The township of Hay Creek takes its name from a town that developed in the vicinity of a flour mill that was constructed on Hay Creek in Goodhue County, MN, in 1866. The stream called Hay Creek originates in springs west of Goodhue, MN, and empties into the Mississippi River west of the city of Red Wing, MN. The location of the mill was just west of the current westerly border of the township at approximately 44 degrees, 29 minutes north latitude. The mill had access from roads and cartways that ran through the township. An 1870 census showed the following town tradesmen, all immigrants from Germany:  Michael Hartman, cooper; Joseph Schultz, hotel keeper; William Bergdorf, tailor; Henry Wolpers, stonemason; and Caspar Friedman, carpenter. In addition a Lutheran clergyman, Rev. John horst, was listed. A post office was maintained in the town by Albert A Burkard from its opening in 1874 to its closing in 1902¹

¹ Meyer. Roy W. (2003) The Ghost Towns & Discontinued Post Offices of Goodhue County, Red Wing, MN, The Goodhue County Historical Society Press