Pomme de Terre, Minnesota

Puntches moved his general merchandise stock from the old stockade (Fort Pomme de Terre, located about 1 1/2 miles to the east) to the village.

[1] At its height, Pomme de Terre had two stores, two blacksmith shops, a grist mill, elevator, hotel and saloon.

The development of Herman, the growth of Elbow Lake as the county seat, and the failure of the railroad to come through Pomme de Terre (going instead to the north through Ashby) led to the eventual demise of the village.

The name Pomme de Terre is French and is translated as "apple of the earth," which usually refers to the potato.

In this case, however, it refers to the prairie turnip (Psoralea esculenta),[1] a potato-like root vegetable which was commonly eaten by the Sioux.