Mountain Lake, Minnesota
| Mountain Lake, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Motto: "Home On The Prairie" | |
 Location of Mountain Lake, Minnesota |
|
| Coordinates: 43°56′20″N 94°55′47″W / 43.93889°N 94.92972°WCoordinates: 43°56′20″N 94°55′47″W / 43.93889°N 94.92972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Cottonwood |
| Platted | May 25, 1872 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor – Council |
| • Mayor | Mike Nelson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.55 sq mi (4.01 km2) |
| • Land | 1.53 sq mi (3.96 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,306 ft (398 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,104 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 2,117 |
| • Density | 1,375.2/sq mi (531.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56159 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-44566 |
| GNIS feature ID | 648194 |
| Website | www.mountainlakemn.com |
Mountain Lake is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census.
Mountain Lake was initially composed mostly of the 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonites from Russia who settled there between 1873 and 1880. The city has gradually become more diverse, with the most recent immigrant groups being Lao, Hispanic, and Hmong people.
The city of Mountain Lake was formally platted on May 25, 1872. It has had a post office in operation since 1871.
The name "Mountain Lake" is usually attributed to early settler, William Mason. The city’s official website recalls, “the first white settler to the area, William Mason, found a shallow 900-acre lake with three islands. The two smaller islands just broke the water's surface. The third much larger, higher island looked to Mason like a mountain rising from the lake. He named the lake Mountain Lake and the island Mountain Island.” The top of the island was covered with trees, and could be seen for miles around, thus serving as a landmark to early settlers. The story continues that in 1871 the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway had selected "Midway" as the name of the village, since it was located midway between Saint Paul, Minnesota and Sioux City, Iowa. However, Mason insisted that the village being platted be named "Mountain Lake".
Demand for more tillable farmland and construction advances led to the draining of the original lake in 1905-06, which was located in Mountain Lake township, southeast of town. However, in 1937-38 a dam, bridge, and outlet were constructed by the Works Progress Administration at a new site in Midway township to create a new Mountain Lake. This lake, located on the north edge of town, also has an island.
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