Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

for Pennington County.

History

Thief River Falls takes its name from a geographic feature, the falls of the

Red Lake River The Red Lake River (French: ''Rivière du Lac Rouge''; Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganiiwi-ziibi'') is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing thro ...

at its confluence with the Thief River. The name of the river is a loose translation of the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

phrase ''Gimood-akiwi ziibi'', literally, the "Stolen-land river" or "Thieving-land river", which originated when a band of

Dakota Indians The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...

occupied a secret encampment along the river, hence "stealing" the land, before being discovered and routed by the neighboring Ojibwe. In the

Treaty of Old Crossing By the Treaty of Old Crossing (1863) and the Treaty of Old Crossing (1864), the Pembina and Red Lake bands of the Ojibwe, then known as Chippewa Indians, purportedly ceded to the United States all of their rights to the Red River Valley. On the ...

of 1863, the ''Moose Dung's Indian Reservation'' was established on the west bank of the Thief River, at its confluence with Red Lake River. This Indian Reservation was dissolved in 1904 and their population incorporated as part of the

Red Lake Band of Chippewa The Red Lake Indian Reservation (Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganing'') covers in parts of nine counties in northwestern Minnesota, United States. It is made up of numerous holdings but the largest section is an area about Red Lake, in no ...

. Thief River Falls marked the limit of navigation on the

. The eponymous town site was established in 1887 and later incorporated as a city in 1896. Thief River Falls first developed as a lumber-milling town. It is located in a major agriculture area because of the rich soil left by ancient

Glacial Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was a large glacial lake in central North America. Fed by glacial meltwater at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined. First postulated in 1823 by William H. Keating, i ...

. The

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

and the Soo Line railroads brought prosperity when Thief River Falls became a center for shipping wheat.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Thief River Falls is located at the confluence of the Red Lake and Thief rivers.

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

and Minnesota State Highways 1 and 32 are the three main routes in the community. Thief River Falls is located approximately south of the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

and northeast of

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, in the northwest region of

Climate

Thief River Falls has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

( Dwb) with warm to hot summers and cold to severely cold winters.

Demographics

According to the ethnic heritage section of the 2000 Federal Census, 50% of Thief River Falls residents identify themselves as

Norwegian-American Norwegian Americans ( nb, Norskamerikanere, nn, Norskamerikanarar) are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the ...

, making Thief River Falls one of the most ethnically concentrated towns in the nation.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 8,573 people, 3,802 households, and 2,141 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 4,061 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.9% Native American, 0.7%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.0% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 3,802 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,410 people, 3,619 households, and 2,091 families residing in the city. The

was 1,760.0 people per square mile (679.3/km). There were 3,931 housing units at an average density of 822.7 per square mile (317.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.56%

, 0.27%

, 0.95% Native American, 0.67%

, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.62% from

, and 0.90% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.63% of the population. There were 3,619 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,759, and the median income for a family was $40,908. Males had a median income of $30,332 versus $20,785 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,489. About 8.0% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Thief River Falls (and surrounding region) has been home to major industry including

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

farm machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that the ...

, and global electronics distribution. The town is the home of snowmobile manufacturer

Arctic Cat Arctic Cat is an American brand of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles manufactured in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The company was formed in 1960 and is now part of Textron Inc. Arctic Cat designs, engineers, manufactures and markets all-terr ...

. South of Thief River Falls is a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

, 7 Clans Casino, which also contains a hotel and indoor water park. Thief River Falls is home to the electronic parts distributor

Digi-Key Digi-Key is a privately held American company that distributes electronic components. Headquartered in Thief River Falls in the U.S. state of Minnesota, the company is the fourth largest electronic component distributor in North America and the ...

, one of the largest employers in the area, and was the birthplace of the vaunted Steiger Tractor, produced from 1958 to the late 1980s. Thief River Falls was home to the headquarters of the Cycle Detection Warning System up until its shutdown on April 13, 2009.

Rivers and rails

Thief River Falls is situated on the junction of two rivers,

from the east-southeast and the Thief River from the north. The proximity to forests and shipping made Thief River Falls ideal for logging. In the late 19th century the Great Northern Railway was built, and in 1904, the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (“Soo Line”) passed through on its route from

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. Branches were later built to

Drake, North Dakota Drake is a town in McHenry County, North Dakota, McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 292 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Minot, North Dakota, Minot Minot micropolitan area, Micropolitan ...

, and

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The Minnesota Northwestern Electric Railway, an electric-powered passenger train, ran from Thief River Falls to Goodridge between 1914 and 1940. Today, the river and rails still power the local economy with tourism and shipping.

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

and Minnesota Northern Railroad now occupy tracks through town. To this day, Soo Line engine 1024 rests outside city hall (formerly the Soo Line Depot). On Tuesday, August 21, 2007, the Empress Express (

Canadian Pacific 2816 Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H-1b" 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); the only non-streamlined H ...

) spent the night in front of the historic Soo Line depot in Thief River Falls. Thief River Falls Radio reported that the classic steam engine was built in 1930, and the 45 ticketed passengers were to leave for Glenwood,

, on Wednesday morning.

Major industries

Snowmobiles

, Inc. can trace its roots to former

Polaris Industries Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer of RZR, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and neighborhood electric vehicles headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where ...

founder Edgar Hetteen who left Polaris in 1960 and started Polar Manufacturing in Thief River Falls. Shortly after changing name to Arctic Enterprises, the new company produced snowmobiles. Arctic Cat purchased several boat manufacturers including Spirit Marine which produced the first

Wetbike A WetBike is a planing motorised personal water craft that is often described as cross between a motorcycle and a jet ski. The original Wetbike was introduced in 1978 by Spirit Marine, a subsidiary of Arctic Enterprises (now known as Arctic Cat ...

in 1978. A few snowless winters in the early 1980s bankrupted the 20-year-old company, which closed its facilities by 1982. In 1984, Arctic Cat was reborn under a new company name, Arctco, which was changed to

in 1996.

Electronics distribution

Electronics is one of the largest electronics distributors in North America. The company started in 1972 with Dr. Ronald A. Stordahl's interest in ham radio, which led him to assemble and sell digital electronic keyer kits to other ham radio operators for sending radiotelegraph messages. This device was called the Digi-Keyer. As a testament to how Digi-Key has distributed parts literally "around the world", electronic components it sold are inside satellites now orbiting the Earth.

Tractors

Steiger Tractors were invented by Douglas and Maurice Steiger from Thief River Falls during the 1950s. The brothers built their first tractor the winter of 1957–58 after seeing a need to cover their ground more efficiently. After designing and building the tractors on their farm for six years, the brothers opened a production facility in Fargo, North Dakota. A new plant built in 1974 could produce a new tractor every 18 minutes. Steiger produced many models of tractor with the main feature being the horsepower. Ford chose Steiger to manufacture the Ford tractors of the late 1970s and early '80s. As the farm economy slumped in the late 1980s, Steiger had trouble selling tractors. Steiger filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1986, and was soon after sold to Tenneco, parent company of J. I. Case. Case IH continued to produce and sell Steiger tractors while introducing its own lines of 4wd tractors. Case still produces Steiger tractors at the Fargo, North Dakota, facility.

Education

Thief River Falls is home to Thief River Falls Public Schools, a public school district operating a high school ( Lincoln High School), middle school (Franklin Middle School), and elementary school (Challenger Elementary School). Benefactor

Ralph Engelstad Ralph Louis Engelstad (January 28, 1930 – November 26, 2002) was an American businessman who owned the Imperial Palace casino-hotels in Las Vegas and in Biloxi, Mississippi. He also owned the Kona Kai motel in Las Vegas, which later became the ...

, who was raised in Thief River Falls, built an $11.5 million hockey arena for the high school hockey team. The arena is called

Ralph Engelstad Arena Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controvers ...

, the same name as the University of North Dakota's $100 million hockey arena in

. Thief River Falls is also home to Northland Community and Technical College, which also has a campus in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. The college has experienced steady growth in enrollment in the past decade.

Health care

Sanford Health Sanford Health is a non-profit, integrated health care delivery system, with its headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with additional offices in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota. History Sanford Health has its ...

Thief River Falls Northwest Medical Center is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) with 25 beds; has non-governmental, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) status; and is the area's community hospital. It houses an inpatient and outpatient mental health unit, encompasses a free-standing 15-bed group home for mentally ill persons and a free-standing 10-bed treatment center for emotionally disturbed children, has doctors on site in the Emergency Room 24/7, and is the only hospital in the community of Thief River Falls, Minnesota. It is staffed by over 300 employees, making it one of the largest employers in the area. It is governed by an eight-member board of directors. Sanford Health Thief River Falls offers medical services that include laboratory, surgery, family physicians, and a women's health center.

Transportation

Major highways

Routes located within the city of Thief River Falls: *

Minnesota State Highway 1 Minnesota State Highway 1 (MN 1) is a state highway across northern Minnesota, United States, which runs from North Dakota Highway 54 (ND 54) at the North Dakota state line (at the Red River in Oslo) and continues east to its eastern termin ...

Minnesota State Highway 32 Minnesota State Highway 32 (MN 32) is a highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with Minnesota State Highway 34, State Highway 34 in Tansem Township, Clay County, Minnesota, Tanse ...

Air service

The city and surrounding community is served by

Thief River Falls Regional Airport Thief River Falls Regional Airport is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 kilometre, km) south of the central business district of Thief River Falls, Minnesota, Thief River Falls, a city in Pennington County, Minnesota, ...

. Daily flights to and from the airport are provided by

Denver Air Connection Denver Air Connection is a subsidiary of Key Lime Air providing both charter and scheduled passenger air service. History Key Lime Air, dba Denver Air Connection (DAC), operates FAR Part 121 regional airline scheduled passenger service and sc ...

Media

The local newspaper is the weekly ''

Thief River Falls Times {{Short description, Weekly news publication in Thief River Falls, Minnesota The ''Thief River Falls Times'' is a weekly news publication based in Thief River Falls, Minnesota Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviate ...

''. The daily newspapers ''

Grand Forks Herald The ''Grand Forks Herald'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, established in 1879, published in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It is the primary daily paper for northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Its average daily circulat ...

'' and ''

Minneapolis Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

'' are also available. Thief River Falls is home to several radio stations, and several radio stations from Grand Forks, North Dakota, can also be received. Thief River Falls is part of the Fargo/

television market. Local Fox affiliate KVRR-TV operates a

semi-satellite A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to Thief River Falls, KBRR-TV (channel 10), serving Grand Forks. Thief River Falls residents have access to network affiliates from Grand Forks.

Local radio stations

Licensed stations to Thief River Falls: * KTRF 1230 AM (

News/Talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

) *

KKAQ KKAQ 1460 AM is a radio station licensed to Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The station broadcasts a classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decade ...

1460 AM (

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

, primarily rebroadcasts KKDQ FM) * K202BK 88.3 FM KUND

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

( North Dakota Public Radio) * KSRQ 90.1 FM "Pioneer 90.1" ( NCTC

College radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

/ Independent Public Radio) * KQMN 91.5 FM (

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest. MPR ha ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

) * KTRF-FM 94.1 FM "The Falls" ( Adult Hits from Thief River Falls studios) * KKDQ 99.3 FM "North Country" (

) * KNTN 102.7 FM (

news) * K300AS 107.9 FM "Your Q FM" (

of KKEQ 107.1 of Fosston) Radio stations from Grand Forks and Crookston are also accessible to residents.

Activities and attractions

LaBree Avenue

Since the city's foundation in 1896, LaBree Avenue has been a cornerstone of community life. Many of the businesses that were born in Thief River Falls were started on LaBree. The city's Chamber of Commerce holds an annual "Crazy Dayz", which is a "bargain day" of sorts on LaBree. Also, each fall, the city closes the street and hosts the "Great American Block Party", during which vendors line the street and live music is performed.

Thief River Golf Club

Thief River Falls is home to an 18-hole golf course situated along the Thief River north of the city.

Northwest Trap/Sporting Clays

Three miles north, two miles west of town, the "Trap Club" provides Trap on Mondays and Thursdays, Sporting Clays, on Wednesdays, HS Trap on Tuesdays (during the MN HS season) and can also provide events for any organization.

Snowmobiling

The city is along several regional snowmobile trails reaching northern Minnesota, including the Wapiti Trail, which leads to Fourtown and Grygla. Other trails lead to Greenbush,

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

, and Red Lake Falls, to name a few.

River Walk

The city's River Walk lines the rivers from one end of town to the other and connects several parks including the dam, Red Robe Park, and the Northland Woods.

Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village

The Pennington County Historical Society, which was organized in the 1930s, is responsible for maintaining the Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village. Officially opened in 1976, the museum and village provide a living history of Thief River Falls. Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village, named after a local Norwegian immigrant, consists of 19 buildings with over 25,000 individual items on display. Buildings include seven late 19th century log houses; a Swedish Lutheran church, built in 1916; two railroad building depots and two cabooses; a one-room schoolhouse dating back to 1908; five original stores (including a blacksmith shop, general store, and beauty and barber shops); a restored two-story home; a large farm and an auto machinery building; and a museum.

Spectator sports

Ice hockey

Hockey is a popular sport in Thief River Falls, much like the rest of Minnesota. The city has three arenas:

, the Huck Olson Memorial Arena, and the old Thief River Falls arena located downtown. Since 2016, the city has been home to the

Thief River Falls Norskies The Thief River Falls Norskies are an American Junior A ice hockey team based in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. They participate in the Superior International Junior Hockey League, a Canadian Junior Hockey League member. History The Norskies ...

, which plays in the Canadian-based

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of M ...

. Thief River Falls, along with

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, hosted the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships between December 25, 2004, and January 4, 2005. The

hosted the Thief River Falls games, one of which was broadcast on sports network,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Bull riding

The Pennington County Fairgrounds in Thief River Falls is the host to an annual

Professional Bull Riders The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...

Touring Pro Division (TPD)

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

event. The TPD is the minor-league system of the PBR.

In popular culture

''Thief River'', the play

The celebrated American playwright

Lee Blessing Lee Knowlton Blessing (born October 4, 1949) is an American playwright best known for his 1988 work, '' A Walk in the Woods''. A lifelong Midwesterner, Blessing continued to work in regional theaters in and around his hometown of Minneapolis thro ...

’s work, ''Thief River'', premiered in 2000 at the

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. It is commonly referred to as The O'Neill. The center has received two Tony Awards, the 1979 Special Awa ...

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,074 ...

. It subsequently ran

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in New York in June 2001 to mixed reviews, and later had a longer run in San Francisco. The

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

called it "an old fashioned gay love story - one where love is upstaged by shame, secrecy and social defiance." It is the story of Gil and Ray, who at age 17 were secret lovers in what one reviewer called "a small homophobic Minnesota town in the '40s"—presumably Thief River Falls. The plot portrays a love between these two men that spans 53 years. As stated by another reviewer, "The play attempted to show what it would be like to be a gay man in a small town in the late '40s, when two men kissing would have been a revolutionary act." The play most recently ran in Chicago in early 2007, where it was called "the definitive work capturing the homosexual experience in the rural American Midwest over the last 50 years.".Rick R. Reed, ''Theater: The Other Side of the ‘River’'', Windy City Times, Feb. 28, 2007) The specific Minnesota connection of the play is unstated, but playwright Blessing grew up in the Twin Cities area and attended Minnetonka High School before leaving for Reed College in Oregon in the late 1960s.

Notable people

* Robert Baker, ice hockey player who competed in

ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was the sixth Olympic Championship, also served as the 15th World Championships and the 26th European Championships. Canada won its fifth Olympic gold me ...

* Tim Bergland, ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning; captained Minnesota Gophers and participated in 1995 IIHF World Championships * Elmer E. Berglund, railroad conductor and Minnesota state legislator * Bill Carlson, news anchor for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

-owned

WCCO-TV WCCO-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, broadcasting the CBS network to the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, and maintains studios ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

; born in Thief River Falls but was raised in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

; joined

WCCO Radio WCCO (830 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located on Second Avenue South in Downtown Minneapolis. WCCO features a talk radio format, with frequent newscas ...

in 1951 *

Barry Darsow Barry Allen Darsow (born October 6, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler who performed as Smash, one half of the tag team Demolition. He also wrestled as Krusher Kruschev, Repo Man, The Blacktop Bully and "Mr. Hole in One" Barry D ...

, professional wrestler for

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

as "Krusher Kruschev" and in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

as "

Demolition Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...

Smash" *

, owner of Imperial Palace in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

; a philanthropist, he donated funds to build the

in Thief River Falls in 2003 * Ralph R. Erickson, United States federal judge *

John H. Hay John Hancock Hay Jr. (October 2, 1917 – December 18, 1995) was a Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as commander of the Berlin Brigade, the 1st Infantry Division (United States)#Vie ...

, United States Army lieutenant general who served as commander of the

Berlin Brigade The Berlin Brigade was a US Army brigade-sized garrison based in West Berlin during the Cold War. After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupat ...

Agnes Israelson Agnes Israelson (July 22, 1896 – October 30, 1989) was the first woman in Minnesota to serve as a city mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwid ...

, first woman in Minnesota to serve as a city

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

when she was elected mayor of Thief River Falls in 1953 *

Zane McIntyre Zane McIntyre (né Gothberg; born August 20, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey ...

, goaltender in the NHL Minnesota Wild organization *

Wayne Nordhagen Wayne Oren Nordhagen (born July 4, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played eight seasons in the majors for the Chicago White Sox (1976–81), Toronto Blue Jays (1982), Pittsburgh Pirates (198 ...

, professional baseball player drafted by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

in 1968; spent parts of eight seasons in major leagues; also played in

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

in 1989 *

Gary Paulsen Gary James Paulsen (May 17, 1939 – October 13, 2021) was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 maga ...

, author of ''Hatchet'' * Adam Quesnell, stand-up comedian *

Wyatt Smith Wyatt Carter Smith (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played as a journeyman center in the National Hockey League before finishing his career with ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Play ...

, retired NHL player who played for the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

and several AHL teams * David Thorstad, socialist writer and gay rights activist * John A. Yngve, Minnesota state representative and lawyer

References

External links

City of Thief River FallsThief River Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control Cities in Pennington County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Populated places established in 1887 1887 establishments in Minnesota