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Official Website
This area was long occupied by the Ojibwe people, known as Chippewa in the United States. In addition, numerous Dakota people lived in central and southern Minnesota before European settlement. European Americans established a trading post by 1837 in this area, on the east side of the Mississippi River opposite the mouth of the Crow Wing River. The post (named Crow Wing) soon became a center of trading with the region's Native Americans, with a general-supply store that served the area. By 1866, the village contained about 600 whites and Chippewa; it was a major population center. The territorial government enacted the county's creation on May 23, 1857, and named Crow Wing the county seat. The governmental structure of the county was not effected until March 3, 1870. The county was named for the river, which is named for an island in the river that resembles a crow's wing.
Brainerd township was founded in 1870 when the Northern Pacific Railroad selected the site for a crossing of the Mississippi River. It attracted development and population, soon surpassing Crow Wing. It was also designated as the new county seat, drawing off more residents and businesses from what became known as a ghost town, Old Crow Wing. Crow Wing State Park encompasses much of the former village site along the river.
Brainerd City was incorporated on November 19, 1881, named for Lawrence Brainerd, the father-in-law of J. Gregory Smith, the first president of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Smith served as governor of Vermont from 1863 to 1865 before moving west. He is called the father and founder of Brainerd. Lawrence Brainerd was the first president of the Vermont Central Railroad. The Northern Pacific Railroad ran a special train as its first service to Brainerd on March 11, 1871. Its regular passenger service began the next September. The first passenger train from the Twin Cities, by way of Sauk Rapids, arrived on November 1, 1877.
On February 18, 1887, the Minnesota legislature annexed part of Cass County (west of the Mississippi) to Crow Wing County, which doubled the former area of Crow Wing County.
Adjacent Counties
Cities
- Baxter
- Brainerd (County Seat)
- Breezy Point
- Crosby
- Crosslake
- Cuyuna
- Deerwood
- Emily
- Fifty Lakes
- Fort Ripley
- Garrison
- Ironton
- Jenkins
- Manhattan Beach
- Nisswa
- Pequot Lakes
- Riverton
- Trommald
Other Communities & Townships: Barrows, Bay Lake, Center, Crosby Beach, Crow Wing, Daggett Brook, Dean Lake, Deerwood, Fairfield, Gail Lake, Garrison, Ideal, Ideal Corners, Iron Hub, Irondale, Jenkins, Klondyke, Lake Edwards, Lake Hubert, Legionville, Little Pine, Loerch, Long Lake, Maple Grove, Merrifield, Mission, Nokay Lake, Oak Lawn, Old Crow Wing (Ghost Town), Pelican, Perry Lake, Pine Town, Platte Lake, Rabbit Lake, Roosevelt, Ross Lake, Saint Mathias, Shephard, Sibley, Swanburg, Timothy, West Crow Lake, Wolford and Woodrow
Cemeteries
Links
National Register of Historic Places
