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 is included in the Brainerd, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

This area was long occupied by the Ojibwe people, also known as Chippewa. In addition, numerous Dakota people lived in central and southern Minnesota before European settlement. European Americans established a trading post by 1837 in this area, on the east side of the Mississippi River opposite the mouth of the Crow Wing River. The post (named Crow Wing) soon became a center of trading with the region's Native Americans, with a general-supply store that served the area. By 1866, the village contained about 600 whites and Chippewa; it was a major population center. The territorial government enacted the county's creation on May 23, 1857, and named Crow Wing the county seat. The governmental structure of the county was not effected until March 3, 1870. The county was named for the river, which is named for an island in the river that resembles a crow's wing.

Brainerd township was founded in 1870 when the Northern Pacific Railroad selected the site for a crossing of the Mississippi River. It attracted development and population, soon surpassing Crow Wing. It was also designated as the new county seat, drawing off more residents and businesses from what became known as a ghost town, Old Crow Wing. Crow Wing State Park encompasses much of the former village site along the river.

Brainerd City was incorporated on November 19, 1881, named for Lawrence Brainerd, the father-in-law of J. Gregory Smith, the first president of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Smith served as governor of Vermont from 1863 to 1865 before moving west. He is called the father and founder of Brainerd. Lawrence Brainerd was the first president of the Vermont Central Railroad. The Northern Pacific Railroad ran a special train as its first service to Brainerd on March 11, 1871. Its regular passenger service began the next September. <!-- What routes/cities did it serve? -->The first passenger train from the Twin Cities, by way of Sauk Rapids, arrived on November 1, 1877.

On February 18, 1887, the Minnesota legislature annexed part of Cass County (west of the Mississippi) to Crow Wing County, which doubled the former area of Crow Wing County.

thumb|right|Soils of Crow Wing County

thumb|right|Soils of Crow Wing State Park neighborhood

Geography

Crow Wing County has an area of , of which is land and (14%) is water.

Topography and vegetation

Crow Wing County has two state forests, the Crow Wing State Forest and the Emily State Forest. The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail lies in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The topography is gently rolling to flat, mostly wooded and heavily dotted with waters and wetlands. It is home to an abundance of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit, snowshoe hare, raccoon, red fox, gray fox, coyote, mink, muskrat, squirrels, beaver, occasional American black bear, Bald eagle, osprey and many other waterfowl.

Lakes and rivers

The main river is the Mississippi River, and there are several smaller streams.

It has about 417 recognized lakes. The top ten by size are:

  1. Gull Lake –
  2. Pelican Lake –
  3. Upper and Lower White Fish Lake –
  4. North Long Lake –
  5. Lake Edward –
  6. Bay Lake –
  7. Cross Lake –
  8. Round Lake –
  9. Big Trout Lake –
  10. Lower South Long Lake –

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Route 169
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 6
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 18
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 25
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 210
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 371

Adjacent counties

  • Aitkin County – northeast
  • Mille Lacs County – southeast
  • Morrison County – southwest
  • Cass County – northwest, north

Protected areas

  • Crow Wing State Forest
  • Crow Wing State Park (part)
  • Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
  • Cuyuna Lakes State Trail (within Cuyuna Country SRA)
  • Duck Lakes State Wildlife Management Area
  • Emily State Forest
  • Loerch State Wildlife Management Area
  • Mille Lacs Moraine Scientific and Natural Area
  • Safari North Wildlife Park
  • Upper Dean State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

<!-- PresRow should be -->

{| class="wikitable"

|+County Board of Commissioners

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!District

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Paul Koering

|District 1

|-

|

|Commissioner and Vice Chair

|John Lubke

|District 2

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Steve Barrows

|District 3

|-

|

|Commissioner and Chair

|Rosemary Franzen

|District 4

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Doug Houge

|District 5

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+State Legislature (2025–2027)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|Senate

|Keri Heintzeman

|Republican

|District 6

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|House of Representatives

|Ben Davis

|Republican

|District 6A

|-

| style="background-color:" |&nbsp;

|House of Representatives

|Josh Heintzeman

|Republican

|District 6B

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+U.S Congress (2025–2027)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Pete Stauber

|Republican

|8th

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Amy Klobuchar

|Democrat

|N/A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Tina Smith

|Democrat

|N/A

|}

Education

School districts include:

  • Aitkin Public School District
  • Brainerd Public Schools
  • Crosby-Ironton Public School District
  • Little Falls Public School District
  • Onamia Public Schools
  • Pequot Lakes Public Schools
  • Pierz Public School District
  • Pine River-Backus Public School District

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Crow Wing County, Minnesota
  • List of Superfund sites in Minnesota

References

  • Crow Wing County official website
  • Crow Wing County Historical Society website