Editing Crow Wing County, Minnesota (section)

==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.<ref>{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Crow Wing}}</ref> The governmental structure of the county was not effected until March 3, 1870. The county was named for the river,<ref>{{cite book|author=Warren Upham|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/n173 154]}}</ref> which is named for an island in the river that resembles a crow's wing.

[[Brainerd, Minnesota|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, Minnesota|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]]. {{citation needed|date=November 2018}} 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, Minnesota|Sauk Rapids]], arrived on November 1, 1877.

On February 18, 1887, the Minnesota legislature annexed part of [[Cass County, Minnesota|Cass County]] (west of the Mississippi) to Crow Wing County, which doubled the former area of Crow Wing County.
[[File:Crow Wing Co 3-18-15 No Text Wiki Version.pdf|thumb|right|Soils of Crow Wing County<ref>Nelson, Steven (2011).''Savanna Soils of Minnesota.'' Minnesota: Self. pp. 53–56. {{ISBN|978-0-615-50320-2}}.</ref>]]
[[File:Crow Wing State Park Neighborhood.jpg|thumb|right|Soils of Crow Wing State Park neighborhood]]