| County: | Lac qui Parle County |
| State: | Minnesota |
| Founded Date: | March 6 |
| Founded Year: | 1871[1] |
| Seat Wl: | Madison |
| Largest City Wl: | Dawson |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 778 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 765 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 13 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.7% |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 6719 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 6630 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 8.8 |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | http://lqpco.com/ |
| Ex Image: | Lac qui Parle County Courthouse.jpg |
| District: | 7th |
Lac qui Parle County [2] is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,719.[3] Its county seat is Madison.[4] The largest city in the county is Dawson.
The name of the county is a French translation of the Dakota name, "Mde Lyedan," meaning "lake that speaks."[5] [6]
In 1862 the Minnesota legislature authorized creation of a county to be called Lac qui Parle on an area north of the Minnesota River. However, that initiative was not approved by the local voters affected, so the proposed county did not come into existence. Nine years later (March 6, 1871) the legislature authorized creation of the present Lac qui Parle County, south of the Minnesota River, and it was approved by local voters. The county seat was established at Lac qui Parle village.
In 1884 a settlement was platted at the railway stop in Madison Township (named for Madison, Wisconsin). The settlement, also named Madison, was incorporated in 1885, and in 1889 the county government was moved from Lac qui Parle village to this new town, which incorporated as a city in 1902.[7]
In 1886, a county-wide election chose Madison as the county seat. 150 men and 40 teams of horses rode to Lac qui Parle village, where the town hall was at the time, and dragged the building to Madison.[8]
A new county courthouse was built in Madison in 1899, and in 1903 the Madison City Hall was completed. A total of four fires swept the city's main area during the early years of the twentieth century, resulting in most wood structures in the area being replaced with brick buildings.
A March 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked this as Minnesota's healthiest county.[9] [10]
The county reached its peak population of 15,554 in 1920. However, the county seat continued its population growth until 1960, when 2,380 residents were counted.[11]
Lac qui Parle County is on the west side of Minnesota. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of South Dakota. The Minnesota River flows southeastward along the county's NE border, creating Marsh Lake and Lac qui Parle Reservoir[12] The Minnesota River flow is augmented by Yellow Bank River near the county's north corner, and by Lac qui Parle River near the county's east border. The south fork of the Yellow Bank flows northward through the west portion of the county, and meets the north fork of the Yellow Bank in the north end of the county; the combined flow discharges into the Minnesota at the county's NE border. The Lac qui Parle flows eastward through the lower portion of the county, discharging into the Minnesota near the community of Lac qui Parle.
The county terrain consists of rolling hills, knolls and short bluffs near the west end, running to a steep bluff overlooking the Minnesota River valley on its east border. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.[13] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its SW corner, at 1404feet ASL.[14] The county has a total area of, of which is land and (1.7%) is water.[15]
The county's northern boundary is defined by the Minnesota River. Two tributaries, the Lac qui Parle River and the Yellow Bank River, flow through the county to discharge into the Minnesota.[16]
Salt Lake is found the county's western border. The lake is the only alkaline lake in Minnesota.[17] Salt Lake is a popular bird watching location[18] because it is home to 145 species of birds that are not found other places in the area. Rare plants and insects have also been known to inhabit the region.[19]
| White (NH) | 6,244 | 93% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 32 | 0.47% | |
| Native American (NH) | 10 | 0.14% | |
| Asian (NH) | 40 | 0.6% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0% | |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 191 | 2.84% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 202 | 3% |
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,067 people, 3,316 households, and 2,225 families in the county. The population density was 10.5/mi2. There were 3,774 housing units at an average density of 4.93/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 98.85% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.38% from two or more races. 0.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.6% were of Norwegian and 35.2% German ancestry.
There were 3,316 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.80% were married couples living together, 4.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
The county population contained 24.50% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,626, and the median income for a family was $41,556. Males had a median income of $27,939 versus $19,681 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,399. About 5.60% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.
| District | Commissioner | In office since | Current term expires on January 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Todd Patzer | 2005 | 2025 | |
| 2nd | DeRon Brehmer | 2011 | 2023 | |
| 3rd | John Maatz | 2017 | 2025 | |
| 4th | Ben Bothun | 2019 | 2023 | |
| 5th | Stacey Tufto | 2021 | 2025 |
Lac qui Parle County's normal operations are coordinated by the County Administrator Jake Sieg along with County Department Heads.
The current Sheriff of Lac qui Parle County is Allen Anderson, who became sheriff in 2017 upon the resignation of former Sheriff Lou Sager. Anderson won the 2018 election. The City of Dawson Chief of Police is Andrew Stock.
From the county's founding until 1956, Lac qui Parle County voted Republican, typically by large margins, in all but four elections, in 1912 when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won as the Progressive candidate, in the two landslide victories for Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and for Democrat Harry S. Truman in the close 1948 election. From 1960 to 2012, however, Lac qui Parle County voted Democrat in every election except for the two landslide wins for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. Beginning in 2016, the county has transitioned to being Republican once again, as Donald Trump won by over 25%, the best margin for any party since 1964 in the county. He increased his margin of victory to nearly 27% in 2020, and obtained over 62% of the vote, becoming the first candidate of any party to receive at least 60% of the vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976 (with native Minnesotan Walter Mondale as his running mate), and the first Republican to win at least 60% of the county's vote since Warren G. Harding a century earlier.
School districts include:[21]