wooden teeth. We raised mostly wheat and oats and what little surplus we had was mostly taken up by the new settlers as they came in. In the winter we usually did some trapping which helped us out with what cash we needed for supplies.

        In the early '70's we had the grasshopper plague which stayed with us for five years. It would seem to the casual observer that we had enough drawbacks before this pest arrived but it may be that an all wise Providence was trying us out as Job was tried of old. There were a few, but a very few, that surrendered and left the country. The great majority stuck out and won the victory. Fur bearing animals and plenty of prairie grass contributed largely to our success. I know of two of the old settlers who, after enduring all the hardships of the grasshopper period and others equally trying for over five years proved up on their homesteads of 160 acres each and then sold out for two hundred fifty dollars apiece. They were induced to do this, not altogether by their sufferings, but partly by fear of another Indian raid. And while I do not believe that we were in any great danger from that source, still there was a great deal of uneasiness in the settlement, caused by the activities of the Indians farther west.

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Drainage Basins of Western Murray County

        There are four drainage systems in western Murray County. The Redwood River system flows through the eastern and northern part of Ellsborough township. Part of the waters that fall on Skandia flow northwest into the Cottonwood River system. Some engineers think this would have been a fine outlet for the Bear Lake waters. The Oksida or Beaver Creek, that drains most of Murray County combines with the Des Moines River which is a continuation of the Beaver Creek. The Des Moines starts at Currie and the Beaver Creek headwaters come from the ravines just west of the Cameron township line. The Des Moines is a part of the Mississippi River system. In the southwest parts of Chanarambie and Moulton townships, the creeks, Champepadam and Chanarambie, flow into the Rock River and from there finally reach the Missouri.
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MURRAY COUNTY

        The area that is Murray County has been a part of the domain of foreign nations and it has been subject to the governments of a number of states. France early claimed the western part of the United States because of explorations in that region. In 1762 France ceded the lands west of the Mississippi River to Spain. International difficulties led Spain to return the lands to France in 1801. And Napoleon, in need of money, sold the region to the United States in 1803.

        On June 4, 1812, the area was included in the territory of Missouri. It was made a part of the territory of Michigan in 1834. The territory of Iowa included it from 1836 to 1838, when it became a part of the Wisconsin Territory. When the territory of Minnesota was organized in 1849, it was within the boundaries. The area was a part of Wabasha County and a short time later was included in Dakota County. In 1853, when Blue Earth County was established, it became a part of that county. And Brown County, established in 1855, included it in that area. The boundary lines of Murray County established by the legislature in 1857 have enjoyed permanency.

        Thus, the county has been claimed by three nations; it has been a part of five territories; and has been a part of four Minnesota counties. And all this before Minnesota became a state.

        Murray County, established in 1857, was named after William Pitt Murray, an active leader in Minnesota. He had held many political offices in the state.

        Townships were organized as follows:

1872—Holly, Murray, Okcheeda, Center and Shetek.
1873—Skandia, Lake Sarah, Leeds, Lowville, and Lime Lake.
1874—Ellsborough and Bondin.
1878—Des Moines River, Criswell, Stanley.
1879—Lime Stone, Moulton, Dovray.
1880—Anderson.
1886—Fenton.

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