In 1849, the new territorial legislature of the recently organized Minnesota Territory authorized the creation of nine large counties across the Territory. Four years later in 1853, one of those original counties of Dakota, had a large area separated and partitioned off to create Blue Earth County. Less than only two years later, by 1855, the western part of Blue Earth was then partitioned to create Brown County. Again, after five years on February 25, 1860, the southern part of Brown was partitioned to create this county of Watanwan, with the town of Madelia as the original designated County Seat. The county was named for its eponymous river, (Watonwan River, which flows into the Blue Earth River, then the Minnesota River, then eventually into the "Father of Waters" - the Mississippi River, which drains the entire middle of the North American continent), whose name reflects the Dakota native word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish."[4] The word first appears in the modern written record on an 1843 map of the area so naming the river.
In 1869, the first European white settlers arrived in the area of the future town of Saint James, and the area began growing. In the next year of 1870 an extension of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway was terminated at the village, and railway officials decided to name the terminus Saint James. By 1878, that town had grown to the extent that a vote was taken in the county to move the county seat and courthouse there from Madelia.[5]
The terrain of Watonwan County consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is completely devoted to agriculture where possible.[7] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its southwest corner, at 1,293 ft (394 m) ASL.[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 439.730 square miles (1,138.90 km2), of which 434.947 square miles (1,126.51 km2) is land and 4.783 square miles (12.39 km2) (1.1%) is water.[9] The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastward through the northern part of the county.[10]
As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Watonwan County was $162,740.[16]
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 4,314 estimated households in Watonwan County with an average of 2.55 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,593. Approximately 10.0% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Watonwan County has an estimated 65.4% employment rate, with 18.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 88.4% holding a high school diploma.[17]
The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (76.6%), Spanish (22.8%), Indo-European (0.3%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.0%).
The median age in the county was 40.6 years.
Watonwan County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2020 census, there were 11,256 people, 4,476 households, and 2,962 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 25.9 inhabitants per square mile (10.0/km2). There were 4,874 housing units at an average density of 11.2 inhabitants per square mile (4.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.93% White, 0.43% African American, 0.84% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 15.54% from some other races and 9.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 28.67% of the population.[24] 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 7.9% were under 5 years of age, and 21.2% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 11,211 people, 4,520 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was 25.8 inhabitants per square mile (10.0/km2). There were 5,047 housing units at an average density of 11.6 inhabitants per square mile (4.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.88% White, 0.73% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 9.97% from some other races and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.85% of the population.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families in the county. The population density was 27.3 per square mile (10.5/km2). There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 11.6 per square mile (4.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.37% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.78% from some other races and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 15.19% of the population. 40.9% were of German, 17.3% Norwegian and 5.8% Swedish ancestry.
There were 4,627 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10.
The county population contained 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,441, and the median income for a family was $42,321. Males had a median income of $29,242 versus $19,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,413. About 7.80% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Watonwan County has had its county seat and site of the Watonwan County Courthouse in the town of St. James, Minnesota since 1878, when it was moved from nearby Madelia where it had been located since the partition of the county from Brown County. Watowan's public citizenry of voters have tended to vote for the Republican Party; in two-thirds of the past 11 presidential elections years since 1980, the majority of county voters had selected the Republican Party's presidential and vice presidential nominees (as of 2020). But there are active party organizations and groups for both Republican, Democratic-Farmer-Labor and independent unaffiliated voting citizens of both conservative and liberal / progressive views.
United States presidential election results for Watonwan County, Minnesota[25]
^"Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
Further reading
John A. Brown (ed.), History of Cottonwood and Watonwan counties, Minnesota: Their People, Industries, and Institutions: With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families. In Two Volumes. Indianapolis, IN: B.F. Bowen and Company, 1916. Volume 1 | Volume 2
