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Community History and <br />Heritage <br />1850-1900 <br />The community we know now as Hugo was long ago home to the <br />Dakota people who lived on the game, fish, berries and wild rice in <br />the region. The first European settlers came to the area in the early <br />1850's. Of mostly French and French-Canadian background, settlers <br />were attracted to the region because of the vast quantities of wild <br />game that were used in the fur trade. Family ties to French heritage <br />remained strong throughout Hugo's history, and to this day many of <br />Hugo's residents carry the same names of their French ancestors who <br />helped found the City. Of course, early settlers were not only French <br />descendants, but many immigrated from or were descendants of <br />Germany, Scandinavian countries, Canada and others. <br />On September 9, 1870, the area was organized into a 36 -square <br />mile Township and given the officially designated name of "Oneka <br />Township." The first governing body of Oneka Township operated <br />much the same way that local governments do today by making <br />budgets, passing ordinances, and administering the needs of the <br />community. The name "Oneka" was borrowed from Oneka Lake and <br />has its roots in the Dakotan word "onakan," which roughly translates <br />to "to strike or knock off," a reference to the harvesting of wild rice in a <br />canoe. <br />DRAFT Dec14-17 <br />for review only <br />Vifto <br />2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE COMMUNITY BACKGROUND 12 <br />