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Hutchinson and Hutchinson Township Hutchinson Hutchinson takes its name from three brothers who were among the founders of the community in 1855. The brothers - Asa, Judson, and John - were members of the famous Hutchinson family of singers, who sang popular and patriotic music throughout the US between 1841 and 1865. Although the initial settlement consisted of only two cabins and a tavern of hewn logs, the spring of 1856 saw the arrival more settlers claiming land for farms around Hutchinson. The war with the Dakota temporarily halted the growth of the tiny community in 1862. In 1866, the Hutchinson Flouring Mill opened for business. Powered by the mill dam on the Crow River, the mill produced wheat and rye flour, grain, feed, and corn meal. By 1880, Hutchinson's population had risen to 800. The community was incorporated as a village during the following year. The growing village contained two general stores, three drug stores, two hardware stores, two hotels, a flour mill, a sawmill, and a wagon shop. The village was incorporated as the City of Hutchinson in 1904. Rapid growth over the past 40 years has made Hutchinson the largest community in McLeod County. A 1991 estimate placed the city's population at 11,519, or almost one-third of the population of McLeod County. Manufacturing of high tech products, counters and fixtures, steel fabrication, trailers and hitches, yeast, and wood products provide the economic base of the community. Downtown Hutchinson and other nearby shopping areas offer all the goods and services needed by residents and visitors. Another attraction for trail users, the McLeod County Historical Society, has excellent displays of local history. Hutchinson claims it has the second-oldest parks and recreation system in the USA, with the dedication of 15 acres of land for parks at the time of the platting of the city in 1855. Today, the community has 35 parks covering more than 375 acres. The Luce Line cuts through the riverside park areas and the Gopher Campfire Wildlife Refuge. A new pedestrian/bike bridge over the Crow River between Main and Adams Street will connect the Luce Line to parks and the south side of the city. The Luce Line runs east-west through the center of Hutchinson, and provides an important link in Hutchinson's Light Traffic Project to improve bicycle and pedestrian transportation for everyday use by residents. Paving of parts of the Luce Line within the town of Hutchinson was completed in the summer of 1997, by the city. The trail borders Otter and Campbell Lakes, which were formed by impoundment of the South Fork of the Crow Wing River. Anglers use the trail edges and the trail bridge for fishing. Hutchinson Township About three miles of the Luce Line cross Hutchinson Township, east of the city of Hutchinson. The 1990 population of this rural McLeod County township was 1,069.   LUCELINE.COM Along the Way | Trail Events | Organizations | This & That History | About This Site | Contact Us | Luce Line Home Page