Guide to Oklee Minnesota

Oklee is a city in Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States on Minnesota State Highway 222. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.60 square miles (1.55 km2), all of it land. The elevation is 1,152 ft (351 m) above sea level.

As of the census of 2010, there were 435 people, 195 households, and 110 families residing in the city. The population density was 725.0 inhabitants per square mile (279.9/km2). There were 225 housing units at an average density of 375.0 per square mile (144.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.3% White, 9.0% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 195 households of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.6% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 39.3 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

OKLEE, a city in sections 1 and 12 of Lambert, incorporated as a village on February 6, 1914, bears the name of Ole K. Lee, a Scandinavian settler, on whose farm the village was built. The Soo Line came in 1909, and the townsite was platted by Tri-State Land Company, who purchased the land from Lee that year.

When the Soo Line Railroad was built in 1910, towns began springing up along the tracks to make use of the new transportation facilities. Oklee was such a town. The small village of Lambert, one mile and a half west of present Oklee had been in existence for several years but it was more that a mile from the railroad. An enterprising man named O.K. Lee, who dealt in real estate, sold some of the Lambert businessmen on the advantages of being closer to the railroad and thus created the birth of Oklee, so named in honor of the owner of the land.

Many of the businesses of Lambert were moved into Oklee along with the building. Even St. Francis Xavier Church was moved into town. Before long, many homes and businesses sprung up in a short time and Oklee was a busy town.

Since Oklee was built near the Lost River, there was always a water problem after rains. At that time the banks of the river were quite low and frequently overflowed. Consequently, Oklee had problems with their streets whenever the rains came. This was rectified in later years when the streets were dug out and surfaced.

While the village of Lambert was predominantly of French ancestry, early Oklee was made up of French, Norwegians and a few other Nationalities. It became a town that worked together to provide the essentials of a good life, such as a fine school system and several churches in the area of the community of Oklee.

The land surrounding Oklee was flat and fertile and provided income for both farmers and merchants alike. Farming has always been the backbone of the community of Oklee.

While many of our farmsteads have disappeared, we still have many farms in our area that have been in the family for several generations and some over a century.

It is our hope that every individual will share in the pride we feel in our town and surrounding townships.

The recorded history of the ownership of the land on which the Village of Oklee is located dates back to the receiver's receipt issued by the U.S. Government June 22, 1882 to John C. Fitzgerald who became the first legal owner of the west one-mile quarter of section 1, township 150 N. He sold the quarter to Cornelius O'Neill. Since then ownership changed hands several times. It was acquired by Ole and Anne Vattendahl in 1896 who retained ownership for several years. The Tri-State Land Company, a corporation, purchased the land from E.E. Quenroe in 1910.

Mary O'Neill acquired a patent April 12, 1888 to the adjoining quarter to the east. After several changes in ownership the land was purchased by Edward o. Erickson in 1905 who sold it to O. K. Lee in 1909. Mr. Lee sold it to the Tri-State Land Company which had the town site surveyed, platted and named Oklee.

Polk County, but on December 31, 1896 Polk County was divided into two counties to form Polk and Red Lake County with the county seat at Red Lake Falls. Red Lake County at this time included what is now Pennington County, but differences of opinion developed between the people of the northern and southern halves of Red Lake County over the location of the court house, which led to the division of Red Lake County to form Red Lake and Pennington County, November 23, 1910.

The year 1905 is remembered as being very wet. The summer and fall rains made it impossible to harvest the crops on the village site. It, however, was good weather for ducks, as Oklee was situated in an excellent hunting area for water fowl.

In 1909 the Soo Line Railroad surveyed the course of the proposed route in preparation for locating and laying the roadbed. Oklee became the shipping point for freight, but mail which came in had to be addressed to Lambert until 1914 although the post office was located in Oklee. The first lots on the village site were auctioned off at a public sale to individual buyers in the spring of 1910. The corner lots were sold for $300 each and the other lots for $250. The lots were sold before there was railroad service or even tracks laid. However, the railroad was in the process of building the roadbed and in September, 1910 the first passenger train came to Oklee.
The summer of 1910 was unusually dry. There was no water in Lost River. The channel was void of water and in its place was green grass. This condition had its advantages as it made it a good year for construction work.

The next few years were destined to bring about change in the town site as there was considerable building activity as new business enterprises came in to locate in what promised to become a prosperous community.

Several buildings were erected on the village site during 1910. Peter Husby, local manager of the I.O. Manger Lumber Yard, of McIntosh, brought in the first loads of lumber from McIntosh and erected the first temporary building in Oklee. The one room building served both as an office and a home.

Courtesy Red Lake County

Main Street looking north, Oklee Minnesota, 1910
Courtesy Minnesota Historical Society - click image to enlarge or purchase

Visit The Oklee Photo Gallery for more recent and historical area photos

Bernier's Cabinets 106 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5105
C B Kustom & Collision 102 Red Lake County 5 Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4862
Cenex Convenience Store 302 Governor Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5184
Corner Pub 209 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5153
Country Stich'n 604 Lambert Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5744
Cyr Truck Lines 308 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5118
D & R Grocery 101 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5168
Dave's Electric 13633 290th Avenue SE Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5565
First Care Clinic Governor Street & 3rd Avenue Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4525
Head Start 207 N Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5144
Inter-County Community Council 207 N Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5144
Jack's Attic 301 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4510
Johnson Funeral Service Inc 105 Governor Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5177
Kiddie Zoo Daycare 12080 290th Avenue SE Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4572
Little Stars Child Care 301 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5006
Machinewell Inc 801 Elevator Road Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5040
Oak Park Lutheran Church 13478 330th Avenue SE Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5130
Oklee Ambulance Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5788
Oklee Cafe 301 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5666
Oklee City Clerk 301 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5183
Oklee Craft & Senior Center Main Street & 2nd Avenue Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5149
Oklee Farmers Co-Op Elevator 806 Elevator Road Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5125
Oklee Fire Department Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5788
Oklee Herald Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5181
Oklee Highway County Maintenance Shop County Road 5 Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5199
Oklee Launderette & Car Wash Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: n/a
Oklee Locker 210 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5599
Oklee Lumber Inc 301 Lambert Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5131
Oklee Quilting Supply Inc 205 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5151 Web: www.okleequilting.com Oklee Quilting Inc : - 100% Cotton Batting 100% Polyester Craft Fleece Broadcloth Pillow Forms 100% Polyester Bonded Batting Gift Certificates quilting supplies, oklee minnesota, shop, online shopping
Oklee School District 100 Governor Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5136 Toll Free: (877) 898-2501 Fax: (218) 796-5139 Web: www.oklee.k12.mn.us
Olson Truck Lines 28666 220th Street SE Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5115
Red Lake County Garage Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5199
Salem Lutheran Church 29531 180th Street SE Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5375
Security State Bank 201 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5157 Web: www.ssboklee.com
Simply Hair 104 Toupin Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4835
St. Francis Xavier Church 301 Governor Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5844
Swede's Paradise 18112 340 Avenue SE Trail Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5260
Swenson Equipment & Distributing 302 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5120
TJ's Tavern Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5153
Twisted Tower Computers 104 Main Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-4772 Web: www.twistedginger.com
US Post Office 206 2nd Avenue Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5127
Zion Lutheran Church 308 Lambert Street Oklee, MN 56742 Phone: (218) 796-5128

Oklee Minnesota Community Guide