Crow Wing County, Minnesota
| Crow Wing County, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
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 Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota |
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 Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | May 23, 1857 (created) 1870 (organized) |
| Named for | Crow Wing River |
| Seat | Brainerd |
| Largest city | Brainerd |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,157 sq mi (2,997 km2) |
| • Land | 999 sq mi (2,587 km2) |
| • Water | 157 sq mi (407 km2), 14% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 63,428 |
| • Density | 55/sq mi (21/km²) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www |
Crow Wing County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 62,500. Its county seat is Brainerd. The county was formed in 1857 and organized in 1870.
Crow Wing County is included in the Brainerd, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Crow Wing county was established on May 23, 1857 and organized March 3, 1870. It is named for the Crow Wing River, which is itself named for an island in the river which is shaped like the wing of a crow.
Twenty years or more before the county was outlined and named, a trading post was established on the east side of the Mississippi River opposite the mouth of the Crow Wing River. In 1837 there was again a station of the fur traders facing the northern mouth of the Crow Wing River. A few years later it became the center of Indian trading and had the general supply store for the area. By 1866, the village contained about 600 whites and Chippewas and was one of the major population centers in Minnesota. Although the county seat, Crow Wing was soon superseded by Brainerd and eventually became a ghost town known as Old Crow Wing, its memory is preserved by Crow Wing State Park.
Brainerd township was founded in 1870 when the Northern Pacific survey determined that the crossing of the Mississippi should be there. It became a city on November 19, 1881. The name was chosen in honor of the wife of J. Gregory Smith, the first president of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Mrs. Brainerd Smith was the author of novels, books of travel and other works.
The Northern Pacific Railroad ran its first train to Brainerd, a special train, on March 11, 1871 and its regular passenger service began the next September. The first passenger train from the Twin Cities, by way of Sauk Rapids, came November 1, 1877.
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