Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
Lac qui Parle County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,719. Its county seat is Madison. The largest city in the county is Dawson.
History
The name of the county is French for "Lake who speaks."
In 1862 the Minnesota legislature authorized creation of a county to be called Lac qui Parle on an area north of the Minnesota River. However, that initiative was not approved by the local voters affected, so the proposed county did not come into existence. Nine years later (March 6, 1871) the legislature authorized creation of the present Lac qui Parle County, south of the Minnesota River, and it was approved by local voters. The county seat was established at Lac qui Parle village.
In 1884 a settlement was platted at the railway stop in Madison Township (named for Madison, Wisconsin). The settlement, also named Madison, was incorporated in 1885, and in 1889 the county government was moved from Lac qui Parle village to this new town, which incorporated as a city in 1902.
In 1886, a county-wide election chose Madison as the county seat. 150 men and 40 teams of horses rode to Lac qui Parle village, where the town hall was at the time, and dragged the building to Madison.
A new county courthouse was built in Madison in 1899, and in 1903 the Madison City Hall was completed. A total of four fires swept the city's main area during the early years of the twentieth century, resulting in most wood structures in the area being replaced with brick buildings.
A March 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked this as Minnesota's healthiest county.
The county reached its peak population of 15,554 in 1920. However, the county seat continued its population growth until 1960, when 2,380 residents were counted.
Geography
Lac qui Parle County is on the west side of Minnesota. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of South Dakota. The Minnesota River flows southeastward along the county's NE border, creating Marsh Lake and Lac qui Parle Reservoir The Minnesota River flow is augmented by Yellow Bank River near the county's north corner, and by Lac qui Parle River near the county's east border. The south fork of the Yellow Bank flows northward through the west portion of the county, and meets the north fork of the Yellow Bank in the north end of the county; the combined flow discharges into the Minnesota at the county's NE border. The Lac qui Parle flows eastward through the lower portion of the county, discharging into the Minnesota near the community of Lac qui Parle.
The county terrain consists of rolling hills, knolls and short bluffs near the west end, running to a steep bluff overlooking the Minnesota River valley on its east border. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.
The county's northern boundary is defined by the Minnesota River. Two tributaries, the Lac qui Parle River and the Yellow Bank River, flow through the county to discharge into the Minnesota.
Salt Lake is found the county's western border. The lake is the only alkaline lake in Minnesota. Salt Lake is a popular bird watching location because it is home to 145 species of birds that are not found other places in the area. Rare plants and insects have also been known to inhabit the region.
Lakes
Bolland Slough
Case Lake
Flinks Slough (part)
Kibler Lake
Lac qui Parle (adjacent to county)
Marsh Lake (adjacent to county)
Mud Lake
Pegg Lake
Salt Lake (part)
Swanson Lake
Major highways
U.S. Highway 59
U.S. Highway 75
U.S. Highway 212
Minnesota State Highway 40
Minnesota State Highway 119
Adjacent counties
Big Stone County - north
Swift County - northeast
Chippewa County - east
Yellow Medicine County - south
Deuel County, South Dakota - southwest
Grant County, South Dakota - northwest
Protected areas
Acton Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Borchardt-Rosin State Wildlife Management Area
Church State Wildlife Management Area
De Vorak State Wildlife Management Area
Flinks State Wildlife Management Area
Haydenville State Wildlife Management Area
Kemen State Wildlife Management Area
Kibler Scientific and Natural Area
Lac qui Parle State Park
Medicine Pipe State Wildlife Management Area
Plantation State Wildlife Management Area
Providence State Wildlife Management Area
Sweetwater State Wildlife Management Area
Wild Wings Baxter State Wildlife Management Area
Yellow Bank Hills Scientific and Natural Area
Demographics
2020 Census
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,067 people, 3,316 households, and 2,225 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,774 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.85% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. 0.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.6% were of Norwegian and 35.2% German ancestry.
There were 3,316 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.80% were married couples living together, 4.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,626, and the median income for a family was $41,556. Males had a median income of $27,939 versus $19,681 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,399. About 5.60% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Bellingham
Boyd
Dawson
Louisburg
Madison (county seat)
Marietta
Nassau
Unincorporated communities
Cerro Gordo
Haydenville
Lac qui Parle
Providence
Rosen
Townships
Agassiz Township
Arena Township
Augusta Township
Baxter Township
Camp Release Township
Cerro Gordo Township
Freeland Township
Garfield Township
Hamlin Township
Hantho Township
Lac qui Parle Township
Lake Shore Township
Madison Township
Manfred Township
Maxwell Township
Mehurin Township
Perry Township
Providence Township
Riverside Township
Ten Mile Lake Township
Walter Township
Yellow Bank Township
Law and government
Commissioners
Key staff
Lac qui Parle County's normal operations are coordinated by the County Administrator Jake Sieg along with County Department Heads.
Law enforcement
The current Sheriff of Lac qui Parle County is Allen Anderson, who became sheriff in 2017 upon the resignation of former Sheriff Lou Sager. Anderson won the 2018 election. The City of Dawson Chief of Police is Andrew Stock.
Politics
Lac qui Parle County voters have generally voted Democratic over the past several decades. In 64% of national elections since 1980 and through 2012, the county supported the Democratic candidate. More recently, the county has shifted towards the Republican Party, backing Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections with 59% and 63% of the vote, respectively.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
References
External links
Lac qui Parle County website
Minnesota counties
1871 establishments in Minnesota
Populated places established in 1871