Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota – originally covered with white pine forests – is located due north of the Twin Cities Metro area.

Mille Lacs County, established in 1857 out of Benton County, is bordered:

• on the north by Aitkin County and Crow Wing County,
• on the west by Morrison County and Benton County,
• on the south by Sherburne County,and
• on the east by Isanti County and Kanabec County.

Minnesota Highways 23, 27, and 95, are the primary east-west transportation routes.

U.S. Highway 169 is the primary north-south transportation route.

The Rum River flows through Mille Lacs County, and was the primary transportation route before the white pine forests were cleared.

Mille Lacs County derived its name from the French phrase “a thousand lakes” – which is a reference to the size of Mille Lacs Lake.

Mille Lacs County Courthouse

The current Mille Lacs County Courthouse – constructed in 1923 of Indiana limestone in the Renaissance/Classical Revival style – is located at 635 2nd St., SE in Milaca, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mille Lacs County Population

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota had a population of 26,097 as of the 2010 Census, an increase of 16.9% over the 2000 Census population of 22,330.

Mille Lacs County Primary Cities

The city of Milaca, established in 1886 on the Rum River, is the county seat for Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, and had a population of 2,946 as of the 2010 Census.

The city of Princeton on the south edge of Mille Lacs County, was originally the county seat, and remains the largest city in Mille Lacs County.

However, when the Great Northern Railroad came through Mille Lacs County, it crossed the Rum River at present day Milaca, and the county seat for Mille Lacs County was moved from Princeton, to Milaca.

Railroad baron James J. Hill acquired rights to timber tracts in Mille Lacs County and neighboring counties, and established the Mille Lacs Lumber Company in present day Milaca in order to harvest the White Pine forests blanketing the area to provide railroad ties for his Great Northern Railroad, and for sale to other railroads.

Other prominent cities in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota include Isle, Onamia, Pease and Wahkon.