Big Stone County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in 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 so ...
of
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 5,166.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Ortonville.
History
The county was formed in 1862, and was organized in 1874. It is named for
Big Stone Lake
Big Stone Lake () is a long, narrow freshwater lake and reservoir on the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota in the United States.
Description
The lake covers , stretching from end to end and averaging around wide. ...
.
Geography
Big Stone County lies on the western side of Minnesota. Its southwest boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
. The
Little Minnesota River flows along the county's southwestern boundary. Since 1937, a dam (
Big Stone Lake Dam) has impounded the river's waters, creating Big Stone Lake. Water flowing out from this lake flows along the south boundary line of the county, and is known as the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern ...
from that point. Fish Creek flows southwesterly through the northwestern part of the county, discharging into Big Stone Lake at the county's southwestern boundary.
The terrain of Big Stone County is low rolling hills, wooded or devoted to agriculture.
[''Big Stone County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 5, 2019)]
/ref> The terrain generally slopes to the south and east, although its southwestern portion slopes to the river valley. Its highest point is on its north line near the northwestern corner, east of Lagoona Beach, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.5%) is water.
Lakes
* Artichoke Lake - south edge in Akron Township, vast majority in Artichoke Township
* Barry Lake - Toqua Township
* Bentsen Lake - east half in Otrey Township, west half in Big Stone Township
* Big Stone Lake
Big Stone Lake () is a long, narrow freshwater lake and reservoir on the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota in the United States.
Description
The lake covers , stretching from end to end and averaging around wide. ...
- Ortonville Township, Browns Valley Township, Foster Township, Prior Township, Big Stone Township
* Clear Lake - Toqua Township
* Cup Lake - Almond Township
* Deep Lake - Big Stone Township
* East Toqua Lake - Graceville Township
* Eli Lake - south three-quarters in Almond Township, west quarter in Clinton
* Fogarty Lake - Toqua Township
* Horseshoe Lake - Odessa Township
* Lannon Lake - Graceville Township
* Lindgren Lake - Ortonville Township
* Lake Leo - Graceville Township
* Lone Tree Lake - east three-quarters in Malta Township, west quarter in Almond Township
* Long Lake - Artichoke Township
* Long Tom Lake - northeast edge in Otrey Township, vast majority in Odessa Township
* Lysing Lake - vast majority in Almond Township, south edge in Big Stone Township
* Marsh Lake - Akron Township
* Moonshine Lake - Moonshine Township
* Moulton Lake - Big Stone Township
* Mundweiler Lake - Big Stone Township
* Munnwyler Lake - Ortonville Township
* Olson Lake - Big Stone Township
* Olson Lake - Otrey Township
* Otrey Lake - Otrey Township
* Peterson Lake - Odessa Township
* South Rothwell Lake - north edge in Graceville Township, vast majority in Almond Township
* Smithwicks Lake - Graceville Township
* Swenson Lake - Big Stone Township
* Twin Lakes - Big Stone Township
* West Toqua Lake - Graceville Township
* Walter Lake - Ortonville Township
Source: United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles
Major highways
* U.S. Highway 12
* U.S. Highway 75
* Minnesota State Highway 7
* Minnesota State Highway 28
Adjacent counties
* Traverse County - north
* Stevens County - northeast
* Swift County - southeast
* Lac qui Parle County - south
* Grant County, South Dakota
Grant County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,556. The county seat is Milbank, South Dakota, Milbank. The county was founded in 1873 an ...
- southwest
* Roberts County, South Dakota
Roberts County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,280. Its county seat is Sisseton. The county was named either for S. G. Roberts of Fargo, North Dakota, or for Solomon Robar, an early ...
- northwest
Protected areas
* Big Stone Lake State Park
* Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge (part)
* Big Stone Wildlife Management Preserve (part)
* Bonanza Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
* Clinton Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
* Dismal Swamp State Wildlife Management Area
* Freed State Wildlife Management Area
* Lac qui Parle State Wildlife Management Area
* Otrey State Wildlife Management Area
* Reisdorph State Wildlife Management Area
* Victor State Wildlife Management Area
[
]
Climate and weather
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Ortonville have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1966. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in December to in July.[
]
Demographics
2020 census
2000 census
As of the census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 5,820 people, 2,377 households, and 1,611 families in the county. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 3,171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.44% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.17% Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.52% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races. 0.34% of the population were Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. 45.7% were of German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 21.0% Norwegian, 8.0% Swedish and 6.3% Irish ancestry.
There were 2,377 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.20% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97.
The county population contained 24.80% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 21.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 24.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,721, and the median income for a family was $37,354. Males had a median income of $27,857 versus $20,123 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $15,708. About 7.80% of families and 12.00% 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 14.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
* Barry
* Beardsley Beardsley may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Places in the United States
* Beardsley, Arizona, a populated place
* Beardsley, Kansas, a ghost town
* Beardsley, Minnesota, a city
* Beardsley Canal, Kern County, California, an irrigation canal
* Beardsley Creek, ...
* Clinton
* Correll
* Graceville
* Johnson
Johnson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Johnson (surname), a common surname in English
* Johnson (given name), a list of people
* List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters
*Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...
* Odessa
ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
* Ortonville
Unincorporated communities
* Artichoke
The artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus''),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the other names: French artichoke, globe artichoke, ...
* Big Stone Colony
* Bonanza Grove
* Foster
Foster may refer to:
People
* Foster (surname)
* Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor
* Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player
* Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player
* John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), America ...
* Lagoona Beach
* Yankeetown
Townships
* Akron Township
* Almond Township
* Artichoke Township
* Big Stone Township
* Browns Valley Township
* Foster Township
* Graceville Township
* Malta Township
* Moonshine Township
* Odessa Township
* Ortonville Township
* Otrey Township
* Prior Township
* Toqua Township
Government and politics
Between 1928 and 2008, Big Stone County voted Democratic in every election except for two nationwide Republican landslides in 1952 and 1980. The only other time between 1928 and 2000 that the Republican candidate lost by less than 10% was Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
during his 1984 landslide reelection. Beginning in 2000, the Democratic margins began to shrink, with George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
losing by about 2% in both 2000 and 2004, and by a margin of no more than 60 votes. Despite favoring Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
by over 6% in 2008, this would prove to be the most recent time Big Stone County would vote Democratic. Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
narrowly carried the county by 40 votes and less than 1.5% in 2012. But in 2016, Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
greatly expanded the thin margin Romney won the county by as Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
lost by nearly 25%, the first time a Republican won by more than 5% in the county since 1924. Trump further increased his margin of victory in 2020 to over 27%, and improved even more in 2024 to over a 29% margin of victory.
Education
School districts include:[ ]
Text list
/ref>
* Chokio-Alberta Public School District
* Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley School District
* Lac qui Parle Valley School District
* Ortonville Public Schools
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Big Stone County, Minnesota
* List of Minnesota placenames of Native American origin
References
External links
Big Stone County website
{{Coord, 45.43, -96.41, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990
Minnesota counties
1874 establishments in Minnesota
Populated places established in 1874
Minnesota placenames of Native American origin