Dawson is a city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,466 at the 2020 census.
History
The land Dawson sits on was originally home to the Wahpekute, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Yanktonai people, three bands of the Dakota. Land was ceded to the US government by the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851. The treaties were signed on July 23 and August 6 in Traverse des Sioux and Mendota respectively. The land was ceded in exchange for $3,750,000, about 12 cents per acre. Little of the payment was actually received by the Dakota.
Dawson was platted in 1884. The city was named for William Dawson, a former mayor of St. Paul, and one of three partners in the Dawson Townsite Company. A post office has been in operation at Dawson since 1884. The city was incorporated in 1885. The West Branch of the Lac qui Parle River flows through the city. U.S. Route 212 serves as a main route in the city. The BNSF Railway runs through the city.