settlement. Mr. Anderson has been several times elected to office in
the new county, and was a principal actor in the establishment of the
Polk County Agricultural Society in 1886. He has a family of fifteen
children living.
LAKETOWN.
Laketown includes township 36, range 18. It is named from the lakes
that dot almost every section in the town. Trade lake, with its
tributary from Butternut lake, are the principal streams. The town was
set off from Sterling and organized April 6, 1875. The first
supervisors were L. Bell; S. P. Heard and N. Fornell. The town was
settled largely by Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and Alabamians. The
latter settled in the northwestern part of the town. In 1869 Caleb
Cushing bought the agricultural college lands in the town to the
amount of 7,200 acres. The first school house was built in 1870, in
section 8. P. Tierney taught the first school. Lindsey McKee was the
first settler. He was also the first to sell out and leave. Daniel
Swensbarger, a German, bought him out, and a number of his countrymen
settled near him. Jacob Swensbarger started a store. N. Grondund built
the first blacksmith shop. Peter Olsen built the first saw mill, at
the foot of Long lake, in 1875. The first marriage was that of L.
McKee and Mary Addington, by L. Bell, Esq.
LINCOLN.
Lincoln includes township 33, range 16, and the eastern tier of
sections of township 33, range 17. It is abundantly watered by Apple
river and its tributaries, and has numerous lakes of which Sucker
lake is the largest. The soil is well adapted to the culture of wheat.
There are many fine farms in this township. The surface, originally
covered with timber, is undulating. The town was organized in 1860,
being set off from Osceola. The first town meeting was held April,