Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yellow Medicine County
U.S. county
Yellow Medicine County Courthouse in Granite Falls in 2007
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	Yellow Medicine River
Seat	Granite Falls
Largest city	Granite Falls
Area
• Total	763 sq mi (1,980 km2)
• Land	759 sq mi (1,970 km2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)  0.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,528
• Estimate  (2023)	9,467
• Density	12.6/sq mi (4.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Yellow Medicine County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its eastern border is formed by the Minnesota River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,528. Its county seat is Granite Falls.

The Upper Sioux Indian Reservation, related to the historical Yellow Medicine Agency that was here, is entirely within the county. It was established under the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, by which the Dakota ceded much territory in the region to the United States.

History

Yellow Medicine River

The county was established by the Minnesota legislature on March 6, 1871, with Granite Falls as the county seat. Its name comes from Yellow Medicine River, which runs through the eastern part of the county to the Minnesota. The river's name derives from the moonseed plant, Menispermum canadense, whose yellow root the native Dakota people used for medicinal purposes.

It was proposed in 1878 to create a new county, taken from the western portions of Yellow Medicine, Lincoln, and Lac qui Parle counties. The state legislature approved the petition (subject to local voter approval), and Governor Pillsbury signed the act on February 27, 1879, but the proposal failed to garner a combined majority of votes in the three counties, and the proposed Canby County did not come into being.

Geography

Yellow Medicine County lies on the west side of Minnesota. Its west border abuts the state of South Dakota. The Minnesota River flows east-southeast along the county's northeast side on its way to discharge into the Mississippi River. The Yellow Medicine River flows northeast through the eastern part of the county, discharging into the Minnesota near the midpoint of the county's eastern border. The Stony Run Creek flows east through the northeast part of the county; the Florida Creek flows northeast through the west end of the county, and the Lac qui Parle River also flows northeast through the west central part of the county. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, carved by drainages. The area is devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and slightly to the north; its highest point is on the west border, near its SW corner, at 1,732 ft (528 m) ASL. The county has an area of 763 square miles (1,980 km²), of which 759 square miles (1,970 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Lakes

Rivers and drainages

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Yellow Medicine para niños