Ramsey Township Town

Norman Collar was the first settler in Ramsey. On July 13, 1867 he arrived with his family, and a nephew and niece of Mrs. Collar’s from Illinois. He homesteaded on the south-east quarter of Section 24. His home was built of sod and was known as “The Sod Tavern”. This became the lodging place for travelers, home seekers, hunters and The Pony Express. Mrs. Collar was a good cook and made a fine hostess. Mr. Collar was reliable and practiced principles of the Golden Rule. He became identified with growth and progress in that portion of the county. This place was known as Collar’s Corner for many years.

The nearest towns were Algona and Blue Earth, Minnesota. In the early 1870’s, Rev. Jake Leisveld, a Presbyterian Minister, and a Mr. W.L. Green built three houses, each to house two families. (This colony of “Ramsey” was located 1½ miles north of the Collar Place.) These six families came to the settlement in covered wagons in the spring of 1875. Two of these families were the Michael Winter (section 23) and the Charles Pingles. The Ben Smith family was also among the early settlers.

In the 1880’s, August Wortman came to Ramsey and built a general store. He was soon joined by his brother, Charles C. Wortman. The Post Office was moved to the store and Charles Wortman became the postmaster. A school house was built; this also had a blacksmith shop, cheese factory, and hotel. The little settlement grew until the railroad was built five miles north and the town site of Germania came into being. Then Wortman Brothers built a store in Germania. Soon the town of Ramsey disappeared and all that is left is its memory and the Ramsey Township Cemetery.

Some of the Winter and Wortman families remained residents in Ramsey Township for 72 years.