West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota
township in Jackson County, Minnesota
West Heron Lake Township is a township in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 202 at the 2000 census.
West Heron Lake Township was organized in 1874, and named for its location west of Heron Lake.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 27.5 square miles (71.2 km2), of which 27.4 square miles (70.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km2) (0.40%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 202 people, 69 households, and 60 families residing in the township. The population density was 7.4 people per square mile (2.8/km2). There were 75 housing units at an average density of 2.7/sq mi (1.1/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.51% White, 1.49% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.
There were 69 households, out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.1% were married couples living together, 1.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.0% were non-families.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota” is township in Jackson County, Minnesota. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through West, Heron and Lake, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “township in Jackson County, Minnesota” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1918198. Authority coordinates are 43.727, -95.284. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2000 and 1874.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota primary sources, West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota archive and West research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “West Heron Lake Township, Jackson County, Minnesota” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.