Kasota Township in Minnesota

Kasota is in South Central Minnesota
Kasota Township, Minnesota Township Kasota Township, Minnesota Location within the state of Minnesota Coordinates: 44°17′35″N 93°56′31″WCoordinates: 44°17′35″N 93°56′31″W Country United States State Minnesota County Le Sueur Area  • Total 39.2 sq mi (101.6 km2)  • Land 37.6 sq mi (97.3 km2)  • Water 1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2) Elevation 906 ft (276 m) Population (2000)  • Total 1,487  • Density 39.6/sq mi (15.3/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)  • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 56050 Area code(s) 507 FIPS code 27-32480[1] GNIS feature ID 0664601[2] Kasota Township is a township in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The Kasota Township, Minnesota Location within the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°17′35″N 93°56′31″WCoordinates: 44°17′35″N 93°56′31″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Le Sueur
Area
• Total	39.2 sq mi (101.6 km2)
• Land	37.6 sq mi (97.3 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2)
Elevation	906 ft (276 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,487
• Density	39.6/sq mi (15.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56050
Area code(s)	507
FIPS code	27-32480[1]
GNIS feature ID	0664601[2]

Kasota Township is a township in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, United States. The

 

RAILROADS OF THE TIME AND LOCATION:

The Minnesotian, in December, 1853, had just heard of “sleeping cars in which one may rest as comfortably as anywhere,” and still there was not a yard of railroad within two hundred miles of Minnesota. The Chicago and Rock Island railroad was finished to the Mississippi River in the spring of 1854. In the fall of 1857 the Milwaukee and Prairie du Ohien railroad was completed, and in the spring of the following year the La Crosse and Milwaukee reached La Crosse.

This advance of the iron horse, naturally stimulated the desire on the part of the Legislature, to advance railroad building within the Territorial boundaries. The magnificent grant of Congressional lands caused the Governor in 1857, to call an extra session of the Legislature, as many railroads corporations had been organized to build roads and desired large grants of land to help in their construction.

An act was approved May 22, 1857, creating four railroad corporations, and granting to them alternate sections designated by odd numbers, six miles in. width on each side of the roads and their branches.

These four railroad corporations, viz. The Minnesota and Pacific, the Transit, the Root Valley and Southern Minnesota and the Minneapolis and Cedar Valley, became known as the Land Grant Railroad Companies. They were to pay three per cent of their gross earnings in lieu of all taxes and assessments, and the lands granted by Congress were to be exempt from all taxation until sold and conveyanced by the companies. The corporations were generally given ten years to construct their respective roads.

The Transit Railroad Company had been first chartered March 3, 1855, with a capital of $5,000,000, and. the route designated for it by the act of May 22, 1857, was from Winona via St. Peter to a feasible point on the Big Sioux River, south of the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude, also from this terminus to any point on the Missouri River south of the same parallel of latitude.

The Root River Valley and Southern Minnesota Railroad Company was originally chartered March 2, 1855, with a capital stock of $5,000,000. By the original act, it was to be constructed from the village of Hokah westward by the most feasible route to some point between the southern line of the Territory, and a point between township line 110 and 111, crossing the Minnesota River: Thence westward to the most feasible route to the Great Bend of the Missouri River. With privileges of branches from Hokali, via Target Lake to Eagle Bluff; alo another from Hokah to Brownsville and a third from some point on the main line east of range twelve west of Mower, Freeborn, and Faribault to the west line of the Territory. Under the new act the starting point was made La Crescent instead of Hokah, thence by Target Lake up the valley of the Root River to Rochester to a point of junction with the Transit Railroad. It was also authorized to construct a railroad from St. Paul and. St. Anthony, via Minneapolis to Shakopee, thence via Belle Plain, Le Sueur, Traverse des Sioux, St. Peter, Kasota, Mankato, and South Bend, to the southern boundary of the Territory in the direction of the Big Sioux River; also build its Brownsville branch from Hokah. By an act of the Legislature in 1857, the name of this road was changed to the Southern Minnesota Railroad Company.