History of Menahga

The name “Menahga” was derived from the Indian word for blueberry. The wild fruit grew in abundance throughout the area and Native Americans and pioneers alike used to sell and trade blueberries through local merchants in the early days of the town. The area of Menahga was settled by immigrants of Scandinavian and European descent, as well as many Finnlanders, as land was cleared by loggers. Menahga is part of the Louisiana Purchase bought in 1803 from Napoleon. In 1849, Minnesota was organized as a territory and became a state in 1858. Very little is recorded of this area from the early 1800’s, but it is known that the Sioux and Ojibway (Chippewa) Indian tribes used it for hunting grounds. These tribes were semi-nomadic and followed the seasonal development of food sources. They traveled from sugar camps to fi shing, to garden villages, and to hunting. Their diet consisted mainly of meat derived from whitetailed deer and fi sh. Wild rice was harvested from the marshy shores of area lakes and the abundance of blueberries in those early days became their main fruit item. The Homestead Act of 1862 brought many people to the Menahga area, via railroad and the

Crow Wing River. Menahga’s town site was established in 1891 by E. Jones and that same year along came the railroad. In the spring of 1892, a Petition of Incorporation was begun. Most of the settlers from 1875-1880 were of “Yankee” heritage, that is, born and raised in America. Immigrants began to arrive in Blueberry Township in 1880-1890. By 1895, Menahga boasted a population of 288 and of its 144 adults, all but four were born in Finland. According to recorded information, the fi rst Finnish settler to arrive in the area was Jacob Lalli. In those early days, Menahga was covered by a thick growth of virgin white and red pine trees, thus the name, “Gateway to the Pines.” Even before the immigrants arrived, the logging industry had changed the face of the land. Huge logs were fl oated to the sawmills via the Crow Wing River and its tributaries which provided hundreds of miles of waterways to that industry. The 1895 census indicated not only logging as the job market for the area, but included cattle and grain buyers, merchants, hotel keepers, mill hands, blacksmiths, skilled artisans, laborers and those who set up their own trade, all a part of this hustling, busy town. Interestingly, 90% of Blueberry Township settlers listed their occupation as farming. Today, the city of Menahga is surrounded by Blueberry Township, Wadena County, and provides home for a closely knit community of 1,306 residents. The business community boasts over 200 and actively pursues business retention and expansion through community groups and economic development.

MENAHGA AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM

Located at 320 Helsinki Blvd SE. The Museum houses the History of Menahga area and operate on donations only. There’s no fee to tour the museum. Open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend Tues – Sat 10-4 and Sun 12-4. The museum hosts coff ee hour on Thursdays at 10 AM year around.

Wevley Funeral Home

Willard Wevley (Director)

Pre-Arrangements • Serving All Faiths Funeral, Cremation & Memorial Services Serving Menahga & Sebeka

(218) 837-9455 (WILL)

107 First St. NE Sebeka, MN wevleyfuneralhome.com