Thief River Falls, sometimes abbreviated as TRF, is a city and

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 ...

of 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 so ...

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 ...

. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census.

History

Thief River Falls takes its name from a geographic feature, the falls of the Red Lake River at its confluence with the Thief River. The name of the river is a loose translation of the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

phrase ''Gimood-akiwi ziibi'', literally, the "Stolen-land river" or "Thieving-land river", which originated when a band of Dakota Indians 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 The Pembina Band of Chippewa Indians, Pembina and Red Lake Indian Reservation, Red Lake bands of Chippewa ceded to the United States the Red River Valley of the north in two treaties. Both were named for the treaty site, "Old Crossing" and the ye ...

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. Thief River Falls marked the limit of navigation on the Red Lake River. 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. The Great Northern 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, 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 , 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 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 international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

and northeast of Grand Forks,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, 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 cold ...

( 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 () 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 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...

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

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 8,573 people, 3,802 households, and 2,141 families residing 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 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 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 ...

, 2.1%

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 ...

, 1.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% 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 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 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, 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 population density was . There were 3,931 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.56%

, 0.27%

, 0.95% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.62% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races.

or Latino 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 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 $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 ...

, 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 snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

farm machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the machine (mechanical), mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are list of agricultural machinery, many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractor ...

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

Arctic Cat Arctic Cat is an American brand that makes snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATV's) manufactured in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The company was formed in 1960. Arctic Cat designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets all-terrain vehicle ...

. South of Thief River Falls is a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

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

Digi-Key DigiKey Corporation (formerly written as Digi-Key) is an American electronic components distributor. The company was founded in 1972 by Ronald Stordahl. DigiKey is the fourth largest electronic component distributor in North America and the fif ...

, 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, Red Lake River 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, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. Branches were later built to

Drake, North Dakota Drake is a city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 292 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Minot Micropolitan Statistical Area. Drake was founded in 1902 and named after Herman Drake, a settler. Geography Ac ...

, and

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

. 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 () , 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 Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

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).

Major industries

Snowmobiles

, Inc. can trace its roots to former

Polaris Industries Polaris Inc. is an American automotive manufacturer headquartered in Medina, Minnesota, United States. Polaris was founded in Roseau, Minnesota, where it still has engineering and manufacturing facilities. The company manufactured motorcycles th ...

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 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. It was announced at the end of 2024 that Arctic Cat would close during the first half of 2025 in Thief River Falls.

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.

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

. 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 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: * U.S. Highway 59 * Minnesota State Highway 1 * Minnesota State Highway 32

Air service

The city and surrounding community is served by Thief River Falls Regional Airport. Daily flights to and from the airport are provided by Denver Air Connection.

Media

The local newspaper is the weekly '' Thief River Falls Times''. 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 circula ...

'' and ''

Minneapolis Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the seventh-largest in the United States by circula ...

'' 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/ Grand Forks 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 trans ...

licensed 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. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...

) * KKAQ 1460 AM (

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

, primarily rebroadcasts KKDQ FM) * 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 AMPERS (Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations) is an association of 17 independent community radio stations in Minnesota. Each station is locally managed and programmed by and for the local community it serves. AMPERS is the ...

) * 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, KNOW-FM, News & Information, KSJN, YourClassical MPR and KCMP, The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

) * 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" (

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

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, 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: Ralph Engelstad Arena, 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, which plays in the Canadian-based Superior International Junior Hockey League. Thief River Falls, along with

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...

, hosted the

2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2005 WJC'') was held between December 25, 2004, and January 4, 2005, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and at the Ralph Engelstad Arena (Minnesota), Ralph Engelstad Arena ...

between December 25, 2004, and January 4, 2005. The Ralph Engelstad Arena hosted the Thief River Falls games, one of which was broadcast on sports network,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

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 headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every yea ...

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 bucking, buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." ...

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

In popular culture

''Thief River'', the play

The celebrated American playwright Lee Blessing’s work, ''Thief River'', premiered in 2000 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Southeastern Connecticut ...

. 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'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

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 Ice hockey at the Olympic Games, Olympic Championship, also served as the 15th World Ice Hockey Championships, World Championships and the 26th ...

* 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 (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

-owned

WCCO-TV WCCO-TV (channel 4), branded CBS Minnesota, is a television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area. It is owned and operated by the CBS television network through its CBS News and Stations divisi ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

; born in Thief River Falls but was raised in St. Paul; joined WCCO Radio in 1951 * Barry Darsow, professional wrestler for

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...

as "Krusher Kruschev" and in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

as "

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

Smash" * Ralph Engelstad, owner of Imperial Palace in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

; a philanthropist, he donated funds to build the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls in 2003 * Ralph R. Erickson, United States federal judge * John H. Hay, United States Army lieutenant general who served as commander of the Berlin Brigade * Agnes Israelson, first woman in Minnesota to serve as a city

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

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 Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). McIntyre was selected by the Boston Bruins in the sixth ...

, goaltender in the NHL Minnesota Wild organization * Wayne Nordhagen, 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) Am ...

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, coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote mor ...

, author of ''Hatchet'' * Adam Quesnell, stand-up comedian * Wyatt Smith, retired NHL player who played for the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

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 (N ...

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...

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

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 Falls – Official Website

Thief 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