Pine County, Minnesota

County in Minnesota, United States

U.S. county in Minnesota

Pine County

U.S. county

Pine County Courthouse, Pine City

Pine County Courthouse, Pine City

Map of Minnesota highlighting Pine County

Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota

Minnesota's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Minnesota
Founded| March 1, 1856 (created)
1872 (organized)[1]
Named for| The abundant pine trees in the area
Seat| Pine City
Largest city| Pine City
Area

• Total| 1,435 sq mi (3,720 km2)
• Land| 1,411 sq mi (3,650 km2)
• Water| 23 sq mi (60 km2)  1.6%%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 28,876
• Estimate

(2021)

| 29,302
• Density| 20.5/sq mi (7.9/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 8th
Website| www.co.pine.mn.us

Pine County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876.[2] Its county seat is Pine City.[3] The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872.

Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine County.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Train Derailment
* 1.2 Popular culture
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Adjacent counties
* 2.3 Protected areas
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2020 census
* 3.2 2000 census
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 Cities
* 4.2 Unincorporated communities
* 4.3 Ghost towns
* 4.4 Townships
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

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Pine County was organized on March 1, 1856, with territory partitioned from Chisago and Ramsey counties. The original county seat was Chengwatana. It was named for its abundant pine tree growth.[4]

### Train Derailment

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In 1857, Buchanan County in full and southern parts of Aitkin and Carlton Counties were formed from the original Pine County, with Kanabec County organized a year later. In 1861, Buchanan County was dissolved and folded into Pine County. Pine County was reorganized in 1872, with Pine City named as the county seat for the remaining smaller area.

In 1872, there is evidence of a derailment in Pine County that resulted in a train sinking into Devil's Lake.[5] To date, this train has not been found, but theories abound as to the events of the day. Many have supposed that insufficient support for the tracks led to sagging of the supports and eventual derailment, but evidence suggests that other factors may have been in play.

Given the state of the union at the time, a hypothesis has been proposed by experts in the subject. The Civil War had ended, and Confederate gold was being shipped to the North to help with the reconstruction. In some instances, trains were sent without shipping manifests to avoid traceability so as to get the gold to Canada, with the eventual goal of using those funds to support continued insurrection against the North. In order to further obfuscate matters, the train that carried the illicit load of gold was a circus train, likely filled with many animals that were ostensibly to be delivered to the Assiniboine Park Zoo on the west end of the park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The confusion and din these animals caused aboard the train may have been contributing factors in the wreck.

There is significant interest in recovering the gold. Magnetometers have been purchased and used to assess the area in which the train sank. It is not clear whether the operators understand how to use the magnetometers, so it remains unclear whether the gold will be claimed immediately or if the searchers' incompetence has left an opportunity for a new gold rush to hit Pine County.

There is a spirited dispute in the press as to whether this lost train even existed, with direct reports of the circus train and the events surrounding the night in question detailed in some sources while the opinion page of the local paper has attempted to discredit the entire story.[6] Pine Citians admit that it is possible that the sequence of events may not be entirely true, suggesting that the story has taken on Bunyanesque proportions due to the intriguing and fantastic nature of the claims. But some suspect that the denial of the story is an attempt to preserve the submerged cache of gold and circus animal remains for a future expedition by either the government or private enterprise in a manner that harks back to the Dent's Run debacle of 2018.[7] Pine City, Pine County and the world may never know what lies at the bottom of the lake.

### Popular culture

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Pine County has been featured in a series of mysteries by Dean Hovey.[8][9]

## Geography

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Pine County lies on the east side of Minnesota. Its southeast border abuts Wisconsin (across the St. Croix River). The St. Croix flows southerly along its border. The Kettle River flows southeastward through central Pine County, discharging into the St. Croix on the county's east border, and the Snake River flows eastward through the lower part of the county toward its discharge point into the St. Croix. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, partly wooded and otherwise devoted to agriculture.[10] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near its northeast corner, at 1,319' (402m) ASL.[11] The county has an area of 1,435 square miles (3,720 km2), of which 1,411 square miles (3,650 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (1.6%) is water.[12]

### Major highways

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* Interstate 35
* Minnesota State Highway 18
* Minnesota State Highway 23
* File:MN-48.svg Minnesota State Highway 48
* File:MN-70.svg Minnesota State Highway 70
* File:MN-107.svg Minnesota State Highway 107
* File:MN-123.svg Minnesota State Highway 123
* List of county roads

### Adjacent counties

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* Carlton County \- north
* Douglas County, Wisconsin \- northeast
* Burnett County, Wisconsin \- east
* Chisago County \- south
* Isanti County \- southwest
* Kanabec County \- west
* Aitkin County \- northwest

### Protected areas

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* Banning State Park
* Chengwatana State Forest
* DAR Memorial State Forest[10]
* General C. C. Andrews State Forest
* Kettle River Scientific and Natural Area[10]
* Nemadji State Forest (part)
* Pine County State Game Refuge[10]
* Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)
* St. Croix State Park
* Wild River State Park (part)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 92| | —
1870| 648| | 604.3%
1880| 1,365| | 110.6%
1890| 4,052| | 196.8%
1900| 11,546| | 184.9%
1910| 15,878| | 37.5%
1920| 21,117| | 33.0%
1930| 20,264| | −4.0%
1940| 21,478| | 6.0%
1950| 18,223| | −15.2%
1960| 17,004| | −6.7%
1970| 16,821| | −1.1%
1980| 19,871| | 18.1%
1990| 21,264| | 7.0%
2000| 26,530| | 24.8%
2010| 29,750| | 12.1%
2020| 28,876| | −2.9%
2021 (est.)| 29,302| [13]| 1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16]
1990-2000[17] 2010-2020[2]

File:USA Pine County, Minnesota age pyramid.svgAge pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

### 2020 census

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Pine County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)  Race / Ethnicity  | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 26,924  | 25,119  | 90.50%  | 86.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 576  | 470  | 1.94%  | 1.63%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 890  | 966  | 2.99%  | 3.35%
Asian alone (NH)  | 129  | 264  | 0.43%  | 0.91%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 8  | 1  | 0.03%  | 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)  | 4  | 98  | 0.01%  | 0.34%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)  | 496  | 1,245  | 1.67%  | 4.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 723  | 713  | 2.43%  | 2.47%
Total | 29,750 | 28,876 | 100.00% | 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

### 2000 census

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As of the 2000 census, there were 26,530 people, 9,939 households, and 6,917 families in the county. The population density was 18.8/sqmi (7.26/km2). There were 15,353 housing units at an average density of 10.9/sqmi (4.20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 3.1% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.3% were of German, 11.6% Swedish, 11.1% Norwegian and 5.5% American ancestry.

There were 17,276 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $44,058. Males had a median income of $31,600 versus $22,675 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,445. About 7.80% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

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### Cities

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* Askov (originally Partridge)
* Brook Park
* Bruno
* Denham
* Finlayson
* Henriette (originally Cornell)
* Hinckley (originally Central Station)
* Kerrick
* Pine City (county seat)
* Rock Creek
* Rutledge
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Willow River

### Unincorporated communities

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* Beroun
* Cloverdale
* Cloverton
* Duquette
* Duxbury
* Ellson
* Friesland
* Greeley
* Groningen
* Kingsdale
* Lake Lena
* Markville
* Mission Creek
* Nickerson
* Pokegama
* West Rock

### Ghost towns

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* Belden
* Banning
* Big Spring
* Blomskog
* Chengwatana
* Cornell
* Clint
* Danewood
* Eaglehead
* Harlis
* Midway
* Milburn
* Mission Creek
* Outflow
* Tozer Camp
* Turpville
* Tuxedo
* Villstad
* Wareham

### Townships

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* Arlone Township
* Arna Township
* Barry Township
* Birch Creek Township
* Bremen Township
* Brook Park Township
* Bruno Township
* Chengwatana Township
* Clover Township
* Crosby Township
* Danforth Township
* Dell Grove Township
* Finlayson Township
* Fleming Township
* Hinckley Township
* Kerrick Township
* Kettle River Township
* Mission Creek Township
* Munch Township
* New Dosey Township
* Nickerson Township
* Norman Township
* Ogema Township
* Park Township
* Partridge Township
* Pine City Township
* Pine Lake Township
* Pokegama Township
* Royalton Township
* Sandstone Township
* Sturgeon Lake Township
* Wilma Township
* Windemere Township

## Politics

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Pine County was once a Democratic stronghold. Since 1932, in only five national elections has the county selected the Republican presidential nominee, with three of those the most recent presidential elections (thru 2020).

United States presidential election results for Pine County, Minnesota[20] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 10,256  | 64.10% | 5,419  | 33.87%  | 326  | 2.04%
2016 | 8,191  | 59.31% | 4,580  | 33.16%  | 1,040  | 7.53%
2012 | 6,845  | 49.02% | 6,750  | 48.34%  | 370  | 2.65%
2008 | 6,862  | 47.71%  | 7,084  | 49.25% | 437  | 3.04%
2004 | 7,033  | 48.44%  | 7,228  | 49.79% | 257  | 1.77%
2000 | 5,854  | 44.80%  | 6,148  | 47.05% | 1,066  | 8.16%
1996 | 3,080  | 29.88%  | 5,432  | 52.70% | 1,796  | 17.42%
1992 | 2,841  | 26.27%  | 4,929  | 45.58% | 3,043  | 28.14%
1988 | 3,857  | 40.54%  | 5,540  | 58.24% | 116  | 1.22%
1984 | 4,493  | 45.95%  | 5,223  | 53.41% | 63  | 0.64%
1980 | 3,899  | 40.25%  | 5,121  | 52.86% | 667  | 6.89%
1976 | 3,057  | 34.40%  | 5,442  | 61.24% | 388  | 4.37%
1972 | 3,881  | 48.41% | 3,794  | 47.32%  | 342  | 4.27%
1968 | 2,591  | 36.41%  | 4,044  | 56.82% | 482  | 6.77%
1964 | 2,279  | 30.71%  | 5,123  | 69.04% | 18  | 0.24%
1960 | 3,450  | 44.88%  | 4,211  | 54.78% | 26  | 0.34%
1956 | 3,204  | 45.50%  | 3,829  | 54.38% | 8  | 0.11%
1952 | 4,255  | 52.94% | 3,692  | 45.93%  | 91  | 1.13%
1948 | 3,069  | 36.51%  | 4,978  | 59.21% | 360  | 4.28%
1944 | 3,433  | 43.85%  | 4,332  | 55.33% | 64  | 0.82%
1940 | 4,106  | 43.10%  | 5,263  | 55.25% | 157  | 1.65%
1936 | 2,452  | 28.39%  | 5,797  | 67.11% | 389  | 4.50%
1932 | 2,304  | 29.53%  | 4,862  | 62.33% | 635  | 8.14%
1928 | 4,278  | 56.53% | 3,185  | 42.09%  | 105  | 1.39%
1924 | 2,706  | 42.03%  | 469  | 7.28%  | 3,263  | 50.68%
1920 | 3,879  | 66.83% | 1,127  | 19.42%  | 798  | 13.75%
1916 | 1,531  | 44.38% | 1,507  | 43.68%  | 412  | 11.94%
1912 | 513  | 17.04%  | 777  | 25.81%  | 1,720  | 57.14%
1908 | 1,548  | 56.43% | 802  | 29.24%  | 393  | 14.33%
1904 | 1,743  | 74.23% | 463  | 19.72%  | 142  | 6.05%
1900 | 1,121  | 59.06% | 726  | 38.25%  | 51  | 2.69%
1896 | 1,152  | 55.46% | 875  | 42.13%  | 50  | 2.41%
1892 | 538  | 48.42% | 458  | 41.22%  | 115  | 10.35%

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pine County, Minnesota

## References

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1. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
2. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pine County, Minnesota". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 410.
5. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Train in Devils Lake".
6. ^ "This sunken-circus-train-full-of-gold business has gone too dang far".
7. ^ "Emails: FBI was looking for gold at Pennsylvania dig site". Associated Press. April 20, 2021.
8. ^ Dean L. Hovey (amazon.com): "Dean Hovey is the award-winning author of Family Trees: A Pine County Mystery. His books are set in rural Northeastern Minnesota communities and tap into local history, politics, and current events."
9. ^ Hovey, Dean (2012). Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1475052545
10. ^ a b c d Pine County MN Google Maps (accessed April 16, 2019)
11. ^ ""Find an Altitude/Pine County MN" Google Maps (accessed April 16, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
12. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
13. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved April 2, 2022.
14. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
15. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
16. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
17. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
18. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pine County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
19. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pine County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
20. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

## External links

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* Pine County Government's Website
* Mn/DOT Official Map of Southern Pine County
* Mn/DOT Official Map of Northern Pine County

Places adjacent to Pine County, Minnesota

| Aitkin County | Carlton County | Douglas County, Wisconsin

|
|

|  |
Kanabec County |

Pine County, Minnesota

| Burnett County, Wisconsin
|  |
Isanti County | Chisago County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Pine County, Minnesota, United States

County seat: Pine City

Cities|

* Askov
* Brook Park
* Bruno
* Denham
* Finlayson
* Henriette
* Hinckley
* Kerrick
* Pine City
* Rock Creek
* Rutledge
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Willow River

File:Map of Minnesota highlighting Pine County.svgMap of Minnesota highlighting Pine County

Townships|

* Arlone
* Arna
* Barry
* Birch Creek
* Bremen
* Brook Park
* Bruno
* Chengwatana
* Clover
* Crosby
* Danforth
* Dell Grove
* Finlayson
* Fleming
* Hinckley
* Kerrick
* Kettle River
* Mission Creek
* Munch
* New Dosey
* Nickerson
* Norman
* Ogema
* Park
* Partridge
* Pine City
* Pine Lake
* Pokegama
* Royalton
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Wilma
* Windemere

Unincorporated
communities|

* Beroun
* Cloverdale
* Cloverton
* Duquette
* Duxbury
* Ellson
* Friesland
* Greeley
* Groningen
* Kingsdale
* Lake Lena
* Markville
* Mission Creek
* Nickerson
* Pokegama
* West Rock

Ghost towns|

* Banning
* Belden
* Chengwatana
* Harlis
* Wareham

Indian
reservation|

* Mille Lacs‡

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Minnesota

Saint Paul (capital)

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Counties|

* Aitkin
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Attractions|

| Festivals|

* State Fair

|

Other|

* Mall of America

Coordinates: 46°08′N 92°44′W﻿ / ﻿46.14°N 92.74°W﻿ / 46.14; -92.74
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