Mountain Lake is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,999 as of the 2020 census.

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. It has had a post office in operation since 1871.

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." The top of the island was covered with trees, and could be seen for miles around, thus serving as a landmark to early settlers. 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.

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. 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.

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).

In 1873, Mennonite immigrants from 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.” 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. By 1880, it is estimated that some 295 Mennonite families had settled there. 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, 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.

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.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Mountain Lake had a population of 1,999. The median age was 40.1 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.9 males age 18 and over.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census of 2010, there were 2,104 people, 829 households, and 526 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 923 housing units at an average density of . 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.

2000 census

As of the census

Notable people

  • Silas Bartsch, school administrator
  • Larry Buhler, football player
  • George Buhr, coach
  • Gilbert Esau, politician
  • Herman Becker Fast, politician
  • Walter Franz (politician), politician
  • Rod Hamilton, politician
  • Orlando J. Heinitz, politician
  • Chuck Loewen, football player
  • George W. Olson, politician
  • Neva Pilgrim, soprano
  • Samuel J. Schultz, Old Testament scholar
  • Paul Tewes, political organizer

References

Further reading

  • Schultz, Ferdinand Peter. A History of the Settlement of German Mennonites from Russia, at Mountain Lake, Minnesota. MA Thesis, University of Minnesota, 1937.
  • City of Mountain Lake
  • Historic photographs
  • Mountain Lake Public Schools
  • Mountain Lake Christian School
  • The Observer / Advocate newspaper site
  • History of Mountain Lake by John P. Jungas (circa 1970)
  • "Mennonites of Mountain Lake" by the Minnesota Historical Society
  • "A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways" by Chicago and North Western Railway Company p. 184