Rice County, Minnesota

Rice County, Minnesota

Rice County, Minnesota, established in 1853, is located just south of the Twin Cities Metro area, in the southeastern part of Minnesota.

Rice County is bordered:

• on the north by Dakota County and Scott County,
• on the west by Le Sueur County,
• on the south by Waseca County and Steele County, and
• on the east by Goodhue County.

US Interstate Highway 35, and Minnesota Highway 3, are the primary north-south transportation routes. Minnesota Highways 19, 21, and 60, are the primary east-west transportation routes.

Henry Mower Rice

Rice County was named after Henry Mower Rice, a native of the State of Vermont, of English ancestry.

Mr. Rice arrived at Fort Snelling, Minnesota in 1839, at the age of 23.

Mr. Rice was hired to be a fur trader with the local Native American Indians, and was well respected by both his employer, and the indigenous people.

In 1844, Mr. Rice travel to present day Rice County, Minnesota, and was introduced to Alexander Faribault, another fur trader who had an operation in Rice County, Minnesota.

Mr. Rice was politically active, and was instrumental in achieving statehood for Minnesota.

He was a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents from 1851 to 1859.

In 1857-58, Mr. Rice was elected by the Minnesota Legislature to be Minnesota’s first United States Senator, serving in Washington from 1858 to 1863.

He was succeeded in the U.S. Senate by Alexander Ramsey – after whom Ramsey County, Minnesota was named.

In 1865, Mr. Rice unsuccessfully ran for Governor of the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Rice died in 1894 in San Antonio Texas.

Alexander Faribault

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

Like Mr. Rice, Mr. Faribault had a good relationship with the indigenous peoples.

In addition to being a fur trader, Mr. Faribault was also the proprietor of a local flour mill, and sawmill.

He was prosperous for his day, and was a major contributor to what would become the Shattuck School, in Faribault, founded by the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.

Rice County Courthouses

The first Courthouse in Rice County, Minnesota was built in the city of Faribault in 1874, on the same block as the current County Courthouse.

In 1924, two fireproof additions were built to allow for additional document storage.

This original Rice County, Minnesota Courthouse burned down in 1931, but was survived by the two fireproof additions.

The current Rice County, Minnesota Courthouse in the city of Faribault, an Art Deco masterpiece listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built entirely of nonflammable materials in 1932-34.

Rice County Population

Rice County, Minnesota had a population of 64,142, as of the 2010 Census, an increase of 13% over the 2000 census population of 56,665.

Rice County Primary Cities

The city of Faribault is the county seat for Rice County Minnesota.

The city of Faribault is not to be confused with the county of Faribault further south on the Iowa border, the county seat of which is the city of Blue Earth.

The other primary city in Rice County, Minnesota is Northfield – in which is located St. Olaf College, and Carleton College.