Topelius
Ghost town · Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Topelius is a ghost town in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It is one of 3 former communities in Otter Tail County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 11th among the 45 Minnesota counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Topelius as a historical populated place on the Deer Creek topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 46.4792° N, 95.2861° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Deer Creek |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,377 ft |
| Nearest living town | Bluffton, MN |
| Distance to it | 2.6 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 2073022 |
| Coordinates | 46.47917, -95.28611 |
What's there now
Topelius is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Bluffton, MN (population 260), about 2.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,377 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Leaf Riverghost town · Wadena County · 9.8 mi
- Leaf Cityghost town · Otter Tail County · 9.9 mi
- Shell Cityghost town · Wadena County · 27.1 mi
- Philbrookghost town · Todd County · 30.4 mi
- Oak Lakeghost town · Becker County · 39.8 mi
- Pomme de Terreghost town · Grant County · 43 mi
- Thorsborgghost town · Grant County · 45.6 mi
- Robertsghost town · Otter Tail County · 47.1 mi
- Old Crow Wingghost town · Crow Wing County · 47.4 mi
Questions
Where is Topelius?
Topelius is in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, at 46.4792, -95.2861.
How many ghost towns are in Otter Tail County?
Otter Tail County, Minnesota has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.