Editing Chisago County, Minnesota (section)

==History==
===Early history===

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Chisago County was home to the [[Dakota people|Dakota]] and [[Ojibwe]] tribes. The Dakota lived in the southern part of the county and the Ojibwe in the northern part.<ref name="Risjord 2005 p.">{{cite book | last=Risjord | first=Norman K. | title=A popular history of Minnesota | publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press | publication-place=St. Paul | date=2005 | isbn=0-87351-531-5 | oclc=56840368 | page=}}</ref> The first European to explore the area was Sieur duLuth in 1679.<ref name="u439">{{cite web |title=Chisago County Comprehensive Plan, 2017 |url=https://www.chisagocountymn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9483/Comprehensive-Plan-2017-PDF?bidId= |access-date=2024-08-28}}</ref> French and English trading posts were established in Taylors Falls and Sunrise during the 18th century. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, French fur traders who traveled south from Lake Superior established trading posts along the river, extending as far south as Taylors Falls.<ref name="u439" />  

In 1837, a treaty between the United States and the [[Ojibwe|Chippewa Nation]] led to the cession of all lands between the [[St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)|St. Croix]] and [[Mississippi River]], opening the area for European settlement.<ref name="f801">{{cite web |date=2009-02-25 |title=1837 Treaty |url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/laws_treaties/1837/index.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources}}</ref>

===European Settlement===

The first European settlers arrived in the Chisago County area in the early 1800s. Most of them were of [[Swedish diaspora|Swedish descent]], and they came in search of land and new opportunities.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Flanagan | first=John T. | year=1963 | title=Chisago Reminiscences | journal=Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly | volume=14 | pages=6–18 }}</ref> They established small farms and communities throughout the county. Chisago County's early economy was based on farming, logging, and mining. Its forests and mines attracted many settlers to the area. Records of early businesses in Chisago County are recorded in ''Lindströmsjö''.<ref name="Lindströmsjö">{{cite web |title=Chisago County Historical Society |url=https://www.chisagocountyhistory.org/Home.html |access-date=April 28, 2023 |website=Chisago County Historical Society}}</ref> Many Swedes emigrated seeking religious freedom from the oppressive [[Lutheran]] [[Church of Sweden]]. However, the majority left for reasons other than religious repression and still identified as Lutherans.<ref name="Johnson 1948">{{cite book | last=Johnson | first=E. | title=A Church is Planted: The Story of the Lutheran Minnesota Conference, 1851-1876 | publisher=Lutheran Minnesota Conference | year=1948 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYnTAAAAMAAJ | access-date=December 5, 2023 | page=}}</ref> The early Swedish churches in Minnesota, like the Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church in Center City, were initially lay-led due to the absence of ordained clergy.<ref>{{cite book | last=Eckman | first=F. M. | title=Minneskrift 1854-1904, Svenska Ev. Lutherska forsamlingen i Chisago Lake (Memorial publication 1854-1904, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chisago Lake) | year=1904 | publisher=Svenska Ev. Lutherska forsamlingen i Chisago Lake | language = Swedish|location=Center City, Minn. }}</ref>

In the mid-1800s, the area that is now Chisago County was part of the Minnesota Territory, and it was not officially established as a county until 1851.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chisago County, Minnesota |url=https://genealogytrails.com/minn/chisago/history_naming.html |publisher=Minnesota Geographic Names |access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> It took its name from the [[Chisago Lake]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n126 107]}}</ref> In its aboriginal form it was "Ki-chi-saga", from two Ojibwe words: "kichi" (large) and "saga" (fair or lovely).<ref name="Wikisource, the free online library 2023">{{cite web | title=Page:A history of the Swedish-Americans of Minnesota.djvu/9 | website=Wikisource, the free online library | date=March 27, 2023 | url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:A_history_of_the_Swedish-Americans_of_Minnesota.djvu/9 | access-date=May 5, 2023}}</ref>

The county seat was originally in [[Taylors Falls, Minnesota|Taylors Falls]], but was relocated to Chisago City in 1865. It took three more years before the legislature approved this relocation and voters approved it in a referendum. The move was later challenged in the courts on allegations of election fraud, resulting in a two-year delay before the state Supreme Court validated the results. In 1875, the county seat was again moved, this time to Center City where it remains as of {{Currentyear}}.<ref name="j048">{{cite web |title=Facilities |url=https://www.chisagocountymn.gov/Facilities |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Chisago County, MN}}</ref>

The development of transportation infrastructure in Chisago County began with the completion of the first bridge across the St. Croix River at Taylors Falls in 1856. Prior to the bridge, ferryboats provided crossings at Sunrise and Rush City. In 1868, a military road was constructed, spanning the entire county from north to south. Railroads soon became a vital mode of transportation, with the completion of the [[St. Paul and Duluth Railroad]], also running north to south, in 1870.<ref name="u439" />

=== Progressive Era ===
By the early 1900s and the dawn of the [[Progressive Era]], much of Chisago County's forests had been cleared, leading to the closure of sawmills and the departure of lumberjacks in search of new employment. Advancements in farm machinery enabled fewer workers to manage larger farms. The county's economy shifted toward manufacturing and industry. The county was home to factories and mills, including sawmills, flour mills, and paper mills.<ref name="Lindströmsjö" />

The Progressive Era also led to reform movements resonating throughout Minnesota and Chisago County.<ref>{{cite book | last=Chrislock | first=Carl H. | year=1971 | title=The Progressive Era in Minnesota, 1899-1918 | location=St. Paul | publisher=Minnesota Historical Society | isbn=978-0873514972}}</ref> The county's distinct approach to education can be primarily attributed to its homogeneous population and the unique structure of local governance.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Swedish Elementary Schools in Chisago County | year=1979 | journal=Swedish Pioneer Historical Quarterly | volume=30 | pages=172–182 }}</ref> This uniformity allowed the school boards in Chisago County to effectively control external influences through their selection of teachers.<ref name="Shaffer">{{cite thesis | last=Shaffer | first=Thomas Wayne | title=From Sacred Learning to Secular Education: Swedish Lutherans in Southern Chisago County, Minnesota, 1875-1922 | year=1996 | isbn=0591078724 | url= | language=English }}</ref>

Nearly 70% of Chisago County voters supported [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912–1920)|Progressive Party]] candidate [[Theodore Roosevelt]] in [[1912 United States presidential election in Minnesota|1912]].<ref>{{cite book | title=The Legislative Manual of the State of Minnesota 1913 | author=Minnesota Secretary of State | year=1913 | chapter=Vote for President, 1912 | location=St. Paul | publisher= }}</ref>

=== Post-war ===
Between 1970 and 2000, Chisago County's population surged by 135%. Enhanced transportation networks, including [[Interstate 35 in Minnesota|Interstate Highway 35]] and [[U.S. Route 8|U.S. Highway 8]], facilitated access to broader regions and led to business and industrial growth.<ref name="u439" />

===Modern era===
Today, Chisago County has a diverse economy. It is home to several manufacturing companies, including the Anderson Corporation, a major producer of windows and doors.<ref name="Chisago County 2020">{{cite web | title=Our Mission | website=Chisago County | date=July 29, 2020 | url=https://www.chisagocounty.org/what-we-do/ | access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> Agriculture is also a large part of the local economy, with crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat grown in the county.<ref name="USDA 2023">{{cite web | title=National Agricultural Statistics Service - Minnesota - County Estimates | website=USDA | date=February 24, 2023 | url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Minnesota/Publications/County_Estimates/index.php | access-date=May 1, 2023}}</ref> Tourism is also growing, with visitors drawn to the [[Chisago Lakes]] area's recreational opportunities.<ref name="Chisago Lakes Visitor Bureau 2023"/>

The county has retained and continues to celebrate much of its Swedish heritage.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bosman|first=Julie|date=April 16, 2015|title=Lindström Loses Umlauts on Road Signs, and the Town is Dotted With Displeasure (Published 2015)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/us/lindstrom-minnesota-umlaut-scandinavian-roots-governor-dayton.html|access-date=December 25, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>