Renville County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Renville County
U.S. county
Renville County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855 (created) November 8, 1866 (organized)
Named for	Joseph Renville
Seat	Olivia
Largest city	Olivia
Area
• Total	987 sq mi (2,560 km2)
• Land	983 sq mi (2,550 km2)
• Water	4.2 sq mi (11 km2)  0.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,723
• Estimate  (2023)	14,348
• Density	15.0/sq mi (5.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Renville County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,723. Its county seat is Olivia.

History

The Minnesota Territory legislature created the county on February 20, 1855. It was named for Joseph Renville, a fur trapper, trader, British officer in the War of 1812, and interlocutor with local Native American groups. Organization of the county's governing structure was completed on November 8, 1866, with Beaver Falls as county seat. Beginning in 1885, citizens in and around Olivia began pressing for the seat to be moved to Olivia, which happened in 1900.

1862 Dakota War

Renville County, located directly across the Minnesota River from the Lower Sioux Agency, was the site of extensive combat during the Dakota War of 1862. The U.S. army's defeats at the Battle of Redwood Ferry and the Battle of Birch Coulee at the hands of the Dakota both occurred in Birch Cooley Township, in addition to numerous Dakota raids on white homesteads in the county. The burned-out Joseph Brown House Ruins still stand, and various monuments throughout the County memorialize settlers killed in the conflict.

Birch Coulee Battlefield near Morton

Geography

The Minnesota River flows southeast along the county's southwestern border. Hawk Creek flows south through the county's western end, discharging into the Minnesota. Beaver Creek drains the central part of the county, flowing southeast before turning southwest to discharge into the Minnesota. The county terrain consists of rolling hills etched by drainages and sprinkled with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the south, with its highest point near the midpoint of the northern border, at 1,122 ft (342 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 987 square miles (2,560 km²), of which 983 square miles (2,550 km²) is land and 4.2 square miles (11 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Renville, Beltrami, and Stearns are Minnesota's only counties that abut nine other counties.

Lakes

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

• Beaver Falls
• Bechyn
• Churchill
• Lakeside

Ghost town

• Vicksburg

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Renville (Minnesota) para niños