Rosendal Township

No record has been found to establish for certain when the Township of Rosendal was begun.  It seems to have been right around 1900.  It may be that the Township was organized in 1902.  Certain treasurer's records show that they collected taxes and paid out money for road purposes in 1902.  The rate of pay was $1.50 per day.  Credit was given for working on the road to pay poll tax and also some people worked off their share of the Township taxes by working on the road.

A group of people came by train to Courtenay and then came north from there by covered wagons, buggies, etc. to the Mose community.  Nels Torgerson, Little Anton Falla, J. D. Johnson, J. D. Barclay, Swen Bjornson, John Bjornson, Andrew Falla, Adolph Carlson, and Hendrick Tufte were some of the people who came in this group in 1899.  They came from the Elbow Lake community in Minnesota.  Some of them settled in Bryan Township while others settled farther north in Rosendal.

It has been said that J. D. Barclay named the Township Rosendal because of all the roses in the valleys.

Another group came from Iowa in 1901 and 1902.  They were Daniel Asmus, Christ Heinsen, John Broderson and others.

A school district was formed in 1890 called the Red Willow School District.  It comprised the four Townships of Rosendal, Willow, Addie, and Bryan.  School was held in two or three month sessions.  This school was situated in the southwest quarter of Section 29 in Rosendal.  A schoolteacher's report for the term of October 15 to December 1900 shows the names of some of the people who came in 1899.  Seventeen pupils were enrolled.  The teacher was Miss Blanche Williams.

Some of the pupils were Tilda Falla, Arthur Falla, Mabel Mullins, Elary Wilson, Howard Wilson, Bena Johnson, Willie Johnson, Lorens Barclay, Ole Barclay, Albert Bjornson, Lorens Bjornson, Ole Olson, John Olson, Emma Olson, and a few others.

A teacher's report from the next spring, March 25 to June 14, 1901, shows the school being taught by Betsy Johnson with 28 pupils enrolled.  Some of the new ones were Ludwig and Joe Lear, Hattie and Hilda Peterson, Oscar and Eddy Olson, Francis Smith, Thor, Mattie and Anna Raaen, and Judith Josephson.

In June of 1901, the different Townships formed their own school districts from the Red Willow District.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 412