Sturgeon Lake
Sturgeon Lake, a village of about 200 population, is located in the extreme northern end of Pine county, on the new concrete International Highway No. 1 and county Trunk Road No. 5, and on the Northern Pacific railroad, fifty miles from Duluth, and one hundred twelve miles from St. Paul.
It is chiefly a trading center, having several stores, garages, a bank and confectionery that suffice to the needs of the farmers surrounding it and to the traveling public. It is the main village inlet to the lake country comprising more than twenty-five beautiful lakes; lakes that are abounding with fish, ideal for cottage sites, and fast becoming a mecca for tourists traveling from coast to coast.
It has two rural mail routes extending out of it. Mail route No. 1 makes a contour west for twelve miles, running through a prosperous farming country. Mail route No. 2 circles around the lakes east for a similar distance, and between the two routes they distribute mail to an area of more than twenty-five miles square. This area is well settled with prosperous farmers who engage in diversified farming to their success. Almost every farm site possesses a fine home, a large roomy barn, well organized out buildings, and some have silos to provide ensilage for the cattle during the winter months.
Cream is the principal product, but small grains, corn and potatoes are also raised in substantial quantities. Sturgeon Lake is the market place for most farm products. Many farmers have been successful with chicken raising and they have concentrated on that to the exclusion of other lines.
That a prosperous state of affairs exists throughout this environment is apparent by the fact that most of the farmers own their homes and possess modern conveniences, labor-saving devices, radios for entertainment and instruction, and a general tranquility exists everywhere.
Sturgeon Lake is fast gaining a place as a popular tourist center, it being in a strategic position to the many lakes surrounding it. The shores of Sturgeon Lake, the largest of the lakes, are fast getting lined with cabins and tourist camps and those who commercialize this natural advantage are making extensive efforts to provide accommodations for the many visitors that come here to spend their vacations fishing, boating, and bathing.
The roads leading through this country are constantly being improved. The state has practically completed a concrete thoroughfare between the Twin Ports and the Twin Cities, making access to country towns on that highway an easy matter. The county is also active with its road improvement. County Trunk Highway No. 5, running from Aikin county line to Wisconsin, through Sturgeon Lake, is being graded, clayed and graveled. The townships continually improve smaller roads leading into various farm communities and between farms. With this extensive road improvement it is possible to travel any place in the country with any kind of vehicle throughout the entire year.
Every community around Sturgeon Lake has its school, and every farm is withing walking distance to one. The neighboring towns have high schools, so that the facilities for securing an education are good.
There are churches of a dozen different denominations within a radius of ten miles from Sturgeon Lake.
A significant come-back of no small merit can be noted west of Sturgeon Lake where the holocaust of 1918 swept through and destroyed scores of farm homes. Today the traces of that fire are few. The farm buildings have been replaced with finer structures, and where the forests stood fine fields and pastures have been made. It required perseverance and tenacity to start over again, but the majority of the fire sufferers were equal to it, and now have fine homes again.
The settling and upbuilding of Sturgeon Lake can not be credited to one single person. It can, however, be credited to homogeneous groups who have accomplished deeds co-operatively with the thoughts that benefits for the community are benefits for the individual as their central idea.
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