Do You Know How These 5 Minnesota Counties Got Their Names?

When my wife and I moved her from North Carolina last year, we had to get used to our new surroundings. We had to learn our way around our new state. In the process, we had to learn names of the towns that we live around now.  

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Then this week, I saw all of these Sheriff cars from across Minnesota in St. Cloud and it got me thinking, “How did some of these counties get their names?”. 

So, I began to do a little research on that and here is what I learned on some of the county names in Minnesota. 

Winona County- Was named for the cousin of Chief Wabasha III, the last chief to have that name. He is the name sake for Wabasha County, and he and his cousin were instrumental in driving out the Winnebago Indians from that area.  

Isanti County- The name Isanti came from the Dakota Indians who lived along Mille Lacs Lake and Rum River area. They were sometimes called the Santee's, and Isanti is derived from that word.  

Pine County- This one is pretty easy; the county is known for the large forests full of Eastern White Pines and Red Pines that populate the area. 

Rock County- Rock County was originally called Pipestone County but was changed to Rock County for a large outcrop of Reddish-Grey Quartz called “The Mound”. The rock stands prominently out of the ground in a low prairie area. 

Waseca County- The name comes from the Dakota word for “rich” talking about the fertile soil of the area. The name was given after the first farming settlement occupied the area. 

These are just five counties in Minnesota, but there seem to be a lot of others that have interesting back stories tied to their name. A good deal of the names are tied to bodies of water where the county is located.  Hopefully you learned something from this, I know I sure did.