Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County, Minnesota, founded in 1853, is located in south-central Minnesota.

Blue Earth County is bordered:

• on the north by Le Sueur County and Nicollet County,
• on the west by Brown County and Watonwan County,
• on the south by Faribault County and Martin County, and
• on the east by Le Sueur County and Waseca County.

U.S. Highway 169 is a primary north-south and east-west transportation route.

U.S. Highway 14, and Minnesota Highways 30, and 60, are also primary east-west transportation routes. Minnesota Highways 22, and 66, are also primary north-south transportation routes.

Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Blue Earth County was named after the color of the clay which lies along the banks of the Blue Earth River.

Pierre Charles Le Sueur

Pierre Charles Le Sueur was a French explorer and fur trader who is believed to have been the first European to explore the region surrounding the Minnesota River in the vicinity of modern-day Blue Earth County.

Le Sueur arrived in Canada in the late 17th century, in the company of French Jesuits traveling to their mission at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

He arrived in Minnesota somewhere between 1695 and 1700.

Le Sueur was a successful fur trader, and was well received by the indigenous people – becoming fluent in several of their languages.

At first, Le Sueur believed that the blue colored clay in the region contained traces of copper, the mining of which would make him a rich man.

However, his initial hopes were dashed when no copper was found in the region, and Le Sueur soon returned to France, where he died in 1704.

Alexander Faribault

Alexander Faribault, also of French ancestry, establish a trading post in 1835 in the vicinity of present-day Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

The city of Faribault, in Rice County, Minnesota, and the County of Faribault, Minnesota, were named after Alexander Faribault.

Blue Earth County, Minnesota Courthouses

The first Courthouse in Blue Earth County, Minnesota was built of limestone in 1889 in the city of Mankato, in the French / Italian Renaissance style, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The current courthouse is located at 401 Carver Road, Mankato, MN 56002.

Blue Earth County, Minnesota Population

Blue Earth County, Minnesota had a population of 64,013, as of the 2010 Census, an increase of over 14.4% from the 2000 Census population of 55,941.

Blue Earth County, Minnesota Primary Cities

The city of Mankato is the county seat for Blue Earth County, Minnesota, and its largest city, having a population of 39,309 as of the 2010 Census.

Mankato is the home of Minnesota State University – Mankato, and also of Bethany College.

Other notable cities in Blue Earth County, Minnesota include Amboy, Lake Crystal, Good Thunder, Mapleton, North Mankato, Pemberton, St. Clair, and Vernon City.

The County of Blue Earth is not to be confused with the city of Blue Earth, which is the county seat for Faribault County – located just to the south.