Otranto

History

In May of 1854, a certain Lewis West, and his family (including: Orlando Wilder, A.J. Wilder and his two sons, Nelson M. and Frank R), went to visit a person called Lorenzo Merry. During this travel, they decided to settle and establish their claims along the Cedar River, believing that the river would come useful in the future as a source of energy, and that it was the perfect place to build a prosperous town. The settlement in this period started to grow in the 1850s, with the construction of the first shop in 1855 and the first post office, labelled with the name "Orville Post Office", with Davis L. West as the first postmaster. The settlement, which aspired to become a town, was slowly losing relevance, to the point that the post office, which was inaugurated back in 1855, The current population is 27 today.

Geography

The community is in northwestern Mitchell County, northwest of St. Ansgar, the post office serving Otranto, and northwest of Osage, the county seat. The Minnesota border is to the north. Otranto is located along the Cedar River, approximately southwest of Mona.

Race & ethnicity