Chisago County, Minnesota

[4] Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Chisago County was home to the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes.

[6] In 1837, a treaty between the United States and the Chippewa Nation led to the cession of all lands between the St. Croix and Mississippi River, opening the area for European settlement.

[13] In its aboriginal form it was "Ki-chi-saga", from two Ojibwe words: "kichi" (large) and "saga" (fair or lovely).

[15] The development of transportation infrastructure in Chisago County began with the completion of the first bridge across the St. Croix River at Taylors Falls in 1856.

[6] By the early 1900s and the dawn of the Progressive Era, much of Chisago County's forests had been cleared, leading to the closure of sawmills and the departure of lumberjacks in search of new employment.

[9] The Progressive Era also led to reform movements resonating throughout Minnesota and Chisago County.

[16] The county's distinct approach to education can be primarily attributed to its homogeneous population and the unique structure of local governance.

[17] This uniformity allowed the school boards in Chisago County to effectively control external influences through their selection of teachers.

[18] Nearly 70% of Chisago County voters supported Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.

It is home to several manufacturing companies, including the Anderson Corporation, a major producer of windows and doors.

[20] Agriculture is also a large part of the local economy, with crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat grown in the county.

[21] Tourism is also growing, with visitors drawn to the Chisago Lakes area's recreational opportunities.

[23] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near the northwest corner, at 1,017 ft (310 m) ASL.

[26] The county's location in the Upper Midwest region of the United States exposes it to a wide range of weather patterns, including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards.

The most common ancestries in Chisago County are German, English, Swedish, Irish and Norwegian.

Among workers 16 years and older, 80.3% commuted to work by car, 9.0% carpooled, 1.6% used public transit, and 2.2% walked, biked, or used some other method.

Chisago County is strongly influenced by the German, Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who settled there in the mid-19th century.

Sculptor Ian Dudley's bronze statue of Moberg stands in Chisago City's park.

Moberg's fictional characters Karl-Oskar and Kristina Nilsson from Ljuder parish in Småland in 1850 with three small children and a group of relatives and neighbors, during the period of the first wave of mass emigration from Sweden.

The annual Karl Oskar Days in Lindström honor the early settlers' heritage.

Chisago County has trended conservative in recent state and federal elections, backing every Republican nominee for president since 2000.

2022 US Census population pyramid for Chisago County, from ACS 5-year estimate
Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church
Swedish immigrants in Rush City, Minnesota , in 1887.
Map of Minnesota highlighting Chisago County