Pipestone County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pipestone County
U.S. county
Pipestone County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	May 23, 1857 (created) 1879 (organized)
Named for	Pipestone
Seat	Pipestone
Largest city	Pipestone
Area
• Total	466 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Land	465 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,424
• Estimate  (2023)	9,245
• Density	20.3/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Pipestone County is a special area in the state of Minnesota, USA. It is called a county. In 2020, about 9,424 people lived here. The main city and government center is Pipestone.

History of Pipestone County

This county was officially started on May 23, 1857. At first, it was called Rock County. But there was a famous pipestone quarry here. So, in 1862, the names were swapped with the neighboring Rock County. This made sure the county with the pipestone quarry was named Pipestone County.

Pipestone County really started its government in 1879. The city of Pipestone became its main center. The name "Pipestone" comes from special red stones found here. Native Americans used these stones, called pipestone, to make pipes.

You can also find the Pipestone National Monument in the county. It is just north of the city of Pipestone.

Geography and Nature

Pipestone County is located right on Minnesota's border with South Dakota. The Rock River starts in this county. It then flows south into Rock County.

The land here has gentle, rolling hills. Farmers use most of the land for growing crops. The highest point in the county is about 1,995 feet (608 meters) above sea level. The county covers about 466 square miles. Most of this is land, with a small amount of water.

Main Roads in Pipestone County

These are the most important roads that go through Pipestone County:

Neighboring Counties

Pipestone County shares its borders with these other counties:

Special Protected Areas

Pipestone County has several areas set aside for nature and wildlife. These include:

Lakes and Water

Pipestone County is interesting because it does not have any natural lakes. Only a few counties in Minnesota are like this. However, it does have lakes that people created, called reservoirs. These include:

• Indian Lake
• Split Rock Lake (found in Split Rock Creek State Park)

People and Population (Demographics)

The number of people living in Pipestone County has changed over time. Here is a look at the population from different years:

Population in 2020

In 2020, the United States Census collected information about the people in Pipestone County. This table shows the different groups of people living there:

Cities and Towns

Pipestone County Administrative map

Pipestone County has several cities and smaller communities.

Cities in Pipestone County

These are the main cities located in Pipestone County:

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or towns:

Townships

A township is a small area of land with its own local government. Here are the townships in Pipestone County:

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Pipestone para niños