Dahlgren Township, Minnesota

DAHLGREN Township, settled in 1854, organized April 5, 1864, was named Liberty in 1863. On May 9, 1864, the name of the town was changed to Dahlgren. This was done at the suggestion of the state auditor in honor of our distinguished admiral and because the name Liberty had already been appropriated by another town in the state. (History of the Minnesota Valley).

John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren, of Swedish parentage, was born in Philadelphia, November 13, 1809, and died in Washington on July 12, 1870. He became a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in 1837 and was assigned to ordnance duty in 1847 in Washington. Admiral Dahlgren introduced important improvements in naval armament, including inventing the Dahlgren gun. On July 18, 1862, he was appointed chief of the bureau of ordnance and the on February 7, 1863 became a rear admiral, gaining renown for his service through the Civil War.

Today, Dahlgren Township is in Carver County, Minnesota. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.9 square miles, of which 35.5 square miles is land and 0.4 square miles or 1.22% is water. The primary land use in Dahlgren Township is commercial agriculture around dairying, livestock and cash grain farming.

As of the census of 2010, the population was 1,331, there were 494 households in the township.