Area History

Chisago county was established in the fall of 1851 by an act of the territorial
legislature of Minnesota. The name is derived from the Native American
phrase for the "large and lovely" lakes in the area. It would be almost seven
years before Minnesota itself gained statehood, on May 11th, 1858.

Chisago county is located about 20 miles north of the Twin Cities metropol-
itan area and extends another 30 miles north, along the wild and scenic St.
Croix River, which forms the eastern border. Within its 450+ square miles (1,170 hectares), recreational opportunities abound!

The St. Croix river valley was first inhabited by nomadic people some 6,000
years ago. For thousands of years the valley was home to both Dakota
(Sioux) and Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indians. These tribes were largely gone by
the time steamboats from the south began to arrive in 1838. Soldiers,
yankee businessmen, and land speculators came and established their
places. The white pine logging industry and sawmills flourished along the
river while many crops were grown on the freshly cleared farmland.

Construction of the first Government Road from Fort Snelling to Lake
Superior began in 1852. The road (shown in pink on the map) passed
through the county, following the bluff line of the St. Croix river. It carried
new settlers into the territory and later saw scheduled stagecoach and mail
service. Portions of the route, also known as the Point Douglas Superior
Military Road, are now designated as a Minnesota Scenic Byway.

Tracks for the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad soon swept along the
west side of the county. A network of roadways began to develop, criss-
crossing the area, bringing both people and goods to the new depots.

Swedish immigrants were the predominant group who established the
churches and communities of the mid to late 1800's. Their hardships and
joys are captured in a series of epic novels written by Vilhelm Moberg, a
Swedish author who spent the summer of 1948 in the Chisago Lakes area.

Minnesota Highway 8 which connects Forest Lake to Taylors Falls is today
known as the Moberg Commemorative Trail (shown in yellow on the map).
All of the towns and villages along that route have Swedish sister cities.