History of Powers Township

Powers Township was a mecca for lumber men, and in 1891 Weyarhausser Lumber Company purchased property from the Northern Pacific Railroad. Blake and Farley established a sawmill on Sanborn Lake and Four Point Lake in 1886. These lumber companies brought out their logs by trucks. They built a loading dock of huge logs, extending out into Pine Mountain Lake. Backus (the Old Town) and Powers were one in the same at that time. The first store in the Old Town was a merchandise store built in 1888 by E. Hurley, he was also the first postmaster and the first to establish a saloon. In 1890 “The Pioneer House” was built which was the first boarding and lodging house. A schoolhouse made of logs was built in the 90’s.

Acting on a petition from J.W. Bailey, that said: township be organized into a new town and be named Powers. This went through on May 7, 1907. On August 23, 1910, the Village of Backus was declared to have separated itself from the Town of Powers. The Township got its name from Judge G. Powers of Granite Falls.

The first meeting of the new board was held at the clerk’s office in Backus, June 1, 1907. They also had a Justice of the Peace, a constable and a pound Master. On July 13, 1907, J. A. Leubben was allowed $10.00 to build a road. The township purchased a stump puller and rented it out for .50 cents a day. In those days they had Corduroy roads. 

The first birth recorded in Powers Township was July 23, 1910. A boy named Wayne Murice Patten. Most babies were born at home. All the certificates were signed by the Town Clerk. One of the death certificates of a 10-month-old boy, as cause of death, someone had written “I don’t know”. People came to Powers from all over the United States, Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Canada. Tom Holt is thought to be the first homesteader in Powers Township.

Many people have served as board members since 1907. These folks met in various places and in later years they met in the home of Lila and Orville Armstrong. In 1968 the Armstrongs donated land to Powers Township, and it was here that the new Town Hall was built. Since that time a garage has been added to house the grader that Powers uses on it 40 some miles of roads.

The Town Hall was dedicated in June of 1970. As the years went by the boards started to value lakeshore property. Tourist camps sprang up. People were brought to Powers from all over the country. In those days ice was cut from the lakes in the winter and kept in sawdust so the summer tourists could keep their food cool.

The Native Americans came to Powers Township to do their ricing. At Portage Camp Resort they would set up in, what is now the campground and after a day of ricing they would build their fires and process the rice right there. At one time there was a Penrose School House. This was situated ½ mile East of the Northland Vet Clinic. In the 30’s a Reverand Lester Davis came up on the Friday train from Brainerd to preach.

Powers Township today is a very successful township. The board members are Phil Alwes, (he has served 18 years) Harley Kaiser, Larry Invie, Clerk Rose Taylor, Treasurer Eugene Kitzmann. The town hall is very up to date and modern. A beautiful setting with our country’s flag proudly flying under the pines.  

Powers Township has a women’s organization, the Powers Powder Puffs. These ladies meet once a month and do various things for the community.

Writing this I have felt some nostalgia. I would have liked to see this Powers Township when there were no paved highways, just a little Corduroy Road. I would have liked to wander through the woods and watch the Native Americans process their rice around an open campfire. Who knows, maybe in 100 years someone will look at what we are doing now and think “Boy, it would have been great to live back then.”

Submitted by

Rose Taylor, Clerk of Powers, Sometime in the 1980’s

Edited (a little) by Sharon Gramm, Treasurer of Powers Township, 2025