Aitkin County

Founded: 23 May 1857
History
• Named after the fur trader William Aitkin
• The Northern Pacific Railroad brought logging and commerce business to the area
Major Industries: agriculture, tourism, forestry
Population: 15, 301
Major towns: Aitkin, Hill City, McGrath, McGregor, Palisade, and Tamarack
Acres: 1,215,669
Location: Containing parts of the Mississippi River and Mille Lacs Lake, Aitkin county is located in the center of Minnesota
Fun facts
• There is only one stoplight in the entire county, at the intersection of Highway 169 and Highway 210 in Aitkin
• There are 123,000 acres of water in Aitkin County, not including rivers
Public Recreation Sites
• Savanna State Park
• Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Hay Lake State campground
• Canoeing rivers
• Maintained public water accesses around county
Other Places to Visit
• Aitkin County Historical Society Depot Museum,
• Jacques Art Center
• Rialto Theatre
Website: http://www.co.aitkin.mn.us/index.htm
Upcoming Events
• Aitkin County Fair, August 1st-4th
• Aitkin Riverboat Heritage Days, July 18th-22nd
• For a complete list of events in Aitkin County, visit http://www.aitkin.com/06thingstodo/tdd-community_events.htm, or email upnorth@aitkin.com
**Thanks to the Aitkin County Website for the information!

Information gathered by Megan Jung, Sesquicentennial Fellow

Advertisement

Announcing: Counties of the Week

Part of what makes our state so special is the many diverse and unique areas of the state. So, as part of Minnesota’s 150th birthday celebration, we’ll be taking a look at each of the 87 counties in Minnesota: at their histories, heritage, culture, celebrations and people.
We want to know what makes your part of Minnesota special! If you know of any celebrations, county fairs, or special things you’re known for (or little-known interesting facts), email us at info@mn150years.org and we’ll include it when we feature your county. We’ll also post your events on our official Minnesota Sesquicentennial events calendar on this website.
Written by Megan Jung, Minnesota Sesquicentennial Fellow