Koll, Mathias N., 1874-1934.

Mathias N. Koll was born May 4, 1874, in Cold Spring, Minnesota, the son of Lorenz (1849-1930) and Elizabeth Bold (1855-1915) Koll. He attended public schools and St. Cloud (Minn.) Normal School. In 1890 he began teaching in rural schools in Stearns and Douglas Counties and continued until 1898. During that time, he also attended Sauk Center Academy and Brown Business College (St. Cloud). In 1898 he became deputy county auditor of Douglas County. In 1901 he was an assistant cashier of Farmers National Bank of Alexandria (Minn.) and spent much of his time as a field man for the bank's real estate business. From August 1904 to March 1909 he was the receiver of the United States Land Office in Cass Lake, Minnesota. In 1909 he formed a real estate mortgage company and also sold real estate.

Koll helped organize, and was a member, in the following organizations: Cass Lake Commercial Club, Northern Minnesota Development Association, Minnesota Scenic Highway Association, Northern Minnesota Sheep Growers Association, Ten Thousand Lakes of Minnesota Association, Minnesota State Automobile Association, and other groups. He also drafted the constitution and bylaws for the incorporation of the Chippewa (Ojibwe) Indians of Minnesota (1913). He was active in state and local politics, and served as postmaster in Cass Lake from 1930-1934.

Koll married Dorothy Kapphahn, and they had five children: Hugo, Otto, Leo, Irene, and Ambrose. Koll died May 22, 1934 in Cass Lake.

From the guide to the Mathias N. Koll papers., 1880-1971 (bulk 1910-1934)., (Minnesota Historical Society)