Mower County () is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

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 t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,029. The county seat is Austin. Mower County comprises the Austin Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Rochester-Austin

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

Lake Louise State Park Lake Louise State Park is a Minnesota state park just north of the Iowa border near the small town of Le Roy in Mower County, Minnesota, directly south of Rochester. It has a 25 acre man-made lake and of mixed prairie and deciduous forest. ...

is in southeastern Mower County, near Le Roy.

History

The federal government established Wisconsin Territory effective July 3, 1836, and included what is now Minnesota, until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

) in 1848. Congress established the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. Two of the original counties, Dakota and Wabashaw (later Wabasha), had portions reassigned on March 5, 1853, to create Rice County. In 1852, Jacob McQuillin's family settled in southern Rice County, beginning a settlement movement that rapidly grew. On February 20, 1855, the territorial legislature created the present county from the southernmost part of Rice County. The new county was named for

John Edward Mower John Edward Mower (September 18, 1815–June 11, 1879) was a member of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in the 1850s. On March 1, 1856 the second territorial Governor Willis A. Gorman (D) honored him by giving the newly created Mower ...

, a member of the

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

legislature. On March 1, 1856, Territorial Governor Willis A. Gorman signed the legislative act that organized the county. He appointed three commissioners, who first met in Frankford Township. In January 1857 those commissioners designated the permanent seat in Austin Township. In July 1857 the location within Austin Township was further defined, within

Austin village Austin Village is a First World War housing estate of prefabs between Longbridge and Northfield, Birmingham. Herbert Austin, who created the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge in 1905, had to take on more workers during the First World War when ...

, which had been platted during the spring of 1856.

Geography

Mower County lies on Minnesota's border with

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. The Cedar River flows south through the western part of the county, into

Mitchell County, Iowa Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,565. The county seat is Osage. It is not clear whom the county is named after: the county website mentions John Mitchell, an early su ...

. The

Upper Iowa River The Upper Iowa River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 13, 2011 tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwest of the United States. Its headwaters rise ...

rises in Mower County. Its branches, the Little Iowa and Upper Branch Upper Iowa, merge near Le Roy and flow east-southeast out of the county's southeast corner into Mitchell County, Iowa. Deer Creek drains the southeastern part of the county, flowing northeast into Fillmore County. Bear Creek drains the northern part of the county, flowing east into Fillmore County. Carey Creek drains the northeastern part of the county, flowing northeast into Olmsted County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched with drainages and gullies. The area is devoted to agriculture where possible.Mower County MN Google Maps (accessed May 3, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and south from an elevated center ridge running west–east, with its highest point 1.6 mile (2.6 km) east of Elkton, at 1,440' (439m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.03%) is water.

Lakes

One of only four counties in Minnesota without any natural lakes (along with Olmsted, Pipestone, and Rock), Mower County does have four small

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from tha ...

s and

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s created by dams: *

East Side Lake East Side Lake is a reservoir in Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, ...

: in the northeast quadrant of Austin *Lake Louise: in

near Le Roy *Mill Pond: in downtown Austin near the Hormel plant *Ramsey Mill Pond: in Ramsey Golf Course, near the unincorporated settlement of Ramsey The Cedar River (sometimes called the Red Cedar River) flows south into the county from its source in Dodge County and continues through the county into

. It flows through Mower County's four westernmost townships: Udolpho,

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, maki ...

, Austin, and Lyle.

Major highways

* * * * *

Minnesota State Highway 16 Minnesota State Highway 16 (MN 16) is a two-lane highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 90 in Dexter and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line concurrent with U.S. Hi ...

* Minnesota State Highway 56 * Minnesota State Highway 105 * Minnesota State Highway 251

Airports

* Austin Municipal Airport (AUM) - east of Austin

Adjacent counties

* Dodge County - north * Olmsted County - northeast * Fillmore County - east *

Howard County, Iowa Howard County is a county located in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,469. The county seat is Cresco. The county was founded in 1851; it was named for General Tilghman Ashurst Howard, a Representative of India ...

- southeast *

- south * Worth County, Iowa - southwest *

Freeborn County Freeborn County is a county in the state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert Lea Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Freeborn ...

- west * Steele County - northwest

Protected areas

* Larson State Wildlife Management Area * Red Cedar State Wildlife Management Area * Rose State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

2000 census

The county population has declined since its peak in 1960, as younger people have moved to urban areas for economic opportunities. As of the 2000 census, there were 38,603 people, 15,582 households, and 10,315 families in the county. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 54.3/sqmi (21.0/km²). There were 16,251 housing units at an average density of 22.9/sqmi (8.82/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.7%

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 ...

, 0.6%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.5% Asian, <0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 4.3% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 35.9% identified as being of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 24.4% as Norwegian and 7.0% as of Irish ancestry. There were 15,582 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% 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 ...

living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.98. The county population contained 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,654, and the median income for a family was $45,154. Males had a median income of $31,743 versus $23,317 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 county was $19,795. About 6.3% of families and 9.2% 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 ...

, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Government

Mower County has a county-council style of government, made up of five county commissioners, each elected from a

single-member district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

. They are elected to four-year terms, and elected on a staggered basis. * First district cities: Brownsdale, Mapleview, Waltham and the 1st ward, 1st precinct of Austin ** Townships: Lansing Township, Red Rock Township, Udolpho Township, Waltham Township *** Commissioner: Tim Gabrielson * Second district cities: Adams,

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British web series ''Diary of a Bad Man'' * Dext ...

, Elkton, Grand Meadow, Le Roy,

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

, Sargeant, Taopi ** Townships: Adams Township, Bennington Township, Clayton Township, Dexter Township, Frankford Township, Grand Meadow Township, Le Roy Township, Lodi Township, Marshall Township, Pleasant Valley Township, Racine Township, Sargeant Township *** Commissioner: Raymond Tucker * Third district cities: Lyle, Rose Creek and the 2nd ward, 2nd precinct of Austin. ** Townships: Austin, Lyle, Nevada and Windom. *** Commissioner: Jerry Reinartz * Fourth district: all of the 3rd ward of Austin. ** Commissioner: Jeff Baldus * Fifth district: the 1st ward, 2nd precinct and the 2nd ward, 1st precinct of Austin. ** Commissioner: Mike Ankeny From its first participating election in

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts ...

through

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

, Mower County was traditionally Republican, voting for the Republican nominee in every election save

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...

, when it voted for Bull Moose nominee and former Republican president

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. After the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

realignment in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...

, Mower County leaned Democratic for about 80 years, voting for the Democrat in every presidential election through 2012 save in Eisenhower's two landslides ( 1952 and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

), and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, when it voted for Nixon over Kennedy (despite having only narrowly voted for Eisenhower four years earlier). In 2016,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

became the first Republican to carry the county since 1960, winning a high plurality of 49.8%. In 2020, he carried it again, this time with a majority, making it the first time the county had voted Republican two elections in a row since 1956 and 1960.

Communities

Cities

* Adams * Austin (county seat) * Brownsdale *

* Elkton * Grand Meadow * Le Roy * Lyle * Mapleview *

Rose Creek Rose Creek is an urban stream in San Diego, California that drains to Mission Bay. It flows in a north-to-south direction through Rose Canyon and San Clemente Canyon and their tributary canyons. Both Rose Creek and Rose Canyon are named for San ...

* Sargeant * Taopi * Waltham

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

* Andyville * Corning (part) * Johnsburg * Mayville * Nicolville * Ramsey * Renova * Varco

Townships

Mower County's land is divided into 20 townships that each contain 36 square miles (six miles on a side). Mower County is five townships wide ( west to east) and four townships from north to south (24 miles). * Adams * Austin * Bennington * Clayton *

* Frankford * Grand Meadow *

* Le Roy * Lodi * Lyle * Marshall *

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

* Pleasant Valley *

* Red Rock * Sargeant * Udolpho * Waltham * Windom

References

External links

Mower County Official Page

Mower County Genealogy

Mower County Fair
{{authority control Minnesota counties 1855 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1855