Carlston Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota
Carlston Township | |
|---|---|
Carlston Township Location within the state of Minnesota Carlston Township Carlston Township (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 43°43′0″N 93°35′54″W / 43.71667°N 93.59833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Freeborn |
| Area | |
• Total | 36.0 sq mi (93.2 km2) |
| • Land | 33.1 sq mi (85.7 km2) |
| • Water | 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,237 ft (377 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 332 |
| • Density | 10/sq mi (3.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| FIPS code | 27-10000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0663753 |
Carlston Township is a township in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 332 at the 2000 census.
Carlston Township was organized in 1858. The township was originally named Stanton, after Elias Stanton who froze to death in 1957, was initially attached to Freeborn Township. Town organizers separated from Freeborn shortly after and renamed the township to Springfield. This name was already in use in the state, so in 1959, the township name changed to Groton. Later that same year, the town petitioned for the fourth and final name change to Carlston, named for Theodore L. Carlson, a pioneer settler who had drowned the year prior. The 't' added to the spelling of Carlston is thought to have been added by mistake.
A Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in 1873 and had congregations in Carlston and Alden, with Carlston's church being dedicated in 1883. In the last 20 years of the 1800s, Freeborn County, especially Carlston Township was a sought out destination for emigrants from Denmark.