Lake Park | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2009 | Flood | Ogema | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Flood | Ogema | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Park | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Detroit Lakes | $4,000 | Two to three inches of rain fell in less than an hour, causing street flooding in Detroit Lakes. A few sections of rural road between Detroit Lakes and Frazee were closed due to water running across roadways. |
| July 2016 | Flash Flood | Detroit Lakes | $2,000 | Flooding was reported in Washington Park, on Langford Street, and along highway 10. |
| July 2016 | Flash Flood | Rochert | $2,000 | Fields and access roads were flooded. The observer measured 3.60 inches of rain since 3 pm CST and 7.58 inches since Saturday. |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Evergreen | $2,000 | Heavy rainfall of two to five inches on top of previously saturated soils produced extensive runoff into the Redeye River drainage. Localized flooding occurred near the river in eastern Evergreen and western Spruce Grove townships. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rochert | $2,000 | Trees were blown down at Height of Land Lake. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 7 workings inside this county. 4 still produce and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 4 |
| Limestone, General | 2 |
| Clay | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becker County Clay Deposit | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Becker County Marl Beds No 1 | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Becker County Marl Beds No 2 | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Anderson Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Chadbourne Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Long Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Nester Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
A Pioneer History of Becker County, Minnesota, Including a Brief Account of Its Natural History ... and a History of the Early Settlement of the County; Also, Including ... Historical Information Collected by Mrs. Jessie C. West. And Numerous Articles Written by Various Early Pioneers Relating to the History of the Several Townships of Becker County devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 5 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Township | Evergreen | 1,055 words | 1 | |
| Lake Eunice Township | Lake Eunice | 4,969 words | 6 | |
| Lake Park Township | LaBelle, Lake Park | 11,849 words | 6 | |
| Osage Township | Osage | 3,004 words | 0 | |
| Savannah Township | Goldenrod | 5,444 words | 0 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 1 chapter in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 1 of those read) | 245,005 words in 16 parts |
Everyone A Pioneer History of Becker County, Minnesota, Including a Brief Account of Its Natural History ... and a History of the Early Settlement of the County; Also, Including ... Historical Information Collected by Mrs. Jessie C. West. And Numerous Articles Written by Various Early Pioneers Relating to the History of the Several Townships of Becker County stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1907.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Detroit Lakes city · 56501 · On Sucker Creek Number One · Detroit Lakes quadrangle
10 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Pine Point township · 56575 · On Mission Creek · Ponsford quadrangle
10 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Carsonville township · 56575 · On Mission Creek · Ponsford quadrangle
10 sheets, 1953 to 1986
Two Inlets township · 56470 · On Indian Creek · Two Inlets quadrangle
9 sheets, 1954 to 1985
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