One of the first settlers to reside in the Mille Lacs Lake area was Oscar E. Garrison, a land surveyor and civil engineer. In 1883, the township of Garrison was platted and named after Oscar. The town within Garrison township was known as "Rowe," in honor of Gib Rowe who lived nearby, and and "Mille Lacs," obviously after the large lake who laps on it's boarder. The Garrison post office was established in 1884, and from that point on, the town was called Garrison.