Chokio MN

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Chokio was founded along the Wadsworth Trail in 1865. This trail was developed to carry supplies to Fort Wadsworth is Sisseton, South Dakota, from St. Cloud. The trail passed through this area about six miles north of Chokio's present site. A resting place was built and was called the "Half-way House". The Dakota Indian word for "half-way" or "part-way" is "chokio". When the railroad came through in 1880, the trail moved south, along with the railroad. The town of Chokio moved as well. Our earliest settlers came by covered wagon, on horseback, and on foot. By the time the railroad came through, there were already many settlers here from Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland, and French-Canada. More settlers came to this area when the railroad offered land--free and for sale--to help finance development of the railroad. The village of Chokio was organized in 1881, but was not legally incorporated until August 11, 1898. Chokio, population 418, is located along Highway 28 in the western portion of Stevens County in West Central Minnesota. The community is about 140 miles west of the Twin Cities, 100 miles south of Fargo and Moorhead, and 180 miles north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.