Editing Cosmos, Minnesota (section)

== History ==
[[File:Business district in Cosmos, Minnesota.jpg|thumb|left|Business district]]Cosmos Township was first settled by Daniel Jackman, from [[Maine]], in 1867. On his arrival, until he could build his house, he lived in a tent and cooked on an open fire. He took up a homestead in section 26. He returned to [[Minneapolis]] the following spring, but immediately returned and built his home in the summer of 1868. In 1877, he made a trip to the [[Black Hills]] and spent the season in gold mining, but returned in the fall. When the township was organized, the first election was held at his house. He was elected the first chairman of the board of supervisors and held that office for three years.

Several others followed that first year, such as [[American Civil War|Civil War]] veteran Isaac L. Layton or Leighton from Maine, Hansom W. Young from [[New Brunswick]], and Daniel S. Hoyt in 1867 as a surveyor from [[Massachusetts]]. The first two were the first farmers and they planted wheat. Originally, the town was called "Nelson" after Ole K. Nelson, from [[Norway]], who was credited with bringing the first team of horses and plow and breaking the first soil. On January 25, 1870, the town and township were incorporated and its current name of Cosmos was proposed by surveyor and township clerk Daniel Hoyt. ''Cosmos'' is an ancient Greek word meaning order and harmony or "represents the university of created things and its synonym is harmony."{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Cosmos remained small until rumors spread around 1910 that a railroad would be built. In 1922, the Luce Railroad ([[Minnesota Western Railroad|Minnesota Western]]) was constructed, and Cosmos continued to grow. On September 24, 1926, the present village plat was made and Cosmos became an incorporated village. Hoyt was elected the first township clerk. He froze to death in February 1870, trying to walk on foot to the [[Minnesota River]]. The city was incorporated as a village on September 21, 1926, and finally as a city in 1969. A post office was established as in [[Renville County, Minnesota|Renville County]] in 1870, then to [[McLeod County, Minnesota|McLeod County]] in 1871, and finally it was transferred to Meeker County in 1872. Isaac Layton was the postmaster.  The post office closed in 1906 and re-opened in 1924. The town had a railway station serving several rail lines, including the Minnesota Western. The town sits along the South Fork of the Crow River. Today the [[Luce Line Trail]] runs from Cosmos to Minneapolis.

While the town had been organized in 1870, it wasn't officially incorporated as a village until 1926.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Halvorson |first=Darlene |title=Meeker County Memories |publisher=Meeker County Historical Society |year=1984}}</ref>