Danielson Township is a township in Meeker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 327 at the 2000 census. Danielson Township was originally a part of Acton. Noah White was the first settler in 1857, but he moved to Kandiyohi County in 1858. The township was organized on March 12, 1872, and named after Nils Danielson, who settled there in 1861. Before coming to the township, Nils Danielson had been in Litchfield. Danielson came to Meeker County by covered wagon in the spring of 1857 and settled in Litchfield. In the township area, Nils had almost daily visits from the local Indians and they got along just fine. The braves had a camp by Hope Lake near where Hans Jensen lived. Chief Cut Nose used to come to Nils’ farm to sharpen his hunting knife on the Danielson grindstone and whetstone. Chief Cut Nose was the local chief and he had acquired the name because one of his nostrils had been bitten off or cut off in one of his numerous fights with other tribes. Nils would sharpen knives for the Indians and give them food, whenever he could spare any. It was understood then that Chief Cut Nose would not steal from Danielson and he didn't. He marked Nils’ land with a yellow feather on a stake in the ground out front, meaning “friend”. Nels Olson alerted his neighbor Nils Danielson, who was four miles to the west of the Baker place, about the Acton Massacre. Danielson got some other settlers, they armed themselves, and they went to investigate. At the Baker farm, eighteen-year-old Hans Evenson was the first to discover the bodies. The men buried the dead in one grave at the Ness Lutheran Church cemetery and then they went to get their families to go toForest City for protection. While at his house gathering his possessions, Nils heard shots being fired at his neighbor Anders or Andreas Olson's place by Ellsworth. It was just fifty rods away. Sensing what was taking place and knowing that the Indians were close by, Nils gathered his wife, Ragnild, and his family and he grabbed a few possessions including a single feather mattress with ticking, which was a luxury in those days of straw beds. He rolled the mattress up, strapped it to his back, and he and his family took off into the woods, heading for Forest City. They ran and ran for their lives, never really seeing any Indians, but knowing that they were close by. When they stopped to rest, Nils took the mattress off his back and, only then, he discovered that there was an arrow sticking out of it. The mattress had saved his life. It was later discovered that Anders Olson and his entire family had been killed at their farm. Anders was shot and scalped while he was tending his cattle. At the end of the Indian War, Nils Danielson's friend Chief Cut Nose was convicted of being involved in the attack on New Ulm and he was one of the thirty-eight Indians hanged in Mankato. Nils Danielson was born in 1817 in Norway and he died in 1870.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which of it is land and of it is water. Danielson Township is located in Township 118 North of the Arkansas Base Line and Range 32 West of the 5th Principal Meridian.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 327 people, 111 households, and 94 families residing in the township. The population density was 9.5 people per square mile. There were 117 housing units at an average density of 3.4/sq mi. The racial makeup of the township was 98.17% White, 1.22% Asian, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population. There were 111 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.6% were married couplesliving together, 1.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.3% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.24. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,234. About 4.9% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
