Weird And Funny (and Real!) Minnesota Town Names
A month ago I wrote about a Minnesota city that has over 20 Zip Codes. The Zip Code hoarding isn't the only odd thing about it; the city's called Norwood Young America after two towns pulled a Wonder Twin Powers Activate and joined together.
Nowthen (...), we know Minnesota has some...interesting...town names.
Weird, Funny, and REAL Minnesota Town Names
Nowthen: the city of 4,500+ Nowtheners (?) features their annual Nowthen Threshing Show, which takes place during the third full weekend in August. The show's theme is "Bringing the Past to the Present." The city allegedly got its name from their first postmaster favorite sentence starter: "Now, then..."
Castle Danger: it's not just the name of a great beer company; Castle Danger is the name of an unincorporated community between Two Harbors and Beaver Bay. The likely origins of the name include: 1) the cliffs along the shore resemble a castle and are dangerous 2) a boat named Castle ran aground there 3) it's ripped-off from the title of Walter Scott's Castle Dangerous. Maybe the "ous" got worn off the cover and they thought it was "Castle Danger?" Either way, tasty beer...
Clontarf: it's not a medical condition; it's a town of 164 residents in western Minnesota (Swift County). There's no mystery to its name: Clontarf, MN is named after Clontarf, Ireland.
Clitherall: the town of 62 that's less than a fifth of a square mile in size (0.191 square miles) can have a quite dirty name if you chop it up. I won't elaborate. The town was named after the nearby Clitherall Lake, which was named after a slaveowner jerkface named George Clitherall.
Aitkin: the home of the Gobblers (true story) is home to 2,168 folks. Aitkin is home to the World Famous Fish House Parade (MN AF) and five properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The "t" in Aitkin is silent, and the city & county's name is a misspelling of William Alexander Aitken. There's a phrase we northern Minnesotans love to whip out: "When you're taking Emily to Outing, you get to Aitkin before you..."
Remer: pronounced "REEM-er", the town of 391 in Cass County is home to gangster Al Capone's favorite vacation spot: Thunder Lake Lodge. There have been so many Bigfoot sightings there that they celebrate Bigfoot Days every summer. The town was named after its first postmaster, William P. Remer.
Fertile, Climax, and Moorhead: yeah, it's getting worse. Fertile is a town of 804 residents in Polk County. Climax is a town of 243, also in Polk County. Moorhead is a city of 44,000+ in Clay County. I'll let you put together western Minnesota's favorite phrase: "A ______ man dies while in ______ looking for ________."
Carlos: what's so weird about the name of this town of 497 in Douglas County? They will lose their s#!t if you don't pronounce it "CAR-liss". Carlos (CAR-liss) is named after Lake Carlos (CAR-liss), which was named for the friend of an early settler.
Rollingstone: it's a real town of 678 in Winona County that was founded by Luxembourg immigrants, and named after Rollingstone Creek; which is a "figurative translation of the native Dakota language name for the creek, which is literally translated "the stream where the stone rolls".
Nimrod: because DUH. The annual Nimrod Jubilee Days is always a blast. Former Minnesota Twins pitcher Dick Stigman is from Nimrod.
Ball Club: an unincorporated community of 342 in Itasca County, Ball Club was named after a type of Native American lacrosse stick.
Ball Bluff: an unincorporated community in Aitkin County.
Wakemup: in Saint Louis County, it's either really loud or they have great coffee.
Bonus Other Oddly-Named Things
Oink Joint Road in Wadena (wah-DEE-nah).
Middle Spunk Lake/Spunk Creek/Spunk Branch (west of St. Cloud).
Photos of Gooseberry Falls on Minnesota's Great North Shore!
Gallery Credit: Images by Choad
Photos From Split Rock Lighthouse on MN's Beautiful North Shore!
Gallery Credit: Images by Choad