Overview

Unrest due to the looming World War was a major factor that led the Dutch to consider moving to America. Others hoped to improve their condition by owning their own land or by participating in the fur trade.

These early settlers came to Minnesota with great courage and little knowledge of the potentially harsh climate. It was the promise of rich farmland that enticed them to travel to the Butler area.

Upon arrival, they were not impressed with their dismal surroundings. The living quarters consisted of tar shacks and only two or three farmhouses existed at the time. Their first tobacco crop was destroyed by hail, and insects ruined their potato plants. Some of the settlers returned to Holland, and some left to find work elsewhere.

Despite impassable roads, mosquitos, potato bugs, snakes, and strange languages and customs, many stayed to make a life in Butler Township. Those resilient individuals then convinced their friends and relatives to also make the trip to Butler. Eventually the community began to thrive.

A church was built, the land was farmed, and through the many hardships, they survived. They became a close-knit community who encouraged each other through difficulty and celebrated each other during the good times. Their heritage of faith, perseverance, and stability was important to Butler Township, Otter Tail County, and to Minnesota.

Letter from Francis Murray, 1910.

Dutch settlers arriving in New York City in 1910. The photo was taken in Chicago, as they transferred trains on their way to Butler, Minnesota.

“Across the Ocean,” mixed media collage detail.

“Hollanders Arrive in Butler,” mixed media collage.