Sauk Rapids
| Sauk Rapids, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
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 Location of Sauk Rapids within Benton County and state of Minnesota |
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| Coordinates: 45°35′34″N 94°9′50″W / 45.59278°N 94.16389°WCoordinates: 45°35′34″N 94°9′50″W / 45.59278°N 94.16389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Benton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.35 sq mi (16.45 km2) |
| • Land | 6.10 sq mi (15.80 km2) |
| • Water | 0.25 sq mi (0.65 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,033 ft (315 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,773 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 13,424 |
| • Density | 2,093.9/sq mi (808.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56379 |
| Area code(s) | 320 |
| FIPS code | 27-58684 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0651235 |
| Website | www.ci.sauk-rapids.mn.us |
Sauk Rapids is a city in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,773 at the 2010 census and is 13,424 according to 2015 census estimates. It is located on a set of rapids on the Mississippi River near its confluence with the Sauk River.
Sauk Rapids is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sauk Rapids was originally little more than a forest of oak, maple and basswood trees along the Mississippi River until the first home was constructed there in 1851, a large mansion named Lynden Terrace erected by W.H. Wood. Soon other settlers followed and the town was named Sauk Rapids after the rapids just below the Sauk River's mouth on the Mississippi. Soon a general store was built, then a hotel, and a large jail. The first settlers organized a Congregational church that was soon followed by a Methodist, an Episcopalian and a Lutheran church. The first paper outside of St. Paul was the "Sauk Rapids Frontiersman," founded in 1854.
A flour mill was erected in 1875, but was destroyed in 1886. In 1876, the first bridge was built, was destroyed later in 1876, but rebuilt in 1879. The first school was built in 1886.
In 1874, Sauk Rapids was the end of the line for the local railroad. All the settlers from as far away as the upper Red River Valley brought their produce there to ship it. A six-horse stage coach made bi-weekly trips between St. Cloud and Crow Wing.
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