Lake County, Minnesota

Not to be confused with Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota.

Lake County
County
Lake County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°32′N91°23′W / 47.53°N 91.39°W / 47.53; -91.39
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 1, 1856 [1]
Named for	Lake Superior
Seat	Two Harbors
Largest city	Two Harbors
Area
• Total	2,991 sq mi (7,750 km2)
• Land	2,109 sq mi (5,460 km2)
• Water	881 sq mi (2,280 km2)  29%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,905
• Estimate  (2023)	10,855
• Density	3.6/sq mi (1.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.co.lake.mn.us

Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,905. ^[2] Its county seat is Two Harbors. ^[3]

History

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area had long been inhabited by Native American groups. At the time of European contact, the principal Native American groups in the region were the Dakota (Sioux) and Ojibwe (also called Anishinabe or Chippewa). The economy of these groups was based on hunting, fishing and gathering, with wild rice being of particular importance. The first Europeans to explore the area were the French in the late 17th century ^[4] who were followed by trappers, fur traders, missionaries, and explorers.

The Wisconsin Territory was established by the Federal Government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. Therefore, the Federal Government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Itasca, had its eastern section partitioned off on February 20, 1855, into two new counties: the western part was designated Newton and the eastern part was named Superior County. The territorial legislature returned to the matter on March 3, changing Superior County to Saint Louis County. Then on March 1, 1856, the county name was again changed, to Lake County, and the "Saint Louis County" name was given to the previous Newton County. With the new name came the designation of county seat at Beaver Bay, which had first been platted in 1856. The county's boundaries were altered in 1874, when its eastern part was partitioned off to create Cook County.

In 1868, iron ore was discovered on the Vermilion Range by George Stuntz. A spur of the Duluth and Iron Range Railroad was extended to the Lake Superior shore, and a settlement quickly sprang up at the terminus. This settlement was incorporated as a village (Two Harbors) on March 9, 1888, and that same year a vote was taken to transfer the county seat from Beaver Bay to Two Harbors (1888). ^[5]

Commercial fishing on Lake Superior became important during the late 1880s, spurred by the arrival of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants to the North Shore. In 1890, the Merritt brothers discovered the Mesabi Range. The Two Harbors Lighthouse was built on Agate Bay in 1892. Ten years later, five Two Harbors businessmen signed the articles of incorporation for a new mining company named 3M. Today, 3M Corporation has over 70,000 employees worldwide and produces more than 50,000 adhesive household products, now has its headquarters in Saint Paul.

In 1906, the Court House, which stands to this day, was built. In 1907, one of the nation's first steel ore docks was built in Two Harbors. In 1944, one of the first HMOs in the United States was created in Lake County to serve railroad employees. A second iron ore boom took place in the 1950s with the development of the taconite beneficiation process for turning lean, low-grade iron ore into a shippable product.

In 2021, the Greenwood Fire burned over 10,500 acres of the county southwest of Isabella, beginning near Greenwood Lake. ^{[6] [7]}

Geography

Lake County lies on the north side of Minnesota. Its north border abuts the south border of the province of Ontario, Canada, and its south border is formed by Lake Superior. However, the Canadian border is inaccessible from Lake County due to the heavily wooded terrain of the Superior National Forest and rugged terrain in the northern part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling mountains and hills, heavily wooded, and dotted with lakes and ponds; which makes any border crossing to Canada from the county impossible, but the Canadian border can be accessed through Grand Portage, International Falls or Baudette. ^[8] The terrain slopes both ways from a crestline that runs from its northeast line to its southwest line; the county's highest point is Stony Tower Hill ^[8] at 2,301' ASL. ^[9] The county has a total area of 2,991 square miles (7,750 km²), of which 2,109 square miles (5,460 km²) is land and 881 square miles (2,280 km²) (29%) is water. ^[10] It is the fifth-largest county in Minnesota by area.

Lake County is located in the Arrowhead Region of Northeastern Minnesota.

Major highways

• Minnesota State Highway 1
• Minnesota State Highway 61
• Minnesota State Highway 169
• List of county roads

Adjacent counties

• Rainy River District, Ontario - north
• Cook County - east
• St. Louis County - west
• Ashland County, Wisconsin - southeast (across Lake Superior)
• Bayfield County, Wisconsin - south (across Lake Superior)
• Douglas County, Wisconsin - south (across Lake Superior)
• Saint Louis County - west

Protected areas

• Finland State Forest
• George H. Crosby Manitou State Park
• Gooseberry Falls State Park
• Sand Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area ^[8]
• Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
• Superior National Forest (part)
  • Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (part)
• Tettegouche State Park

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	248		—
1870	135		−45.6%
1880	106		−21.5%
1890	1,299		1,125.5%
1900	4,654		258.3%
1910	8,011		72.1%
1920	8,251		3.0%
1930	7,068		−14.3%
1940	6,956		−1.6%
1950	7,781		11.9%
1960	13,702		76.1%
1970	13,351		−2.6%
1980	13,043		−2.3%
1990	10,415		−20.1%
2000	11,058		6.2%
2010	10,866		−1.7%
2020	10,905		0.4%
2023 (est.)	10,855	[11]	−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790-1960 [13] 1900-1990 [14] 1990-2000 [15] 2010-2020 [2]

2020 Census

Lake County Racial Composition ^[16]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	10,281	94.3%
Black or African American (NH)	11	0.1%
Native American (NH)	50	0.5%
Asian (NH)	55	0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	395	3.62%
Hispanic or Latino	113	1.03%

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Lake County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,058 people, 4,646 households, and 3,140 families in the county. The population density was 5.24 per square mile (2.02/km²). There were 6,840 housing units at an average density of 3.24 per square mile (1.25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.99% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.3% were of Norwegian, 17.8% German, 14.3% Swedish, 8.4% Finnish, 6.3% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry.

There were 4,646 households, out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 6.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83.

The county population contained 22.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 20.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,402, and the median income for a family was $46,980. Males had a median income of $39,719 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,761. About 5.50% of families and 7.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Lake County has a historic Democratic/Labor lean. It was the top county for Socialist Party of America candidate Eugene V. Debs in 1908, ^[17] 1912, ^[18] and 1920. ^[19] The last Republican to carry the county was Herbert Hoover in his failed run for re-election in 1932 against Franklin D. Roosevelt, ^[20] although in the 1932 election Socialist Norman Thomas received 19.32% of the county's vote, one of the highest percentages in the country. ^[21] Ironically, Lake County was the only county in Minnesota to vote for Hoover in 1932, despite going on to give Roosevelt his largest percentage in the state in 1936 and continuing to vote staunchly Democratic through 2012. However, in recent elections, the county has become more competitive. In 2016, while Lake County was the whitest county in the entire country to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump, ^[22] Clinton became the first and only Democrat to fail to obtain a majority of the county’s vote since 1932. Furthermore, Trump got the highest percentage of the vote of any Republican since 1928, and went on to further increase his vote share in 2020 and held Joe Biden to under 51% of the county's vote. Trump came within 145 votes of winning Lake County in 2016 and came within 254 votes of winning it in 2020, becoming the only Republican since 1932 to even come within 1,000 votes of winning the county.

United States presidential election results for Lake County, Minnesota ^[23]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,265	46.95%	3,534	50.82%	155	2.23%
2020	3,393	47.11%	3,647	50.64%	162	2.25%
2016	2,932	44.96%	3,077	47.19%	512	7.85%
2012	2,610	38.27%	4,043	59.28%	167	2.45%
2008	2,636	37.82%	4,174	59.89%	159	2.28%
2004	2,769	39.16%	4,212	59.57%	90	1.27%
2000	2,465	37.56%	3,579	54.53%	519	7.91%
1996	1,684	27.93%	3,388	56.20%	957	15.87%
1992	1,465	23.05%	3,415	53.72%	1,477	23.23%
1988	1,838	31.83%	3,887	67.31%	50	0.87%
1984	2,003	30.68%	4,468	68.43%	58	0.89%
1980	2,414	34.83%	3,864	55.75%	653	9.42%
1976	2,313	35.05%	3,973	60.21%	313	4.74%
1972	2,575	40.70%	3,640	57.53%	112	1.77%
1968	1,351	22.93%	4,266	72.42%	274	4.65%
1964	1,205	20.34%	4,704	79.39%	16	0.27%
1960	2,276	36.83%	3,888	62.91%	16	0.26%
1956	2,055	39.96%	3,079	59.87%	9	0.17%
1952	1,451	33.83%	2,814	65.61%	24	0.56%
1948	924	24.78%	2,555	68.52%	250	6.70%
1944	792	24.45%	2,401	74.13%	46	1.42%
1940	933	24.99%	2,750	73.67%	50	1.34%
1936	617	18.20%	2,717	80.15%	56	1.65%
1932	1,290	42.97%	1,059	35.28%	653	21.75%
1928	2,014	72.84%	618	22.35%	133	4.81%
1924	1,251	46.63%	60	2.24%	1,372	51.14%
1920	990	40.93%	594	24.56%	835	34.52%
1916	401	30.22%	506	38.13%	420	31.65%
1912	182	14.38%	195	15.40%	889	70.22%
1908	584	51.23%	152	13.33%	404	35.44%
1904	603	67.45%	77	8.61%	214	23.94%
1900	639	66.98%	278	29.14%	37	3.88%
1896	595	64.05%	320	34.45%	14	1.51%
1892	290	60.04%	126	26.09%	67	13.87%

County Board of Commissioners ^[24]

Position		Name	District	Term Ending
	Commissioner	Pete Walsh	District 1	2026
	Commissioner	Derrick (Rick) Goutermont	District 2	2024
	Commissioner	Richard (Rick) Hogenson	District 3	2024
	Commissioner and Vice Chair	Jeremy Hurd	District 4	2026
	Commissioner and Chairperson	Rich Sve	District 5	2024

State Legislature (2023-2025)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Senate	Grant Hauschild [25]	Democrat	District 3
	House of Representatives	Roger Skraba	Republican	District 3A
	House of Representatives	Natalie Zelezinkar	Republican	District 3B

U.S Congress (2023-2025)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	House of Representatives	Pete Stauber [26]	Republican	8th
	Senate	Amy Klobuchar [27]	Democrat	N/A
	Senate	Tina Smith [28]	Democrat	N/A

Communities

Cities

• Beaver Bay
• Silver Bay
• Two Harbors (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Finland

Unincorporated communities

• Alger
• Castle Danger
• Cramer
• East Beaver Bay
• Highland (Marcy)
• Illgen City
• Isabella
• Knife River
• Larsmont
• Lax Lake
• Little Marais
• McNair
• Murphy City
• Sawbill Landing
• Section Thirty
• Silver Creek
• Stewart
• Toimi
• Waldo
• Wales

Ghost towns

• Avon
• Avoy
• Beaver
• Britton
• Buell
• Case
• Clark
• Crystal
• Darby Junction
• Drummond
• Eclfo
• Emetta
• Fernburg Tower
• Forest Center
• Freedom
• Green
• Greenwood Junction
• Howlett
• Jordan
• Kent
• London
• Malmota (Marmata)
• Maple
• Marble Lake
• Moose
• Morris
• Murfin
• Nigadoo
• Norshore Junction
• North Branch
• Riblet
• Scott Junction
• Silver
• Splitrock
• Stafford
• Summit
• Swift
• Thomas
• Wanless
• Westover
• Whyte
• Wolf
• York

Townships

• Beaver Bay Township
• Crystal Bay Township
• Fall Lake Township
• Silver Creek Township
• Stony River Township

Unorganized territories

• Lake No. 1
• Lake No. 2

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Minnesota

References

1. "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "MNHS "Time Line"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
5. Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names (1920), pp. 293-96 (accessed April 23, 2019)
6. Hollingsworth, Jana (August 23, 2021). "Minnesota's largest wildfire likened to a 'freight train' as it grows, spurs more evacuations". Star Tribune . Retrieved August 24, 2021.
7. "Greenwood Fire expected to cross Highway 1; more evacuations begin". Duluth News Tribune . August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
8. Lake County MN Google Maps (accessed April 23, 2019)
9. PeakBagger.com "Lake County MN" (accessed April 23, 2019)
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
14. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
15. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
16. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lake County, Minnesota".
17. "Dave Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections for 1908" . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
18. "Dave Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections for 1912" . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
19. "Dave Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections for 1920" . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
20. "Presidential election of 1932 - Map by counties". geoelections.free.fr. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
21. "Dave Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections for 1932" . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
22. "Election Day 2016 by the numbers - News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise". www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
23. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
24. "Welcome To Lake County, MN". www.co.lake.mn.us. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
25. "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
26. "Representative Pete Stauber". Representative Pete Stauber. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
27. "U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar". www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
28. "Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

External links

• County website
• Lake County Visitor Information Website
• Mn/DOT – maps of Lake County (Southern portion, Central portion, Northern portion)

47°32′N91°23′W / 47.53°N 91.39°W / 47.53; -91.39