Morrison County, Minnesota
Encyclopedia

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 31,712 people, 11,816 households, and 8,460 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 28 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 13,870 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.48% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.21% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.32% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.25% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.15% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 45.4% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

, 18.8% Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

, 7.3% Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 and 5.7% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.7% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, 1.4% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 and 1.2% German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 as their first language.

There were 11,816 households out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,047, and the median income for a family was $44,175. Males had a median income of $31,037 versus $22,244 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $16,566. About 7.50% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 18.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns


Cities Townships Unincorporated
  • Bowlus
    Bowlus, Minnesota
    Bowlus is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 290 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Buckman
    Buckman, Minnesota
    Buckman is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 270 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Elmdale
    Elmdale, Minnesota
    Elmdale is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 116 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Flensburg
    Flensburg, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 244 people, 89 households, and 63 families residing in the city. The population density was 35.2 people per square mile . There were 92 housing units at an average density of 13.3 per square mile...

  • Genola
    Genola, Minnesota
    Genola is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 75 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Harding
    Harding, Minnesota
    Harding is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States, along the Platte River. The population was 125 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

  • Hillman
    Hillman, Minnesota
    Hillman is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 38 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

  • Lastrup
    Lastrup, Minnesota
    Lastrup is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 104 at the 2010 census. The city was founded by immigrants from Schnelten, a small peasantry near the village of Lastrup in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Geography:...

  • Little Falls
    Little Falls, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...

  • Motley
    Motley, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 585 people, 258 households, and 167 families residing in the city. The population density was 442.7 people per square mile . There were 270 housing units at an average density of 204.3 per square mile...

     †
  • Pierz
    Pierz, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 1,277 people, 512 households, and 321 families residing in the city. The population density was 945.8 people per square mile . There were 522 housing units at an average density of 386.6 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.67% White, 0.39%...

  • Royalton
    Royalton, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 816 people, 322 households, and 209 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.7 people per square mile . There were 328 housing units at an average density of 190.4 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.77% White, 0.25%...

     †
  • Randall
    Randall, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 535 people, 217 households, and 144 families residing in the city. The population density was 256.9 people per square mile . There were 229 housing units at an average density of 110.0 per square mile...

  • Sobieski
    Sobieski, Minnesota
    Sobieski is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 195 at the 2010 census.It was named after Polish Hero King Jan III Sobieski....

  • Swanville
    Swanville, Minnesota
    Swanville is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. A very small portion of the city extends into Todd County. The population was 350 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

  • Upsala
    Upsala, Minnesota
    Upsala is a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 427 at the 2010 census. It was named after Uppsala, Sweden by Swedish settlers in the 19th century.-Geography:...

  • Agram Township
  • Belle Prairie Township
  • Bellevue Township
  • Buckman Township
  • Buh Township
  • Culdrum Township
  • Cushing Township
  • Darling Township
  • Elmdale Township
  • Granite Township
  • Green Prairie Township
  • Hillman Township
    Hillman Township, Morrison County, Minnesota
    Hillman Township is a township in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 164 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 0.04% is water....

  • Lakin Township
  • Leigh Township
  • Little Falls Township
  • Morrill Township
  • Motley Township
  • Mount Morris Township
  • Parker Township
    Parker Township, Morrison County, Minnesota
    Parker Township is a township in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 38.4 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were...

  • Pierz Township
  • Pike Creek Township
  • Platte Township
  • Pulaski Township
  • Rail Prairie Township
  • Richardson Township
  • Ripley Township
    Ripley Township, Morrison County, Minnesota
    Ripley Township is a township in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 692 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 48.4 square miles , of which, 47.7 square miles of it is land and...

  • Rosing Township
  • Scandia Valley Township
  • Swan River Township
  • Swanville Township
  • Two Rivers Township
  • Center Valley
  • Cushing
    Cushing, Minnesota
    Cushing is a small unincorporated community in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States.- Geography :Cushing received its name from the township it is located within, Cushing Township. The town of Cushing has been assigned US zip code 56443. The town of Cushing is situated along U.S. Route 10 and...

  • Darling
  • Freedhem
  • Gregory
  • Lincoln
  • Little Rock
  • Morrill
  • North Prairie
  • Platte
  • Ramey
  • Shamineau Park
  • Sullivan
  • Vawter

  • † a small part of these cities extends into another county.

    History

    First the Dakotah
    Sioux
    The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

     and then the Ojibwe Indians lived in the central Minnesota area around the Mississippi River
    Mississippi River
    The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

    . French and English fur traders and voyageurs traveled through Minnesota from the 17th century to the 19th century. They used the river to transport their goods and trade with the natives. The county was named for fur trading brothers, William and Allan Morrison.

    Three prominent explorers lead expeditions along the river through the area that would be known as Morrison County in the 19th century. Zebulon Montgomery Pike came through in 1805. Governor Lewis B. Cass led an expedition through the area in 1820. Joseph N. Nicollet, explorer and scientist, had created the first accurate map of the area along the river in 1836.

    Missionaries were some of the areas first European settlers. Methodist missionaries settled temporarily along the Little Elk River in 1838. The Reverend Frederic and Elisabeth (Taylor) Ayer moved to the Belle Prairie area in 1849. They started a mission and school there for the Ojibwe. Father Francis Xavier Pierz
    Francis Xavier Pierz
    Francis Xavier Pierz was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa and Ojibwa Indians. Because he was also responsible for attracting large numbers of Catholic German Americans to settle in Central Minnesota, he is referred to as "The Father of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint...

     came to the area in 1852 and started many communities in central Minnesota, including Sobieski and Rich Prairie (later renamed Pierz) in Morrison County.

    The event that prodded further development of the county was the building of Fort Ripley. In order to construct this military outpost, a dam and sawmill were erected in 1849 by the Little Falls Mill and Land Company. This company was formed by James Green, Allan Morrison, Henry M. Rice, John Irvine, John Blair Smith Todd, and Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana. Fort Ripley was built ostensibly to protect the Winnebago
    Ho-Chunk
    The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....

     Indians, who had been relocated by Henry Rice from Iowa
    Iowa
    Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

     to central Minnesota west of the Mississippi River
    Mississippi River
    The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

    , between the Crow Wing
    Crow Wing River
    The Crow Wing River is a tributary of the Mississippi River approximately in length. The river arises in a chain of 11 lakes in southern Hubbard County, Minnesota and flows generally southeast, entering the Mississippi at Crow Wing State Park, northwest of Little Falls, Minnesota. Its name is a...

     and Long Prairie
    Long Prairie River
    The Long Prairie River is a tributary of the Crow Wing River, 92 miles long, in central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Crow Wing River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 892 square miles in a generally rural region.-History:Prior to settlement by...

     rivers. Rice hoped the Winnebago
    Ho-Chunk
    The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....

     would act as a buffer between the warring Ojibwe and Dakotah
    Sioux
    The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

     Indians. His plan was unsuccessful and the Winnebago were moved to the Blue Earth River
    Blue Earth River
    The Blue Earth River is a tributary of the Minnesota River, 108 miles long, in southern Minnesota in the United States, it is also a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources designated Water Trail. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch...

     in southern Minnesota in 1855.

    Little Falls
    Little Falls, Minnesota
    As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...

    , the county seat, sprung up when a second dam was built by the Little Falls Company (later called the Little Falls Manufacturing Company). This dam washed out, as the first had done, and Little Falls entered a long period of economic depression and stagnation as far as population growth. Bit by bit, Little Falls grew, until it was officially incorporated as a village in 1879.

    Another wave of immigration occurred between 1880 and 1920. A wide variety of ethnic groups chose Morrison County for their new home. This wave of immigration was spurred by the construction of the third dam at Little Falls in 1887. A group of investors from Louisville, Kentucky
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

    , led by M. M. Williams, provided the financing for this dam. They wanted to be sure their investment was successful. To this end, they worked to encourage other major industries to locate in the city, touting the water power as a prime feature.

    Pine Tree Lumber Company, run by Charles A. Weyerhaeuser and Richard "Drew" Musser, was one such business that took advantage of the water power, with their operations in Little Falls beginning in 1890. Hennepin Paper Company also started operations that year in the city.

    The Louisville, Kentucky
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

    , investors were also responsible for drawing up a charter to transform Little Falls from a village to a city. This occurred in 1889, with Nathan Richardson, one of the original organizers of Morrison County, becoming the first mayor of the new city.

    External links

    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
    x
    OK