Churchs Ferry

History

The City of Churchs Ferry was founded in 1883 until September 30, 2022 when the town disincorporated and was turned over to Ramsey County. Churchs Ferry was incorporated as a village on March 5, 1897 and as a city on July 1, 1967. The town took its name from an early resident, Irvine Church, who operated a ferry service on Devils Lake, when the Minnie H steamboat also traversed its waters. The lake began shrinking after 1900, and soon became too shallow for commercial vessels. The prolonged drought of the Dust Bowl years impacted the lake, reducing it to a slough by 1940. The lake began to recover in the mid-20th century, returning to a depth that allowed the resumption of recreational use by the 1970s. Devils Lake began rising again in the early 1990s, and more than 400 homes around the lake have been relocated or destroyed. This includes much of the community of Churchs Ferry, one of two municipalities that have been bought out by government agencies. The other is Penn, although some people remain in both communities. Measures have since been implemented to alleviate ongoing damage caused by the increase in elevation, and the lake sits several feet below its outlet neat Tolna. On January 10, 2012, Churchs Ferry residents voted 5 to 2 to remain an incorporated town. On June 14, 2022, the town's 6 remaining residents voted to dissolve the city with a 5–1 vote. The city dissolved on September 1, 2022, with Paul Christenson being the last mayor of Churchs Ferry.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  189
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  177
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  173
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  167
• Blue-winged Teal

  Spatula discors (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  147
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  136
• Northern Shoveler

  Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  124
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  107