wadena County
oylen
oylen: 46°34′29″N 94°47′55″W
Est: late 1800's -early 1900's
pop: 60
Township: lyons
Township pop: 194
Featured in the photos is Glen Pederson, standing in front of the barn on his family’s former mink farm near Oylen. The town’s history is still visible in the active Oylen Alliance Church and church camp, the old schoolhouse now serving as the Lyons Township Hall, and the remnants of the gas stations that once marked the town’s main intersection during its more bustling days. Glen shared memories of neighbors helping in the fields and local stories, including tales about Billy the Kid. Also featured in the photos is Jerry Mevisson with one of his gorgeous Highland Scottish cattle. He lives in Nimrod and was the perfect meeting point to connect with Glen.
For an oral history from Glen, click HERE
blue grass
blue grass: 46°32′34″N 95°00′36″W
est: late 1800's
Pop: unknown about 5 houses in the center of town
Township: bluegrass
Town population: 184
Notes: Featured in the photo above is Maryanne. She grew up in Blue Grass on the farm that still stands behind her and now lives in a house next door, after the family sold the farm. Across the street was the church where she was baptized. Maryanne reminisced about when the community held picnics and how the highway is much busier now. She is the oldest resident in Blue Grass and, in her younger years, even owned a garage with a bar in the back.
huntersville
huntersville: 46°46′33″N 94°53′34″W
Est: late 1870's
pop: approx 15 within a half mile of the bar
Township: huntersville
township pop: 106
Notes: Huntersville, MN — Once called “The Hunter’s Paradise” by the Dakota and Ojibway tribes, this area is now an unincorporated community tucked into the Huntersville State Forest. Gravel roads and ATV trails wind through the forest, leading to hunting cabins and camping spots full of character.
Featured in the photos are Ken and Judy, who built a “man cave” after selling the Huntersville Outpost bar in 2013, later turning it into the Huntersville Store in 2015. Judy serves as Township Clerk and Ken as Township Supervisor, maintaining nearly nine miles of gravel roads. Dorothy, who has owned the Huntersville canoe outfitter for over 40 years and once ran the Outpost, shared stories of local life, dances, and adventures on the river. Also included in the photos are one of her horses, her canoes, and her property.
The Huntersville Outpost and RV campground, first opened in the early 1970s, remains a hub for tubers, canoers, campers, and riders of all kinds. Huntersville Township Hall sits just west of the Outpost, and though the township covers 36 square miles, only about 15 people live near the town center.
shell City–coming soon!
Shell City is a ghost town near Huntersvile. more photos and info coming soon!