Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

County in Minnesota, United States

County in Minnesota

Lac qui Parle County

County

Lac qui Parle County Courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota

Minnesota's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 45°00′N 96°11′W﻿ / ﻿45°N 96.18°W﻿ / 45; -96.18
Country|  United States
State|  Minnesota
Founded| March 6, 1871[1]
Named after| "Lake that speaks" French
Seat| Madison
Largest city| Dawson
Area

• Total

| 778 sq mi (2,020 km2)
• Land| 765 sq mi (1,980 km2)
• Water| 13 sq mi (30 km2)  1.7%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 6,719

• Estimate

(2023)

| 6,630
• Density| 8.8/sq mi (3.4/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 7th
Website| lqpco.com

Lac qui Parle County (/ˌlæk ki ˈpɑːrl/ LAK kee PARL)[2] is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,719.[3] Its county seat is Madison.[4] The largest city in the county is Dawson.

## History

[edit]

See also: Lac qui Parle County seat controversy

The name of the county is a French translation of the Dakota name, "Mde Lyedan," meaning "lake that speaks."[5][6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

A March 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked this as Minnesota's healthiest county.[10][11]

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.[9]

## Geography

[edit]

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[12] 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.[13] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 1,404 ft (428 m) ASL.[14] The county has a total area of 778 square miles (2,020 km2), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 13 square miles (34 km2) (1.7%) is water.[15]

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.[16]

Salt Lake is found the county's western border. The lake is the only alkaline lake in Minnesota.[17] Salt Lake is a popular bird watching location[18] 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.[19]

Soils of Lac qui Parle County[20]

### Lakes

[edit]

* 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[13]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Highway 59
* U.S. Highway 75
* U.S. Highway 212
* Minnesota State Highway 40
* Minnesota State Highway 119

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* 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[13]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1870| 145| | —
1880| 4,891| | 3,273.1%
1890| 10,382| | 112.3%
1900| 14,289| | 37.6%
1910| 15,435| | 8.0%
1920| 15,554| | 0.8%
1930| 15,398| | −1.0%
1940| 15,509| | 0.7%
1950| 14,545| | −6.2%
1960| 13,330| | −8.4%
1970| 11,164| | −16.2%
1980| 10,592| | −5.1%
1990| 8,924| | −15.7%
2000| 8,067| | −9.6%
2010| 7,259| | −10.0%
2020| 6,719| | −7.4%
2023 (est.)| 6,630| [21]| −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
1790-1960[23] 1900-1990[24]
1990-2000[25] 2010-2020[3]

### 2020 Census

[edit]

Lac qui Parle County Racial Composition[26] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White (NH)  | 6,244  | 93%
Black or African American (NH)  | 32  | 0.47%
Native American (NH)  | 10  | 0.14%
Asian (NH)  | 40  | 0.6%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 0  | 0%
Other/Mixed (NH)  | 191  | 2.84%
Hispanic or Latino | 202  | 3%

### 2000 census

[edit]

2022 US Census population pyramid for Lac qui Parle County, from ACS 5-year estimates

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 10.5 per square mile (4.1/km2). There were 3,774 housing units at an average density of 4.93 per square mile (1.90/km2). 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

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Bellingham
* Boyd
* Dawson
* Louisburg
* Madison (county seat)
* Marietta
* Nassau

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Cerro Gordo
* Haydenville
* Lac qui Parle
* Providence
* Rosen

### Townships

[edit]

* 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

### Extinct town

[edit]

* Williamsburg

## Law and government

[edit]

### Commissioners

[edit]

District  | Commissioner  | In office
since  | Current term
expires on January 1

|
|
|

1st | Todd Patzer | 2005 | 2025
2nd | DeRon Brehmer | 2011 | 2023
3rd | John Maatz | 2017 | 2025
4th | Ben Bothun | 2019 | 2023
5th | Stacey Tufto | 2021 | 2025

### Key staff

[edit]

Lac qui Parle County's normal operations are coordinated by the County Administrator Jake Sieg along with County Department Heads.

### Law enforcement

[edit]

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

[edit]

From the county's founding until 1956, Lac qui Parle County voted Republican, typically by large margins, in all but four elections, in 1912 when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won as the Progressive candidate, in the two landslide victories for Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and for Democrat Harry S. Truman in the close 1948 election. From 1960 to 2012, however, Lac qui Parle County voted Democrat in every election except for the two landslide wins for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. Beginning in 2016, the county has transitioned to being Republican once again, as Donald Trump won by over 25%, the best margin for any party since 1964 in the county. He increased his margin of victory to nearly 27% in 2020, and obtained over 62% of the vote, becoming the first candidate of any party to receive at least 60% of the vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976 (with native Minnesotan Walter Mondale as his running mate), and the first Republican to win at least 60% of the county's vote since Warren G. Harding a century earlier. Trump further increased his margin of victory to 32% in 2024, the best performance for a Republican presidential candidate in the county since Harding in 1920.[27]

United States presidential election results for Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota[28][29] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 2,600  | 65.07% | 1,314  | 32.88%  | 82  | 2.05%
2020 | 2,528  | 62.57% | 1,446  | 35.79%  | 66  | 1.63%
2016 | 2,293  | 59.40% | 1,305  | 33.81%  | 262  | 6.79%
2012 | 1,938  | 48.64%  | 1,974  | 49.55% | 72  | 1.81%
2008 | 1,912  | 45.61%  | 2,160  | 51.53% | 120  | 2.86%
2004 | 2,093  | 46.09%  | 2,390  | 52.63% | 58  | 1.28%
2000 | 1,941  | 43.59%  | 2,244  | 50.39% | 268  | 6.02%
1996 | 1,447  | 32.41%  | 2,420  | 54.20% | 598  | 13.39%
1992 | 1,435  | 28.88%  | 2,342  | 47.14% | 1,191  | 23.97%
1988 | 2,116  | 42.46%  | 2,805  | 56.29% | 62  | 1.24%
1984 | 2,731  | 49.68% | 2,685  | 48.84%  | 81  | 1.47%
1980 | 2,981  | 50.50% | 2,457  | 41.62%  | 465  | 7.88%
1976 | 2,292  | 37.79%  | 3,647  | 60.13% | 126  | 2.08%
1972 | 2,773  | 48.43%  | 2,845  | 49.69% | 108  | 1.89%
1968 | 2,672  | 45.85%  | 2,937  | 50.39% | 219  | 3.76%
1964 | 2,236  | 36.18%  | 3,934  | 63.66% | 10  | 0.16%
1960 | 3,185  | 49.39%  | 3,253  | 50.44% | 11  | 0.17%
1956 | 3,276  | 53.63% | 2,826  | 46.27%  | 6  | 0.10%
1952 | 3,924  | 58.52% | 2,753  | 41.06%  | 28  | 0.42%
1948 | 2,330  | 38.20%  | 3,690  | 60.49% | 80  | 1.31%
1944 | 3,104  | 52.61% | 2,779  | 47.10%  | 17  | 0.29%
1940 | 3,789  | 54.73% | 3,106  | 44.86%  | 28  | 0.40%
1936 | 2,066  | 34.46%  | 3,243  | 54.09% | 687  | 11.46%
1932 | 1,911  | 31.85%  | 3,992  | 66.53% | 97  | 1.62%
1928 | 3,406  | 59.65% | 2,245  | 39.32%  | 59  | 1.03%
1924 | 2,860  | 52.26% | 106  | 1.94%  | 2,507  | 45.81%
1920 | 4,219  | 82.29% | 653  | 12.74%  | 255  | 4.97%
1916 | 1,614  | 56.30% | 1,047  | 36.52%  | 206  | 7.19%
1912 | 343  | 13.51%  | 608  | 23.96%  | 1,587  | 62.53%
1908 | 1,894  | 69.17% | 661  | 24.14%  | 183  | 6.68%
1904 | 1,886  | 83.27% | 243  | 10.73%  | 136  | 6.00%
1900 | 1,924  | 71.47% | 642  | 23.85%  | 126  | 4.68%
1896 | 1,620  | 61.34% | 932  | 35.29%  | 89  | 3.37%
1892 | 1,164  | 52.31% | 457  | 20.54%  | 604  | 27.15%
1888 | 1,298  | 67.39% | 540  | 28.04%  | 88  | 4.57%
1884 | 966  | 81.45% | 220  | 18.55%  | 0  | 0.00%
1880 | 878  | 94.92% | 47  | 5.08%  | 0  | 0.00%
1876 | 351  | 94.35% | 20  | 5.38%  | 1  | 0.27%
1872 | 236  | 97.12% | 7  | 2.88%  | 0  | 0.00%

## Education

[edit]

School districts include:[30]

* Canby Public School District
* Dawson-Boyd Public School District
* Lac qui Parle Valley School District
* Montevideo Public School District
* Ortonville Public Schools
* Yellow Medicine East School District

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
2. ^ "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. ^ "Lac qui Parle Mission | Minnesota Historical Society". www.mnhs.org. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
6. ^ Burnquist, Joseph A. A. (1924). Minnesota and Its People. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 471–472.
7. ^ Warren Upham (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 288–290.
8. ^ "Lac Qui Parle County Courthouse - Minnesota Valley History Learning Center". sites.google.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
9. ^ a b Madison (city) website (accessed March 18, 2019)
10. ^ Wobbema, Taryn (March 29, 2011). "How healthy are Minnesotans? It varies, report says". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
11. ^ "Rankings". County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
12. ^ The reservoir was created by damming the Minnesota River in 1939. The dam was rebuilt in 1996.
13. ^ a b c Lac Qui Parle County MN Google Maps (accessed March 18, 2019)
14. ^ ""Find an Altitude/Lac qui Parle County MN" Google Maps (accessed March 18, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
15. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
16. ^ Minnesota Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth ME: DeLorme. 1994. pp. 36–37\. ISBN 0-89933-222-6.
17. ^ Ross, Carly (August 11, 2022). "Rare Minnesota Lake is the Only Saltwater Lake in the State". 106.9 KROC. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
18. ^ "Salt Lake WMA". Explore Minnesota. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
19. ^ "Marietta's Salt Lake Is A Paradise For Birds And Bird Watchers - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
20. ^ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 69-70. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
21. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
22. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
23. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
24. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
25. ^ "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.
26. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota".
27. ^ Simon, Steve (November 21, 2024). "2024 State Canvassing Board Certificate". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
28. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
29. ^ https://www.sos.state.mn.us/media/4364/mn-2020-state-general-canvassing-report-post-per.pdf [bare URL PDF]
30. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lac qui Parle County, MN" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 10, 2024. \- Text list

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota.

* Lac qui Parle County website

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

| Grant County, South Dakota | Big Stone County | Swift County

|
|

|  |

Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

| Chippewa County
|  |
Deuel County, South Dakota | Yellow Medicine County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States

County seat: Madison

Cities|

* Bellingham
* Boyd
* Dawson
* Louisburg
* Madison
* Marietta
* Nassau

Map of Minnesota highlighting Lac qui Parle County

Townships|

* Agassiz
* Arena
* Augusta
* Baxter
* Camp Release
* Cerro Gordo
* Freeland
* Garfield
* Hamlin
* Hantho
* Lac qui Parle
* Lake Shore
* Madison
* Manfred
* Maxwell
* Mehurin
* Perry
* Providence
* Riverside
* Ten Mile Lake
* Walter
* Yellow Bank

Unincorporated
communities|

* Cerro Gordo
* Haydenville
* Lac qui Parle
* Providence
* Rosen

Ghost town|

* Williamsburg

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45°00′N 96°11′W﻿ / ﻿45.00°N 96.18°W﻿ / 45.00; -96.18
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