The Cutlerites

Clitherall was settled by the Cutlerites, a branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints on May 6, 1865. This was the first permanent settlement in Otter Tail County.

The Journey North to Clitherall

After the death of Cutler in 1864 due to pulmonary tuberculosis, arrangements were made for seven families to begin the eight hundred mile journey north to Minnesota. They stopped at Red Wing, where they spent the remainder of that year and the first part of the following year. The families lived in rented houses and the men worked at whatever they could find, storing up supplies for the remainder of their journey. After leaving Red Wing, they camped in an unprotected spot and a blizzard swooped down upon them. For three days the storm raged and the cold was so intense that an Indian caught out in the blizzard froze to death. During their journey the trail they were following led them through a burning forest. There were flames on both sides of the road and the smoke was so dense that the travelers were unable to see. It was as dangerous to go back as is was to go forward, so they kept going until they came to a stream. Across the stream was safety, but the bridge they needed to cross was in flames. The men put out the fire, and after a little repairing of the bridge they were able to safely cross to the other side.

On May 6, 1865, the little band of home-seekers arrived at their destination on the north shore of Clitherall Lake and laid the foundations for the first non-Native American settlement in Otter Tail County.

How Clitherall Got Its Name

Almost immediately, the Cutlerites broke ground and planted 60 acres of grain and vegetables. They built several crude log cabins and were soon joined by others. Thus the village of Clitherall was born.

Clitherall lake, village and township were named after George B. Clitherall, a United States land agent at Otter Tail City from 1858-1861. Born in North Carolina and long time resident of Alabama, Clitherall returned to the south at the outbreak of the Civil War and joined the Mobile County Home Guard.

New Town Village

In 1881, more than a decade later, when the railroad began acquiring its right-of-way, the townsite was ignored and tracks were laid two miles away. In an effort to protect the survival of the community, the 40 or so buildings that made up the original village were either moved, razed or simply abandoned to meet the new railroad. Eventually the original settlement became a distant memory.

Camp Corliss

Camp Corliss, was the pioneer resort in this area. In July 1886, Eben E. Corliss built a summer cottage on Clitherall Lake. By June of 1893 Camp Corliss was well established, and in 1902 a telephone line was extended from Clitherall to the camp. Eben Corliss sold the camp in 1911. The camp was later sold to the Walter Millers, who changed the name to Bonnie Beach.

“The cottages were small and close together, with approximately three people to a cottage,” a visitor named Keane remembered a stay at the camp in 1906. “The floors were unpainted pine, no rugs, double iron beds, two small windows with no screens. There was a pine commode with a pitcher of water and a large basin, and a mug to hold toothbrushes. In front there was an open porch, just a roof and floor big enough to keep out the sun and rain and shake the sand off your bare feet. There were candles and a kerosene lamp. There were no bug repellents then, and we built a smudge of green grass in a dishpan on the floor in our cabin to drive out the clouds of mosquitoes. The guests were mostly upper class people.”

“The main occupation was rowing and fishing, and for the kids it was fishing and mostly swimming. The boys had a bag swing that swung out over deep water. They would climb the tree, mount the bag and swing out over the lake and drop off.”