Tenney, Minnesota

Tenney is a city in Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was six at the 2000 census. The City of Tenney is the smallest functioning unit of government in the United States.

Geography

Location of Tenney, Minnesota

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.1 km² (0.0 mi²). 0.1 km²; (0.0 mi²;) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

History

The city of Tenney was named for the owner of its townsite, lumberman John P. Tenney, because of his willingness to give land to the railroad which came through in 1885. The first house was built by his son-in-law, Fred Maechler. The post office was established in 1887, and the city was incorporated on November 30, 1901. At this time the land was surveyed and the original plat was approved. The city originally encompassed four square miles, but it never grew enough to meet its boundaries, so in 1916 the farmers petitioned their land from the city, and their request was granted. According to an unpublished town history written in the mid 1980s, the city's population peaked at about 200 in 1910. Before 1910 the city boasted a church, three grain elevators, a hardware store, two mercantile stores, a butcher shop, bank, machine shop, implement shop, blacksmith shop, pool hall, lumberyard, and a hotel, which also housed the barber shop, saloon, and post office. In 1909 a small post office building was erected and used until 1952, when Leonard Hardie became postmaster and moved the post office to the general store. Electricity arrived in Tenney in 1914, through a franchise granted to Ottertail Power Company. After 1910 a steady population decline was driven by the lack of significant population in outlying areas, migration to larger urban centers, and the absence of dynamic economic factors to generate wealth. US Census bureau data indicates that the population fell to 102 in 1920, 89 in 1930, 89 in 1940, 62 in 1950, 35 in 1960 and 24 in 1970. As local establishments burned down or went out of business they were not replaced, and finally the post office was discontinued in 1980 when the population was pegged at 19 by the census bureau. Today the only remaining business in town is the elevator. The only commercial building remaining on the main drag is the former James Bigsby general store, later the G.A. Klugman general store, which also housed the post office until its closing in 1980. The building has living quarters in the back, but presently it is vacant.

The population bottomed out at 2 sometime after the 2000 census, but due to the energetic efforts of current residents, the population has again risen to six, and efforts to attract more residents are ongoing.

Description

The city encompasses two and a half blocks, including one vacant commercial building (the old general store and post office), a church building (now the city hall), a community center, three inhabited homes, one vacant dwelling, and one derelict dwelling. The ruins of the Tenney School, a two-room brick schoolhouse which operated from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1950s, are visible at the northwest corner of town, and the Wheaton-Dumont Elevator runs the length of town on the south side along Minnesota Highway 55. The old Tenney Fire Hall is on the east side of Corcord Avenue.

Location

Tenney is located on Minnesota Highway 55 in west-central Minnesota. It is about 2 miles east of the junction of Minnesota Highway 55 and US Route 75. It is six miles east of Fairmount, ND; 63 miles south of Moorhead, MN; and 170 miles northwest of Minneapolis, MN. It is at roughly the same Longitude as Tulsa, OK and Dallas, TX, and approximately the same Latitude as Walla Walla, WA and Montreal, Quebec.

Major Highways

• U.S. Highway 75
• Minnesota State Highway 55

Points of Interest

The Tenney Fire Hall

The Fire Hall, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a small wood frame building with a bell tower and flag mast, built to house the town's two hand-pulled chemical fire engines. The rearmost part of the building also contained the town jail. This building is currently privately owned, but the city is hopeful of reacquiring it and performing important repairs. According the the National Register's Inventory-Nomination Form, the Fire Hall is significant for the following reasons:

1. "Government functions were often centered in towns, [including] places as small as Tenney with its Fire Hall..."
2. "Though of simple metal-sided, frame construction, the diminutive Tenney Fire Hall...is a visual landmark in the small town."

City Hall

The City Hall is at 295 Concord Avenue (Concord is the town's main north-south street). It is open to the public 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Visitors are invited to come inside and sign the town's guestbook. The building was built in the early 1900s as a community church. Later it was a Baptist church. From 1914 to 1946 it was called the Evangelical church. 1946-1968 it became the Evangelical United Brethren church. From 1968 until closing in 1997 it was the Tenney United Methodist Church. The building was purchased by the city at a cost of $11 in 1999, and is now undergoing a significant renovation and expansion.

The Wheaton-Dumont Cooperative Elevator

The Co-op has its primary rail terminal in Tenney. In 2003, 20 million bushels of grain were trucked into Tenney from other elevators, and shipped out by rail. At that time it was estimated that in 2004 this figure would rise to 32 million bushels. The elevator is served by the Soo Line Railroad (AAR reporting mark SOO), which is the United States arm of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Exploring

The residents of Tenney are accustomed to visitors coming to have a look around, and welcome those who wish to explore and learn about the town. However, it is not appropriate for visitors to enter any of the buildings of the city without permission. Remember, however small and remote the city is, the land and buildings are still private property or city property. A vacant building is not the same thing as an abandoned building.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6 people, 4 households, and 2 families residing in the city. The population density was 115.8/km²; (298.0/mi²;). There were 8 housing units at an average density of 154.4/km²; (397.3/mi²;). The racial makeup of the city was 100.00% [White (U.S. Census)|White].

There were 4 households out of which none had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, and 50.0% were non-families. 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 50.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.50 and the average family size was 2.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.3% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 33.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 61 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $8,750, and the median income for a family was $0. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,000. All of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line. None of those under the age of 18 and all of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Readers are advised to maintain perspective when reading the above paragraphs. Tenney's population is so small that it is impossible to extract or extrapolate meaningful information from the data provided. Moreover, a move or change of status by even one resident has a major effect on trends and percentages projected from the statistics contained herein.

Miscellaneous

• Tenney's ZIP Code is 56582.
• Tenney's city bird is the Great Horned Owl.