Luce, Minnesota
| unincorporated area / community
USA /
Minnesota /
Frazee /
World
/ USA
/ Minnesota
/ Frazee
World / United States / Minnesota
unincorporated area / community
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LUCE, a village on the Northern Pacific Railroad in section 30 of Gorman Township, was first known as Johnson before being platted in May 1884 for John and Caroline Dinehart, owners of the townsite; it was incorporated June 13, 1905; the incorporation was dissolved by town agreement during the late 1920s. The Northern Pacific Railroad station was also known as Johnson Station. A post office operated 1883-1948.
Luce is an unincorporated community in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It has an estimated population of 10. In the early years there was a large wood yard, and pioneers would bring in logs to be shipped out to North Dakota. After incorporation in 1906, the town had a saloon called “The First and Last Chance Saloon”. It received its name because for people coming from the West it was their first chance to buy liquor since nearby Frazee was part of the Indian Reservation where alcohol was banned. For those that came from the East, it was their last chance to buy liquor. There was a livery barn where people who came to town could tie their teams while they shopped or visited the saloon. On Friday nights, it was crowded as many people came to the dance. At one point, the people of Luce decided they should have a band. In an interview with Eldon Blake, he recalled how it happened. A nearby band director brought a bunch of instruments to town and taught the adults how to play them. As many as twenty persons belonged to the Luce Band. It practiced out in the open and the neighbors sat out on their lawns to listen. They sometimes played for the Friday night dances, and they never missed a Fourth of July Parade. After the saloon closed in 1920, the village took action to dissolve its incorporation. U.S. Highway 10 was being built and the village would have to pay for its share if the road was a mile or more in length through the village. The books never got to Fergus Falls so there is no record of the action and as a consequence Luce is still shown on many maps. Luckily, the plat was made smaller and the taxpayers of Luce didn’t have to pay for the new highway. In 1929 the Northern Pacific Depot was moved to Syre, Minnesota. In 1931 the Post Office was abandoned and School District 181 had its last year in 1957. In 1973, the Minnesota Highway Department enlarged the U.S. Highway 10 to a four-lane. This took the last of the buildings, six houses, and the Luce Concrete Products Company leaving nothing but a dot on the map…and memories.
Luce is an unincorporated community in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It has an estimated population of 10. In the early years there was a large wood yard, and pioneers would bring in logs to be shipped out to North Dakota. After incorporation in 1906, the town had a saloon called “The First and Last Chance Saloon”. It received its name because for people coming from the West it was their first chance to buy liquor since nearby Frazee was part of the Indian Reservation where alcohol was banned. For those that came from the East, it was their last chance to buy liquor. There was a livery barn where people who came to town could tie their teams while they shopped or visited the saloon. On Friday nights, it was crowded as many people came to the dance. At one point, the people of Luce decided they should have a band. In an interview with Eldon Blake, he recalled how it happened. A nearby band director brought a bunch of instruments to town and taught the adults how to play them. As many as twenty persons belonged to the Luce Band. It practiced out in the open and the neighbors sat out on their lawns to listen. They sometimes played for the Friday night dances, and they never missed a Fourth of July Parade. After the saloon closed in 1920, the village took action to dissolve its incorporation. U.S. Highway 10 was being built and the village would have to pay for its share if the road was a mile or more in length through the village. The books never got to Fergus Falls so there is no record of the action and as a consequence Luce is still shown on many maps. Luckily, the plat was made smaller and the taxpayers of Luce didn’t have to pay for the new highway. In 1929 the Northern Pacific Depot was moved to Syre, Minnesota. In 1931 the Post Office was abandoned and School District 181 had its last year in 1957. In 1973, the Minnesota Highway Department enlarged the U.S. Highway 10 to a four-lane. This took the last of the buildings, six houses, and the Luce Concrete Products Company leaving nothing but a dot on the map…and memories.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 46°39'23"N 95°39'12"W
- Swatara, Minnesota 147 km
- Sand Lake 252 km
- Township of Dawson, Ontario 255 km
- Britt, Minnesota 257 km
- Township of Nelles 259 km
- Township of Kingsford 277 km
- Peyla, Minnesota 279 km
- Township of Dance 282 km
- Sterling, North Dakota 356 km
- Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa 568 km
- Little McDonald Lake 6.6 km
- Long Lake 7.7 km
- Rose Lake 7.7 km
- Detroit Lake 20 km
- Lake Melissa 21 km
- Lake Salle 23 km
- Crystal Lake 23 km
- Lida Lake - North 25 km
- Lizzie Lake 27 km
- Pelican Lake 28 km
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