Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lac qui Parle County
U.S. county
Lac qui Parle County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 6, 1871
Named for	"Lake that speaks" French
Seat	Madison
Largest city	Dawson
Area
• Total	778 sq mi (2,020 km2)
• Land	765 sq mi (1,980 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.7%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,719
• Estimate  (2023)	6,630
• Density	8.8/sq mi (3.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Lac qui Parle County (/ˌlæk ki ˈpɑːrl/ lak-_-kee-_-parl) is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,719. Its county seat is Madison. The largest city in the county is Dawson.

History

The name of the county is a French translation of the Dakota name, "Mde Lyedan," meaning "lake that speaks."

In 1862 the Minnesota legislature authorized creation of a county to be called Lac qui Parle on an area north of the Minnesota River. However, that initiative was not approved by the local voters affected, so the proposed county did not come into existence. Nine years later (March 6, 1871) the legislature authorized creation of the present Lac qui Parle County, south of the Minnesota River, and it was approved by local voters. The county seat was established at Lac qui Parle village.

In 1884 a settlement was platted at the railway stop in Madison Township (named for Madison, Wisconsin). The settlement, also named Madison, was incorporated in 1885, and in 1889 the county government was moved from Lac qui Parle village to this new town, which incorporated as a city in 1902.

In 1886, a county-wide election chose Madison as the county seat. 150 men and 40 teams of horses rode to Lac qui Parle village, where the town hall was at the time, and dragged the building to Madison.

A new county courthouse was built in Madison in 1899, and in 1903 the Madison City Hall was completed. A total of four fires swept the city's main area during the early years of the twentieth century, resulting in most wood structures in the area being replaced with brick buildings.

A March 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked this as Minnesota's healthiest county.

The county reached its peak population of 15,554 in 1920. However, the county seat continued its population growth until 1960, when 2,380 residents were counted.

Geography

Lac qui Parle County is on the west side of Minnesota. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of South Dakota. The Minnesota River flows southeastward along the county's NE border, creating Marsh Lake and Lac qui Parle Reservoir The Minnesota River flow is augmented by Yellow Bank River near the county's north corner, and by Lac qui Parle River near the county's east border. The south fork of the Yellow Bank flows northward through the west portion of the county, and meets the north fork of the Yellow Bank in the north end of the county; the combined flow discharges into the Minnesota at the county's NE border. The Lac qui Parle flows eastward through the lower portion of the county, discharging into the Minnesota near the community of Lac qui Parle.

The county terrain consists of rolling hills, knolls and short bluffs near the west end, running to a steep bluff overlooking the Minnesota River valley on its east border. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 1,404 ft (428 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 778 square miles (2,020 km²), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km²) is land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (1.7%) is water.

The county's northern boundary is defined by the Minnesota River. Two tributaries, the Lac qui Parle River and the Yellow Bank River, flow through the county to discharge into the Minnesota.

Salt Lake is found the county's western border. The lake is the only alkaline lake in Minnesota. Salt Lake is a popular bird watching location because it is home to 145 species of birds that are not found other places in the area. Rare plants and insects have also been known to inhabit the region.

Lakes

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Extinct town

• Williamsburg

Education

School districts include:

• Canby Public School District
• Dawson-Boyd Public School District
• Lac qui Parle Valley School District
• Montevideo Public School District
• Ortonville Public Schools
• Yellow Medicine East School District

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lac qui Parle para niños