[3] The county was formed on May 23, 1857, by act of the territorial legislature, but was not organized at that time.

An act of the Minnesota state legislature on February 20, 1862, swapped the designations, attaching the present names to the present counties, due to the pipestone quarry in this county.

Pipestone County lies on Minnesota's border with South Dakota.

The terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages.

[6] The terrain slopes to the west and south, with its highest point on the upper part of its eastern border, at 1,883 ft (574 m) ASL.

It does contain manmade reservoirs: As of the census of 2000, there were 9,895 people, 4,069 households, and 2,726 families in the county.

In no presidential election since 1976 has the county selected the Democratic nominee (as of 2024).