Tofte was founded in 1893 by Norwegian settlers (and twin brothers) Andrew and John Tofte, their sister Torget, and her husband Hans Engelsen. Tofte takes its name from the Norwegian birthplace of its founders. They originally named the town "Carlton" for nearby
Carlton Peak, but the name was already used by the town of
Carlton, Minnesota. In 1968, Engelsen's nephew Chris Tormondson wrote a booklet titled
Tofte: A collection of facts and tales of the North Shore area of Lake Superior as told to Bill Westphal. Much of the town was destroyed by a forest fire in 1910, but it was rebuilt. ==Attraction==