Watonwan County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Watonwan County
U.S. county
Watonwan County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 25, 1860
Named for	Watonwan River
Seat	St. James
Largest city	St. James
Area
• Total	440 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	435 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Water	4.8 sq mi (12 km2)  1.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,253
• Estimate  (2023)	11,077
• Density	25.9/sq mi (10.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Watonwan County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,253. Its county seat is St. James.

History

In 1849, the recently organized Minnesota Territory legislature authorized the creation of nine large counties across the territory. In 1853, one of those original counties, Dakota, had a large area partitioned off to create Blue Earth County. In 1855 the western part of Blue Earth was partitioned to create Brown County. On February 25, 1860, the southern part of Brown was partitioned to create this county, with Madelia as the designated county seat. The county was named for its eponymous river, whose name reflects the Dakota word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish." The word first appears in the written record on an 1843 map of the area so naming the river.

In 1869 the first settlers arrived in the area of the future Saint James, and the area began growing. In 1870 an extension of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway was terminated at the village, and railway officials decided to name the terminus Saint James. By 1878 the town had grown to the extent that a vote was taken to move the county seat there.

Geography

The terrain of Watonwan County consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its southwest corner, at 1,293 ft (394 m) ASL. The county has an area of 440 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km²) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km²) (1.1%) is water. The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastward through the northern part of the county.

Major highways

Airports

• St. James Municipal Airport (JYG, LID) - 3 miles (4.8 km) east of St. James

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Watonwan para niños