Rice Lake (ghost town), Minnesota

Rice Lake is a ghost town in Dodge and Steele counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It lies east of Owatonna, and just north of Rice Lake State Park. The nearest community is the city of Claremont, to the southeast. The Dodge County portion lies in the southwest corner of Ellington Township, while the Steele County portion lies in the southeast corner of Merton Township.

History

Rice Lake was officially platted in 1857, although it started thriving 2 years before then. Stephen L. Wilson opened the first store, and became postmaster in 1857. After that, a number of businesses continued to develop until 1865, when a railroad bypassed the town, causing the village to disappear.[1]

Today, the Rice Lake Church remains in the community.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Minnesota Place Names. Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed 2009-6-02.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rice Lake (ghost town), Minnesota
Municipalities and communities of Dodge County, Minnesota, USA
Cities
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
Ghost town
  • Rice Lake‡
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Municipalities and communities of Steele County, Minnesota, USA
Cities
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
Ghost town
  • Rice Lake‡
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties