Mountain Lake was initially composed mostly of the 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonites from Russia who settled there between 1873 and 1880. Although the city has gradually become more diverse, with the more recent addition of immigrant groups including Lao, Hmong, and Hispanic people, a significant percentage of its inhabitants still have Mennonite surnames.
History
The city of Mountain Lake was formally platted on May 25, 1872.[5] It has had a post office in operation since 1871.[6]
Original settlement
The name "Mountain Lake" is usually attributed to early settler William Mason. The city's official website recalls, "the first white settler to the area, William Mason, found a shallow 900-acre lake with three islands. The two smaller islands just broke the water's surface. The third much larger, higher island looked to Mason like a mountain rising from the lake. He named the lake Mountain Lake and the island Mountain Island."[7] The top of the island was covered with trees, and could be seen for miles around, thus serving as a landmark to early settlers.[5] The story continues that in 1871 the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway had selected "Midway" as the name of the village, since it was located midway between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Sioux City, Iowa. However, Mason insisted that the village being platted be named "Mountain Lake".[7]
Locomotive with the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway
Demand for more tillable farmland and construction advances led to the draining of the original lake in 1905–1906,[8] which was located in Mountain Lake township, southeast of town. However, in 1937–1938 a dam, bridge, and outlet were constructed by the Works Progress Administration at a new site in Midway township to create a new Mountain Lake. This lake, located on the north edge of town, also has an island.[7][9]
The large island of the original lake – now just a hill amidst the surrounding cornfields – became a county park which has since 1973 been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10] Archeological evidence suggests that early settler William Mason was not the first to appreciate the unique qualities of the original lake's island. Artifacts unearthed in a 1976 dig indicated evidence of habitation as early as 500 BC, thus making the location the oldest human habitation yet to be discovered in the state of Minnesota.[11][12]
Mennonite immigration and influence
The coming of the railroad in 1873 played a big role in the expansion of the village. By the time Mountain Lake was formally incorporated in 1886, it had a population of three hundred people, primarily composed of Mennonites immigrating from southern Russia (present-day Ukraine).[13]
In 1873, Mennonite immigrants from the Ukraine (at that time, Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire) began to arrive in Mountain Lake, having been recruited by William Seeger, a member of the Minnesota State Board of Immigration. Seeger had specifically targeted Mennonites, “because they were believed to be hard workers of good character.”[14] The majority of these Mennonite families came from the Molotschna Colony, located near the present-day city of Melitopol, Ukraine. However, a number of Manitoba Mennonites originally from the Chortitza Colony, near the present-day Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, also settled in the Mountain Lake area.[15] By 1880, it is estimated that some 295 Mennonite families had settled there.[15]
Because Mountain Lake was already an established community and its surrounding farmland largely surveyed, the Mennonites could not arrange themselves in the traditional communal villages they had been accustomed to in their Ukrainian colonies. This forced them to adapt to American-style, single family farms and to live amongst their non-Mennonite neighbors.[14] As settlement continued, the Mennonites of Mountain Lake had soon established a successful and cohesive community, “based primarily on agriculture and local commerce.”[14] For many decades thereafter, they retained the speaking of Plautdietsch, the Mennonite variation of Low German.[14]
On October 14, 1889, the Konference der Vereinigten Mennoniten-Brueder von Nord America was founded in Mountain Lake.[16][17] Elder Aaron Wall, founder of the Bruderthaler Church of Mountain Lake and Elder Isaac Peters of the Ebenezer Church of Henderson, Nebraska were instrumental in the establishment of this new Mennonite denomination. Known today as the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches (FEBC), for many years the conference was popularly called the Bruderthaler Conference,[17][18] because of the influential nature of the Mountain Lake founding church. In 1914 the name was officially changed to The Defenceless Mennonite Brethren in Christ of North America. The name was changed once again, in 1937, to Evangelical Mennonite Brethren (EMB). The denominational headquarters was located in Mountain Lake until 1956.[17]
Around the year 1905, several local men founded the Mennonite hospital of Mountain Lake. The institution struggled until 1912, when it was sold and reorganized as the Bethel Deaconess Hospital. The physicians in charge were Dr. Piper of Mountain Lake and Dr. Sogge of Windom, who were assisted by three deaconess sisters. The hospital was managed by a local board of directors consisting of one member from each of the town's five Mennonite churches.[13]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.55 square miles (4.01km2), of which 1.53 square miles (3.96km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05km2) is water.[19]
Minnesota State Highway 60 serves as a main route around the city, running generally east to west. Secondarily, County Road 1 runs north and south through town.
As of the census[20] of 2010, there were 2,104 people, 829 households, and 526 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,375.2 inhabitants per square mile (531.0/km2). There were 923 housing units at an average density of 603.3 per square mile (232.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.8% White, 0.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 10.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.7% of the population.
There were 829 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. Of all households, 34.0% were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.16.
The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.[4]
2000 census
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,082 people, 817 households, and 531 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,540.3 inhabitants per square mile (594.7/km2). There were 896 housing units at an average density of 662.9 per square mile (255.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 84.29% White, 0.58% African American, 0.48% Native American, 6.82% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.27% from other races, and 3.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.76% of the population.
There were 817 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. Of all households, 32.3% were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,146, and the median income for a family was $36,652. Males had a median income of $30,291 versus $17,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,845. About 8.5% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
Gilbert Esau, one of southern Minnesota's longest-serving legislators in state history, made his home in Mountain Lake. Esau represented Mountain Lake in the Minnesota House for all but four of the years between 1962 and 1982.[21]
Sports
Baseball
Mountain Lake's baseball team (playing as Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin) took third place overall in the Minnesota State High School League baseball tournament in 1993. They shared their third place honors with Sebeka, due to a rain cancellation which precluded the actual playing of the 3rd/4th place game.[22] The Mt. Lake Area baseball team captured a conference championship in 2014 under head coach Tim Snyder.[citation needed]
Probably Mountain Lake's most decorated baseball player, Grant Wall, appears numerous times in high school and collegiate record books. Over his Minnesota state high school career (2002 - 2005), he is listed as: 6th overall in career total bases with 219, 8th overall in career runs scored with 122, 8th overall in career on base (H, W, HBP) with 206, and is tied for 4th place in single season doubles, at 15, in 2004.[23] Wall went on to play NAIA collegiate baseball for Northwestern College (Iowa), where he currently holds the overall record (tie) in single season doubles, at 19 during the 2007 season.[24] While there, Wall was a two-time Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) 1st Team All-Conference shortstop (2007 and 2008) and was named the GPAC conference player of the year in 2007.[25]
Basketball
The Mountain Lake boys' basketball program has a rich history within Minnesota state high school basketball, making a total of 15 state tournament appearances. They participated in the state's first-ever basketball tournament, a 13-team, statewide invitational in 1913, hosted at Carleton College in Northfield. Under coach Henry Griebenow, Mountain Lake narrowly lost to Fosston by a 29 - 27 score in the state's inaugural championship game. Mountain Lake's Peter Guenter was the first tournament's high scorer, with 71 total points, averaging 17.8 points over the tournament's 4 games. They were also state runners-up in the 1915 and 1917 tournaments.[26][27]
Then in 1939, Mountain Lake won the state title in single class competition against Minneapolis Marshall, by a score of 37 – 31 under Coach Ray Bassett.[28][29]
Minnesota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame basketball and football coach, Burt A. Munson, guided Mountain Lake boys' basketball teams to four (1946, 1948, 1951, and 1952) state tournament appearances.[30][31] Mountain Lake's Burt Munson Field is named in his honor.
The most recent state tournament appearance in 2013 (playing as Mountain Lake Area), was under Head Coach Shawn Naas, assisted by coaches Nate Brinkman, Larry Hempeck, Paul Metcalf, and Steve Thiessen. Their 2012–13 season record was 24 wins and 6 losses.[32][33] On January 10, 2014, Coach Naas achieved his 300th career coaching victory.[34]
2014 graduate Carter Kirk set all time records in Mountain Lake basketball history in points scored (2150) and rebounds (1350). Kirk went on to play for Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, where he holds the school record for total rebounds with 887 and field goal percentage at 0.592.[35]
In total, Mountain Lake has made boys’ state basketball tournament appearances in: 1913 (runner-up), 1914, 1915 (runner-up), 1917 (runner-up), 1922, 1933, 1939 (champion), 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 2012 (as "MLBO"), and 2013 (as "Mountain Lake Area).[36] Those 15 appearances put them at 11th overall in total state tournament appearances. The ten teams that have made more tournament appearances include Austin(29), Bemidji(29), Red Wing(24), Moorhead(23), Hopkins(20), Crosby-Ironton(20), Chisholm(19), DeLaSalle(19), Mpls. North(19), and Mankato(17) - all of which are larger schools.[37]
Cross Country
The Mountain Lake boys team has qualified for the class ‘A’ state cross country meet a total of 4 times: 1976 (4th place), 1978 (8th), and 1979 (6th) under coach Paul Metcalf. Then in 1991 they made another team appearance, as Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, where they placed 8th overall.[38]
The Mountain Lake girls cross country team qualified to participate in the state class ‘A’ meet a total of 9 times - including 7 consecutive state tournament appearances in the years 1979 through 1985. They qualified for state competition in the years 1979 (9th place), 1980 (5th), 1981 (3rd), 1982 (8th), 1983 (runner-up), 1984 (7th), and 1985 (10th) under head coach Paul Metcalf. It would be 22 years after that streak ended before they again qualified for the state tournament – in both 2006 (9th place) and 2009 (3rd) - under the Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin banner.[39]
Football
Mountain Lake has made a total of nine Minnesota state high school football tournament appearances, starting in 1980, when they were the state Class 'C' runners-up. They lost that year in the championship game to Bird Island/Lake Lillian by a 20–7 score. Playing under the banner of Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, they made state appearances in 1991, 2002, and 2003. In 2002, they achieved the state runner-up status (in class 'A') for the second time with a 14–7 loss to Rushford-Peterson.[40]
Playing as the Mountain Lake Area (MLA) Wolverines, they made back to back 9 man football state tournament appearances, in 2012 and 2013.[40] In 2012, the Wolverines lost in the first round to eventual runner-up, Grand Meadow, by a 34 - 20 score.[41] In 2013, bringing an undefeated 11–0 record to the table, they again faced Grand Meadow in the first round. This time, they lost 35 - 18 to Grand Meadow, who would go on to become that year's 9 man champions.[42] The 9 man head coach was Tim Kirk, who was assisted by Tim Snyder, Nate Brinkman, and Jordan Kirk.[43]
MLA again reached the state tournament in back-to-back to back appearances under coach Kirk in 2017, 2018 and 2019. They first reached the state nine-man football championship, in a game played on November 23, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Both MLA and Spring Grove were undefeated in the regular season. Although the Wolverines lost to Spring Grove by a 40 to 18 score, the team nonetheless notched its third state runners-up honors.[44] On November 30, 2019, MLA defeated Hancock to win their first nine-man football title. After falling behind in the first half, the Wolverines, quarterbacked by Abraham Stoesz, scored three unanswered touchdowns to notch a 22–14 victory.[45] Stoesz was named as a finalist for Minnesota's Mr. Football in 2019.[46]
Mountain Lake's Carter Kirk finished his football career with 7666 all-purpose yards during the 2011 through 2013 seasons. This feat is listed as fifth in the history of Minnesota high school football.[47] Kirk went on to play basketball with Southwest Minnesota State University.[35] On September 16, 2016, Senior quarterback Levi Stoesz set a school record with 333 rushing yards in a 56 - 24 win over Madelia in nine-man football. Stoesz added four rushing touchdowns plus 121 passing yards and a passing touchdown in the victory.[48] Stoesz went on to play football with Northwestern College, Orange City Iowa.[49]
Golf
Aaron Walzak made four straight class ‘A’ state individual tournament appearances from 2012(third place), 2013(unknown), 2014(28th place), and 2015(13th place).[50][51]
Softball
Playing as Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, the Mountain Lake girls' fast-pitch team earned their first-ever berth in the state high school softball tournament in 2001.[52]
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) is a voluntary, non-profit association for the support and governance of interscholastic activities at high schools in Minnesota, United States. The association supports interscholastic athletics and fine arts programs for member schools. Membership includes nearly 500 schools, including special schools, home schools, and 435 high schools. The State High School League is an affiliate of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Minnesota boys high school ice hockey is made up of multiple leagues and programs representing different associations. The two organizations associated with high school are the Minnesota State High School League and Minnesota Hockey. The Minnesota State High School League is a voluntary, nonprofit association of public and private schools with a history of service to Minnesota's high school youth since 1916. Minnesota Hockey, an affiliate of USA Hockey, is the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota. Minnesota Hockey is governed by a board of directors and consists of approximately 140 community based associations who are formed into 12 districts.
Minnehaha Academy is a Christian private school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, for students in preschool through 12th grade, and established in 1913. There are two campuses, the South Campus for preschool through 8th graders, and the North Campus, for 9th through 12th graders. It is a ministry of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and is located in the Cooper and Hiawatha neighborhoods on West River Parkway. The student body is drawn from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and throughout the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, as well as several international students.
Loyola Catholic School is located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester and serves students in PreK-Grade 12.
John Marshall High School is located in Rochester, Minnesota, United States and is part of Independent School District #535. The school is named for the longest serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history, John Marshall. It is one of three public High Schools in Rochester. Enrollment was 1,727 students during the 2018–2019 school year, in grades 9–12.
Chaska Senior High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Chaska, Minnesota, United States, a southwestern suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. CHS is a 9–12 grade school that is attended by more than 1,500 students.
Como Park Senior High School is a public high school located in the Lake Como area of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving grades nine through twelve. Along with nine other public high schools, Como Park comprises the Saint Paul Public Schools. Newsweek ranked the school in their "List of the Top High Schools in America" for the fourth time in five years.
Simley High School is a public high school in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, United States. The school opened in 1960 with a graduating class of 19 students. The school, in 2022, has approximately 1,200 students enrolled in grades 9–12. As of the 2022-23 school year Gerald Sakala is the principle.
Park Center Senior High School (PCSH) is a four-year public high school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States, on 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. PCSH is located near the border of two northwest twin cities suburbs, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center, thus the school name "Park Center" is a combination of these city names. The principal is Heather Miller-Cink. Park Center Senior High's mascot is a pirate and the school's sports teams are known as the Pirates. The school's colors are green and gold.
The Tri-Metro Conference is a MSHSL-sanctioned athletic conference composed of schools found in the Twin Cities metro area. The conference competes in the majority of sports offered in the MSHSL. Most teams in the Tri-Metro compete in basketball and football tournaments at the AA or AAA level. While for the past twenty years a majority of schools in the conference had been private, the conference make up has changed in the past decade, with Brooklyn Center and St. Anthony, Columbia Heights and Fridley being public schools.
Bethlehem Academy, also known as B.A., is a private, Roman Catholic high school for grades six through twelve located in Faribault, Minnesota. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and is sponsored by the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary. Bethlehem Academy is commonly recognized for its volleyball team which has made eleven state tournament appearances since 2002 and won the Class A State Championship title seven times.
Totino-Grace High School is a private Catholic high school in Fridley, Minnesota. It is an archdiocesan co-educational Catholic high school in the Lasallian tradition.
Caledonia High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Caledonia, Minnesota, United States, that serves Caledonia as well as the surrounding communities of Brownsville, Eitzen, Freeburg, and Reno. Caledonia High School's mascot is the "Warrior" and the school colors are black and vegas gold.
Sebeka High School is a public high school in Sebeka, Minnesota, United States serving grades 7–12. The high school is part of Sebeka Public School, and is contained within the same building as the elementary school. Sebeka's mascot is the Trojan.
The Mississippi 8 Conference (M8) is a high school athletic and activities conference in the Twin Cities area in Central Minnesota with 8 member high schools. The conference derives its name from 6 of the original 8 member schools being located within 10 miles from the Mississippi River.
The Minnesota State Mavericks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Minnesota State University, Mankato. The school's athletic program includes 21 varsity sports teams. More than 600 students participate each year in athletics for the university. Most of the university's athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete at the Division I level, respectively in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Minnesota State began competition in the NSIC in 2008–09, due to the dissolution of the North Central Conference. It was also one of the seven WCHA men's hockey members that left that league after the 2020–21 season to reestablish the CCHA, a move that led to the demise of the men's side of the WCHA.
Marshall Senior High School is a public high school located in Marshall, Minnesota, United States. The school educates students in grades 9 to 12. This high school received a GreatSchools rating of 7 out of 10 based on the students' test scores. In 2011, the 10th grade reading scores and the 11th grade science scores were both above the state average. However, the 11th grade math scores were 3% below the Minnesota state average.
Marshall-University High School was a public junior high and high school serving grades 6–12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
↑ "State Records: All Purpose Yards". Minnesota Football Coaches Association website. Minnesota Football Coaches Association. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
↑ Alvstad, Joel (September 21, 2016). "Wolverines run wild in win". The Observer/Advocate of Mt. Lake & Butterfield. p.5. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
Schultz, Ferdinand Peter. A History of the Settlement of German Mennonites from Russia, at Mountain Lake, Minnesota. MA Thesis, University of Minnesota, 1937.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
