Morrison County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,010. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Little Falls. Camp Ripley Military Reservation occupies a significant area in north-central Morrison County.

History

Dakotah and

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

Indians lived in central Minnesota around the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. 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. In the 19th century three prominent explorers led expeditions along the river through the area that became Morrison County.

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions through the Louisiana Purchase territory, first ...

came through in 1805.

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

Governor

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He was also the 1 ...

led an expedition through the area in 1820. Explorer and scientist

Joseph Nicollet Joseph Nicolas Nicollet (July 24, 1786 – September 11, 1843), also known as Jean-Nicolas Nicollet, was a French geographer, astronomer, and mathematician known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. Nicollet led thre ...

created the first accurate map of the area along the river in 1836. Missionaries were some of the area's 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 ( or ''Franc Pirec''; ) (November 20, 1785 – January 22, 1880) was a Slovenian-American Roman Catholic priest and missionary to the Ottawa (tribe), Ottawa and Ojibwe Indians in present-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, and ...

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 US legislature established the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

effective July 3, 1836. It existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

) in 1848. The federal government set up the

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota and the w ...

effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. On February 25, 1856, Benton, one of those original counties, had a portion of its northern section partitioned off to create Morrison County, with Little Falls as the county seat. It was named for William and Allen Morrison, early fur trappers and traders in the area. The event that prodded further development of the county was the building of Fort Ripley (originally named Ft. Gaines). In order to construct this military outpost, the Little Falls Mill and Land Company built a dam and sawmill in 1849. The company was formed by James Green, Allan Morrison, Henry Rice, John Irvine, John Blair Smith Todd, and Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana. Fort Ripley was ostensibly built to protect the Winnebago Indians, who had been relocated by Henry Rice from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

to central Minnesota west of the Mississippi River, between the Crow Wing and Long Prairie rivers. Rice hoped the Winnebago would act as a buffer between the warring Ojibwe and Dakotah. His plan was unsuccessful and in 1855 the Winnebago were moved to the

Blue Earth River The Blue Earth River () is a tributary of the Minnesota River, long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth River, also flow for short di ...

in southern Minnesota. The Little Falls area was first settled in 1848, and platted in 1855. Its growth occurred when the Little Falls Company (later called the Little Falls Manufacturing Company) built a second dam. This dam washed out, as had the first, and Little Falls entered a long period of economic depression and stagnant population. 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 settled in Morrison County. 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 is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

led by M. M. Williams financed the dam. To be sure their investment would succeed, they encouraged other major industries to move to the city, touting the water power. Pine Tree Lumber Company, run by Charles A. Weyerhaeuser and Richard "Drew" Musser, was one 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. In 1889 the Louisville investors drew up a charter to transform Little Falls from a village to a city. Nathan Richardson, one of Morrison County's original organizers, became the city's first mayor.

Geography

The

flows south through west-central Morrison County. The

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

flows south-southwest through the central part of the county, discharging into the Mississippi just at both rivers exit Morrison County at the border with

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by Europe ...

. The Little Elk River rises in Morrison County and flows east to discharge into the Mississippi just north of Little Falls, picking up the flow of the South Branch of the Little Elk River at Randall. The Mississippi also receives the flow of the

Nokasippi River The Nokasippi River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 29, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in central Minnesota in the United States. In the Ojibwe lan ...

just above

Camp Ripley Camp Ripley is a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard near the city of Little Falls, Minnesota, Little Falls in the central part of the state. The location of the camp was selected in 1929 by Ellard ...

. The

Skunk River Skunk River may refer to: * Skunk River (Iowa), river in Iowa * Skunk River (Platte River), river in Minnesota {{dis ...

rises in the northeast part of the county, and flows west-southwest through the lower central part of the county, discharging into the Platte southeast of Little Falls. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, partly wooded, carved with drainages and gullies, and with all available area devoted to agriculture.Morrison County MN Google Maps (accessed May 3, 2019)
/ref> It generally slopes to the south, and slopes to the river valley from both east and west borders, with its highest point on the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, east and north of the east end of Lake Alexander, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 10 *

Minnesota State Highway 25 Minnesota State Highway 25 (MN 25) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 169 in Belle Plaine and continues north to its intersection with State Highway 210 in Brainerd. Route description State Hi ...

Minnesota State Highway 27 Minnesota State Highway 27 (MN 27) is a state highway in west-central and east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 28 in Browns Valley and continues east to its interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) in ...

Minnesota State Highway 28 Minnesota State Highway 28 (MN 28) is a state highway in west-central and central Minnesota, which travels from South Dakota Highway 10 at the South Dakota state line near Browns Valley and continues east to its intersection wi ...

* Minnesota State Highway 115 *

Minnesota State Highway 238 Minnesota State Highway 238 (MN 238) is a highway in central Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to t ...

Minnesota State Highway 371 Minnesota State Highway 371 (MN 371) is a state highway in central and north-central Minnesota. The route connects Minnesota's northern lakes region with the central part of the state. It runs north–south from U.S. Highway 10 ...

Airports

Little Falls/Morrison County Airport Little Falls/Morrison County Airport , also known as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located two miles (3 km) south of the central business district of Little Falls, a city in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States. It is owned by ...

(LXL) - southeast of Little Falls

Adjacent counties

* Cass County - north *

Crow Wing County Crow Wing County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,123. Its county seat is Brainerd. The county was formed in 1857, and was organized in 1870. Crow Wing County i ...

- northeast * Mille Lacs County - east * Benton County - southeast *

- south * Todd County - west

Protected areas

Sources: * Belle Prairie County Park * Charles A. Lindbergh State Park * Coon Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge * Crane Meadows State Wildlife Management Area * Crow Wing State Park (part) * Culdrum State Wildlife Management Area * Ereaua State Wildlife Management Area * Lake Alexander Woods Scientific and Natural Area * Little Elk State Wildlife Management Area * Mud Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Neitermeier State Wildlife Management Area * Popple Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Rice-Skunk Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Richardson State Wildlife Management Area * Ripley Esker Scientific and Natural Area * Sponsa State Wildlife Management Area * Wittiker State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 31,712 people, 11,816 households, and 8,460 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 13,870 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.48%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.21%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.32% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.15% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 45.4% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 18.8%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, 7.3% Norwegian and 5.7%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

ancestry. 96.7% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, 1.4%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and 1.2%

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, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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. The county population contained 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 (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,566. About 7.50% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.40% of those under age 18 and 18.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Bowlus Bowlus is an American luxury travel trailer with a front door, aerodynamic shape and polished aluminum body. Hawley Bowlus designed and built the travel trailer using his knowledge of aircraft construction. Aspects of the design were used on the ...

* Buckman * Elmdale *

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

* Genola * Harding *

Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had ...

* Lastrup * Little Falls (county seat) *

Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in ''commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley'' is ...

(part) * Pierz * Randall * Royalton (part) * Sobieski * Swanville (part) * Upsala

Unincorporated communities

* Belle Prairie * Center Valley * Cushing * Darling * Freedhem *

Gregory Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname *Gregory (The Walking Dead), fictional character from the walkin ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

* Morrill * North Prairie * Platte * Ramey * Shamineau Park * Sullivan--Minnesota Counties/Morrison'' - Genealogy Trails (accessed 3 May 2019)
/ref> * Vawter

Townships

* 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 * Lakin Township * Leigh Township * Little Falls Township * Morrill Township * Motley Township * Mount Morris Township * Parker Township * Pierz Township * Pike Creek Township * Platte Township * Pulaski Township * Rail Prairie Township (now defunct) * Richardson Township * Ripley Township * Rosing Township * Scandia Valley Township * Swan River Township * Swanville Township * Two Rivers Township

Politics

In previous decades, Morrison County voters were fairly balanced, but since 1984 the county has swung Republican, only selecting the Democratic nominee for president twice since 1984. Morrison County has voted Republican at the federal level in every election in the 21st century, with increasingly higher Republican margins each time. In 2024,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

received the highest number of raw votes in Morrison County for a presidential candidate of all time with 15,666 votes. This beat Trump's previous record in 2020 by 845 votes. Morrison was the most Republican out of all Minnesota counties in 2016, 2020 and 2024.https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/

References

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees Transportation in Minnesota, transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Cabinet (government), cabinet-lev ...

{{coord, 45, 58, N, 94, 22, W, source:svwiki_region:US_type:adm1st, display=title Minnesota counties Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River 1856 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1856