The area included the present townships of Sterling, Mapleton, and Danville.

[5] In the winter of 1854-55 A. Murphy, a New York City school teacher, ran a newspaper ad for a meeting to form a colony to locate in the territory of Minnesota to establish their homes.

Through advertising the colony drew membership from the northeastern states, the majority from New York; almost all had English or Scottish surnames.

[6] The group that came out of this was called The Minnesota Settlement Association, with A. Murphy as the president.

Robert Taylor was authorized to go to southern Minnesota to select the best location for the settlement.

Fletcher, who had originally helped survey lands around Sterling and Mapleton Townships.

[6] Settlement members bought shares for $10 each which entitled them to cheap transportation west, an opportunity to claim 160 acres of farmland, and one lot in a town site to be platted in the center of the settlement.

After a few days thé colonists started for the land that Mr. Taylor had secured by foot and ox cart.

Most of the disappointed scattered; some went to the timber country near Mankato, others crossed into Faribault County, and a large number returned east very disgruntaled.

15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.