Dalton, Minnesota
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1913 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Dalton City. It lies in ZIP code area 56324. The Survey maps it on the Dalton quadrangle. 215 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,371 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresDalton fell from 253 to 215 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 253 | |
| 2020 | 215 | -38 (-15%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 13 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1913 USGS Ashby quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1953 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Dalton quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Battle Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
7 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Dalton between 2003 and 2012, burning about 95 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | Fergus Falls Wetland Management District | TEN MILE |
| 15 May 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 April 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.5 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | 45 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 36 acres | Fergus Falls Wetland Management District | ARFSTEN/DALTON |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
36 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dalton in 36 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 19 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 5 tornado, 1 flash flood. The reports record 1 death and 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | Tornado (EF4) | Dalton | 1 killed, 2 hurt, $1,500,000 | This tornado began in Grant County, but after about two miles, it crossed into Otter Tail County, where it ended about 5 miles east of Dalton. The total track through both counties was about 9 miles. Peak winds were estimated at 170 mph, based on available damage indicators. At least 10 farmsteads were impacted, with three homes, one pole shed, and one machine shed destroyed. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | $400,000 | A detached garage was destroyed, house roofing torn off, trees snapped, and a center pivot irrigation system flipped over along or near the south shore of Ten Mile Lake. Numerous large ash and spruce trees were also snapped or uprooted on east and northeast edges of the lake, and across much of Tumuli and St. Olaf Townships. Information augmented by NWS Storm Damage Survey. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 90 mph. Time estimated based on radar. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | $150,000 | A fifth wheel dual-axle camper was flipped over near Stalker Lake. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted around Stalker and Long Lakes. One pole shed had its south facing wall blown inward and sheet metal panels blown off. Information augmented by NWS Damage Survey. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 90 mph. Time estimated based on radar. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | $10,000 | Several one to two foot diameter trees were snapped off. Nearby corn fields were stripped by hail. |
| July 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Dalton | $5,000 | This tornado had a 1 mile intermittent track along which several large trees were blown down. One tree was sheared off nearly to the ground. Tin was also turned up along a shed roof. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | $3,000 | A tree was blown into a garage and a truck. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Personal weather station reports 73 MPH gust. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Several spruce trees were blown down near Ten Mile Lake Resort. Time estimated based on radar. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted from swan lake, down through Dalton to Ten Mile Lake in Lane Prairie and Tumuli Townships. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Large trees were blown down from about 3 miles west of Dalton, through town, and to points east and northeast of town. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 80 mph. Time estimated based on radar. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | The south wall of a pole shed was blown in, with the roofing and roof trusses torn up. A couple of power poles in the area were cracked. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Tree branches of up to 6 inches in diameter snapped. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Dalton | - | Dime to quarter sized hail fell across southern Dane Prairie Township. Some smaller tree branches were also blown down. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | A large evergreen was snapped about halfway down. Power outages were reported across the area. |
| July 2015 | Tornado (EF0) | Dalton | - | This tornado occurred about a mile west of Interstate 94, near mile marker 62. The tornado crossed a small lake and briefly expanded in size, but then dissipated quickly. Peak winds were estimated at 75 mph. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Dalton | - | Large hail and very heavy rain fell along Interstate 94 between Dalton and Ashby. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | A few six to eight inch diameter tree limbs were blown down. At least one garage roof was also damaged as a result. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | An eight inch diameter tree branch was blown down and power was out. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Several large four to six inch diameter tree branches were blown down around town. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Dalton | - | The hail fell across Interstate 94 near the Otter Tail and Grant county line. |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Dalton | - | Areas of overland flooding developed in southwest Otter Tail county, especially across portions of Western, Aastad, and Tumuli townships. Several section roads were blocked off in response to the high water and degraded road conditions. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | A tree was blown down near mile post 66 on Interstate 94. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | The gust was measured by a Davis wind system. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Dalton | - | A brief touchdown was reported west of Dalton. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | Minor roof damage occurred during the strong wind. |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Dalton | - | A touchdown occurred at South Ten Mile Lake, causing minor damage. A 16 foot boat and trailer were flipped over, shingles were stripped off roofs, and a grain bin was moved off its foundation. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Dalton | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkdale | 6.6 miles | 9 | |
| Underwood | 8.0 miles | 12 | |
| Wall Lake | 8.5 miles | 12 | |
| Squier | 9.2 miles | 9 | |
| Lakeview Estates | 11.2 miles | 11 | |
| Fergus Falls | 11.4 miles | 11 | |
| River Bluff Estates | 12.7 miles | 11 | |
| Battle Lake | 13.0 miles | 13 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Dalton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2232285 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 642612. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






