The northwestern civil township of Mitchell County is known as Otranto. It contains twenty sections of land, embracing all of the territory north of range 18, in township 100, and is bounded on the north by Minnesota, on the east by Union Township, on the south by St. Ansgar and Newburg townships, and on the west by Worth County. The Cedar River and its tributaries flow through this township, giving a natural drainage to the land. The rich loam is underlaid by lime rock. Aside from a narrow skirting of timber along the streams, this is a prairie township where agriculture is the chief occupation of the inhabitants.

     The railway lines of this part of Mitchell County are the Illinois Central, from Cedar Falls to Albert Lea; the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and the Chicago Great Western lines. Mona, Stacyville junction and Otranto are the villages, or hamlets within the township. The towns of Lyle, Minnesota and Meltonville, Worth County, get their full share of the trade from Otranto Township.

     In the fall of 1852, Lorenzo D. Merry and family located in section 22, in this township, and later moved to section 21, near where the ordinary wagon road crossed the Cedar River a little below where the present Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad crosses the river. There was a good ford there which was long known as "Merry's Ford." That makes him the first settler in the township and probably in the county. Orlando Wilder and Andrew J. Wilder and Lewis West found Merry at this place in May, 1854, when they made their second trip to that locality. He then induced them to settle near, that he might have some American neighbors. A. J. Wilder and West located near the Minnesota line where 'the village of Otranto was afterward laid out. Orlando Wilder located over the line in Minnesota. Merry was a typical frontiersman. In a few years he moved into Minnesota. Later he is said to have made his fortune carrying freight and passengers on the Red River of the North.

     The next settlers in this township came with the Clausen colony or about the same time, in the spring of 1853. Some of them were Ole O. Grovo, Tollef O. Grovo, Ole Lee, Ole O. Blackstad, Torsten Reierson, Thomas Osmundson and Stangrim H. Rust. Lee located in a grove west of the present Otranto station. He remained some two years and then moved to Worth County. His daughter was the first white child born in Mitchell County, as stated elsewhere. Blackstad located west of the river, a little north of Merry's Ford; the others named were on the east side of the river. Early in 1854, Abijah Mack and family settled just north of Otranto station. The same season Thore Thompson and family, Halvor Anderson and family, Mr. Severson and family, Mr. Everson and family, and probably others settled on the east side of the river. The Wilder and West settlement, already mentioned, was made in the spring of 1854. In 1855 William Ogden and E. A. Thomas settled on the west of the river in section 28 and Andrew Torson, Ole Larson, William Moore, William Kelley and their families, and doubtless others, settled on the east side of the river. Of those named, Ogden died before the Civil war. His descendants still own and occupy the old homestead. Thomas moved to Kansas soon after that war. Moore and family moved to Mitchell Township early and Kelley to St. Ansgar. Most of the others named lived all or most of their lives as honored citizens of the township and many of their descendants now live in the township.

     The first birth in the township (after that of Anna Oline Lee, already described) was Eloise C., daughter of A. J. and A. C. Wilder, born April 22, 1855, died March 4, 1859. The first death in the township was that of a child of L. D. Merry, in 1855, The first store was conducted by Wilder & Lacy, in the spring of 1857. The first physician in the township was A. R. Barnes, in 1857. The first minister to hold services in the township was Rev. W. P. Holbrook, Methodist, at the home of A. J. Wilder, in 1855.

     In 1855 William Moore and William Kelley built a dam across the Cedar not far from the old Village of Otranto, expecting to build the following season a saw and a grist mill. The high waters the next spring greatly injured the dam. The proprietors became discouraged in their enterprise and sold the property to the Cedar Valley Land Company. This company repaired the dam and built the mills contemplated. They operated the mills about two years, when there was another high water, which took out the dam and carried away most of the machinery. In 1875 Simon Alderson erected a second mill. This mill stood on the same property, but a little farther down stream from the first mill. A large frame building was erected, a good dam built across the river, and five run of buhrs were placed in use. After two years Alderson sold the property to others, and it was again sold to McClellan, Smith & Chase, and Williams & Hall. It was changed into a modern roller process mill in the early '80s. In 1882 or 1883 it was burned, and was not rebuilt. The proprietors brought suit on the insurance policies covering the property, but were defeated in the action.

     In 1856 what is now known as the "Old Town of Otranto" was platted in sections 7 and 8, by Solon Shedd and Robert Moore. The promise for a good sized town was backed by the fact that the Cedar River here afforded an excellent mill power. In the early months of 1857, Wilder & Lacy, John Crandall and others opened stores and shops, all of which flourished for a number of years, but when the railroad came through and established another station in 1871, the old place soon vanished from the map and is now known only in the memory of the few surviving settlers. But before leaving the site of the old village let it be said that a postoffice was there established in 1855, under the name of Orville, with Louis West as postmaster. One Philo Cady used to carry the mail back and forth in a sack, and again in a market basket. Years later its name was changed to Otranto and then J. C. Van Camp was appointed postmaster.

     Otranto Station (so called to distinguish it from the old town) was platted in 1877 by Mrs. Mary Bartlett as "Bartlett Grove," but the railroad company named their depot Otranto Station, and the postoffice was given that name, so by common consent the legal platting name has been dropped. This place is a station point on the Austin branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway; is on the Cedar River; has a good water power. David West was the first postmaster at the station of Otranto.

     The present postmaster, F. A. Gleason, received his appointment in 19l2, and the postmasters before him were the following: David West, A. George, D. Kelly, A. H. Nash. It is still a fourth- class office, was the first in the county to make application for a rural route service, but owing to certain other routes which were established at St. Ansgar, Otranto has been deprived of such route thus far.

     A general store is being operated at this point by A. W. Buerher; a hardware store by W. F. Lutz; grain dealer, J. H. Huber; flour mill, by O.J. Fluent.

     There is one church building in the village-the frame church erected many years ago by the Universalist people, but it is now used as a union church by any denomination that cares to worship therein.

     In sections 11 and 14 on both sides of the right-of-way of the Illinois Central Railway in Otranto Township is Mona. It is also a junction point for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. It was platted soon after the railroad arrived in 1869, the land for the townsite having- been owned by speculators George Briggs and C. H. Gregory. just before the railroad reached this point, Charles Hughitt and J. P. Farley purchased the land and platted it into town lots. The first store building was erected by a Mr. Clark, who used it until 1880, when it burned down. The postoffice was also in this building.

     In 1870 Henry Alexander erected a good store and opened a stock of general goods. His building, too, was later destroyed by fire.

     In the spring of 1871 the third general store was opened by a railroad contractor who sold to Charlie Cole, who later moved the stock to Lyle.

     Mona's first hotel was conducted in 1869 by Mr. Crowell, it being later styled the Farley House. In 1883 the two hotels of Mona were being conducted by Mrs. A. A. Merrick and Mrs. E. M. Wheeler.

     The early grain dealers of Mona were S. A. Sanford, P. K. Everson and A. B. Pike. Farley & Penney were lumber dealers, while Frank Penney and J. P. Farley represented the general merchandise trade.

     The record shows that in the '80s Mona had a saloon called the "Dew Drop Inn." The most important business factor of the place for years was the Mona Creamery, established by Penney Brothers in 1883- it made 1,000 pounds of butter per day.

     Rock Township comprises congressional township 98, range 18, hence is a six-mile-square tract containing thirty-six sections of land, in the southwestern part of Mitchell County. It is a rolling prairie country of exceptional fertility, and is well settled and carefully cultivated by an industrious, thrifty and intelligent class of honorable citizens. At its north is Newburg and a small part of St. Ansgar townships; at the east are both Mitchell and Cedar; at the south is Cedar, and the west is on the Worth County line. Rock Creek flows in an almost direct southeastern course from section 6 to section 36, with small branches coming in from the west. Cedar River flows through section I, in the extreme northeastern corner of the township.

     A son of Norway had the honor of becoming the first settler in Rock Township. He was E. Meier, who immigrated from Winneshiek County, Iowa, with his family in 1853 and purchased land in sections 14, 22 and 23: He remained there until called by death, April 27, 1872. His son Paul was county auditor one term, and afterwards became a well-known merchant in Osage. Other early settlers in the township were: Joseph Hobkirk, John R. James, William Weinberger, A. D. Bevier, A. K. Lewis, John Glassel, Hover Hoelson, William Horton and Jesse Jeffries.

     Peter Nelson came to the township in 1854, locating in section 2.

     George B. Lovejoy, a sturdy son of Vermont, came in 1855, entering the southwest quarter of section 15, and there built his log cabin. In the spring following he was joined by his brother Jason. A cousin of George B. Lovejoy also came in 1855 and entered eighteen eighties of wild land in the township. In 1856 he sold to Jason Lovejoy.

     The 1857 settlers included these: Colben Seaver, a Norwegian, who settled in section1; Thomas Henry Lovejoy (brother of George B.), who bought land in section 22. At first he moved to his brother's house in section 15, and there he lived until 1863. This was on the wild, unsettled and very broad expanse of prairie away from all settlement, and it served as a sort of tavern for passers by In 1859 John Roberts, another Vermonter, came here from Dane County, Wisconsin, and located in section 16. From this date on until after the close of the Civil war there was little done toward further settlement of this and other townships within Mitchell County. Among the 1866 settlers may be recalled such men as Emery Garfield, of Massachusetts, locating in section 9. He died in Clay County in 1878. Joseph F. Hews settled in section 8, and died in 188o. Warren Van Hooser, from New York State, purchased land in the southwest quarter of section 15, of G B. Lovejoy.

     The first human habitation in Rock Township was the cabin built in section 22 by a hunter and trapper named Clark. It was only eight feet square, built of small poles. There its owner resided two seasons.

     The marriage of George B. Lovejoy to Mary Skinner, December 4, 1864, was probably the first marriage performed in the township.

     This was established in 1867. T. H. Lovejoy was first postmaster and had the office at his home in section 22. Mails came twice each week from Mason City and Mitchell.

Transcribed by Gordon Felland, December 2001

Updated 1/6/2003