Currie is a city in Murray County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 224 at the 2020 census. Lake Shetek State Park is nearby. The city, notable for its tourism and recreational opportunities, is known as the "Gateway to Lake Shetek", the largest lake in Southwestern Minnesota and for being home to the End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

History

Currie was laid out in 1872 around a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

built by Neil and Archibald Currie. A post office has been in operation at Currie since 1874.

Geography

Currie is in northeastern Murray County and is surrounded by

Murray Township Murray Township may refer to: In Canada * Murray Township, Ontario In the United States * Murray Township, Newton County, Arkansas, in Newton County, Arkansas * Murray Township, Alameda County, California * Murray Township, Marshall County, K ...

Minnesota State Highway 30 Minnesota State Highway 30 (MN 30) is a highway in southwest and southeast Minnesota, which runs from South Dakota Highway 34 at the South Dakota state line near Airlie, west of Pipestone, and continues to its eastern terminus at its in ...

passes through the south side of the community, leading east to Dovray and west, then south, to Slayton, the Murray

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Murray County Road 38 runs north and south through Currie, and U.S. Highway 59 is to the west. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Currie has an area of , all of it recorded as land. The

Des Moines River The Des Moines River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately long from its farther headwaters.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...

has its source northwest of Currie, at the outlet of Lake Shetek, then flows through the north side of Currie and continues to the southeast toward Windom.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 233 people, 114 households, and 65 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 125 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 114 households, of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age in the city was 53.3 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.5% were from 25 to 44; 34.4% were from 45 to 64; and 27.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 225 people, 109 households, and 67 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 127 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.56%

, and 0.44% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population. There were 109 households, out of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.63. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 18.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,857, and the median income for a family was $34,821. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $18,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,767. About 7.3% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 25.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.3% of those 65 or over.

End-O-Line Railroad Park & Museum

End-O-Line Park is nestled on Currie's northern edge. Founded in 1872 by Neil and Archibald Currie, this place was thought to be the most beautiful country with the

moving across the prairie and Lake Shetek in the west. The park is along Murray County Road 38 near Minnesota Highway 30. The railroads were the first great achievement in transportation of the machine age. This achievement led to the expansion and growth of the West. It is this story, as well as the story of the area, that the museum tries to tell. A model railroad display, in

HO scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. The ...

, is one of the museum's highlights. It is an authentic reproduction of the Currie railroad yards as they were around the turn of the 20th century. The layout features scratch-built locomotives and structures, complete landscaping, a full wraparound mural, and complete sound effects. Visitors can hear the old steam locomotive puff and chug throughout the countryside, accented by the steam whistle, bell, and hiss of steam. District Number One, the Sunrise School, was moved to End-O-Line Park and restored by the Murray County Historical Society. The embossed tin ceilings and walls, vertical wainscoting, recitation bench and many blackboards are typical, but the triangular sunrise worked into the front and back of the schoolhouse is unique. The one-room school with tin dinner pails, water cooler, washbasin, old world maps, bell tower and rope, ink wells, and cloakrooms brings back memories to share with children. End-O-Line Park's section house, originally in

Comfrey ''Symphytum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common name comfrey (pronounced , from the Latin confervere to 'heal' or literally to 'boil together', referring to uses in ancient traditional medicin ...

, was built by

Chicago and Northwestern The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

for a section foreman and his family. A saltbox structure, the house has been restored to the early 1900 style.

Recreation

Currie has many outdoor activities available to the public. These include the bike trail that goes through Lake Shetek State Park, Lake Shetek, and local farmland. Just north of town, Lake Shetek is a popular vacation destination for people from all over southwest Minnesota. The lake has a population of approximately 600, and more during the summer. The Currie/Lake Shetek area has a combined population of almost 1,000 during the summer.

References

External links

*
Currie Community Guide

End O Line Railroad Park & Museum
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Murray County, Minnesota