Lake County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake County
U.S. county
Lake County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 1, 1856
Named for	Lake Superior
Seat	Two Harbors
Largest city	Two Harbors
Area
• Total	2,991 sq mi (7,750 km2)
• Land	2,109 sq mi (5,460 km2)
• Water	881 sq mi (2,280 km2)  29%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,905
• Estimate  (2023)	10,855
• Density	3.6459/sq mi (1.40770/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,905. Its county seat is Two Harbors.

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area had long been inhabited by Native American groups. At the time of European contact, the principal Native American groups in the region were the Dakota (Sioux) and Ojibwe (also called Anishinabe or Chippewa). The economy of these groups was based on hunting, fishing and gathering, with wild rice being of particular importance. The first Europeans to explore the area were the French in the late 17th century who were followed by trappers, fur traders, missionaries, and explorers.

The Wisconsin Territory was established by the Federal Government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. Therefore, the Federal Government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Itasca, had its eastern section partitioned off on February 20, 1855, into two new counties: the western part was designated Newton and the eastern part was named Superior County. The territorial legislature returned to the matter on March 3, changing Superior County to Saint Louis County. Then on March 1, 1856, the county name was again changed, to Lake County, and the "Saint Louis County" name was given to the previous Newton County. With the new name came the designation of county seat at Beaver Bay, which had first been platted in 1856. The county's boundaries were altered in 1874, when its eastern part was partitioned off to create Cook County.

In 1868, iron ore was discovered on the Vermilion Range by George Stuntz. A spur of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad was extended to the Lake Superior shore, and a settlement quickly sprang up at the terminus. This settlement was incorporated as a village (Two Harbors) on March 9, 1888, and that same year a vote was taken to transfer the county seat from Beaver Bay to Two Harbors (1888).

Commercial fishing on Lake Superior became important during the late 1880s, spurred by the arrival of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants to the North Shore. In 1890, the Merritt brothers discovered the Mesabi Range. The Two Harbors Lighthouse was built on Agate Bay in 1892. Ten years later, five Two Harbors businessmen signed the articles of incorporation for a new mining company named 3M. Today, 3M Corporation has over 70,000 employees worldwide and produces more than 50,000 adhesive household products, now has its headquarters in Saint Paul.

In 1906, the Court House, which stands to this day, was built. In 1907, one of the nation's first steel ore docks was built in Two Harbors. In 1944, one of the first HMOs in the United States was created in Lake County to serve railroad employees. A second iron ore boom took place in the 1950s with the development of the taconite beneficiation process for turning lean, low-grade iron ore into a shippable product.

In 2021, the Greenwood Fire burned over 10,500 acres of the county southwest of Isabella, beginning near Greenwood Lake.

Geography

Lake County lies on the north side of Minnesota. Its north border abuts the south border of the province of Ontario, Canada, and its south border is formed by Lake Superior. However, the Canadian border is inaccessible from Lake County due to the heavily wooded terrain of the Superior National Forest and rugged terrain in the northern part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling mountains and hills, heavily wooded, and dotted with lakes and ponds; which makes any border crossing to Canada from the county impossible, but the Canadian border can be accessed through Grand Portage, International Falls or Baudette. The terrain slopes both ways from a crestline that runs from its northeast line to its southwest line; the county's highest point is Stony Tower Hill at 2,301' ASL. The county has a total area of 2,991 square miles (7,750 km²), of which 2,109 square miles (5,460 km²) is land and 881 square miles (2,280 km²) (29%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Minnesota by area.

Lake County is located in the Arrowhead Region of Northeastern Minnesota.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

• Beaver Bay
• Silver Bay
• Two Harbors (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Finland

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Townships

Unorganized territories

• Lake No. 1
• Lake No. 2

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lake (Minnesota) para niños