Kettle River is a city in Carlton County,

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 ...

, along the Kettle River, for which it was named. The population was 180 at the time of the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1921.

Minnesota State Highway 73 Minnesota State Highway 73 (MN 73) is a highway in northeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 35 in Moose Lake and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 53 in ...

serves as a main route in Kettle River.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Kettle River is located seven miles west-northwest of Moose Lake. Kettle River is located 30 miles southwest of Cloquet.

History

The Kettle River area of Carlton County,

, was settled by a large concentration of Finnish Immigrants in the years leading up to the First World War and the influence of those immigrants is still noticeable even today. On October 12, 1918, the

Cloquet fire The Cloquet Fire ( ) was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads amid dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moos ...

, caused by sparks on the local railroads, left much of western Carlton County area devastated. Several hundred persons were killed by the fire and thousands more left homeless. The only building left standing in Kettle River following the fire was the bank that was made of brick. This building still stands in Kettle River, near the center of the town on the west side of State Highway 73. Following the fire, with most people homeless and destitute, the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

outbreak of 1918 caused more damage to the community. Every August, the town hosts Ma and Pa Kettle Days, an annual festival; that includes a pancake breakfast, parade, pageant, and street dances.

Demographics

2010 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 2010, there were 180 people, 79 households, and 52 families living in the city. 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 96 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.2%

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 ...

, 1.7% Native American, and 6.1% from two or more races.

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 were 0.6% of the population. There were 79 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the city was 41 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.4% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 18.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 168 people, 75 households, and 44 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 88 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.02%

, 0.60% Native American, and 2.38% from two or more races. 36.8% were of Finnish, 25.2%

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 ...

, 9.7% Norwegian and 6.5%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 75 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,750, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $32,188 versus $18,542 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 city was $15,620. None of the families and 7.9% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 21.4% of those over 64.

Gallery

Image:Farmer's State Bank building.jpg, Farmer's State Bank building Image:Kettle River Feeds building.jpg, Kettle River Feeds building Image:Kettle River Snowmobile Club.jpg, Kettle River Snowmobile Club Image:Suomalainen Kirkko, Former church and hospital in Kettle River, Minnesota.jpg, ''Suomalainen Kirkko'' (Finnish Church), former church and hospital

References

External links

City of Kettle River, MN – official websiteMoose Lake Area Historical Society websiteMoose Lake Depot and Fire Museum websiteDocumentary on the 1918 Cloquet Fire
{{authority control Cities in Carlton County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota