Chippewa County

Chippewa County is located approximately 130 miles west of Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. The county was formed in 1862 and was organized in 1868. Chippewa County’s 588 square mile are primarily agricultural with a total population of 12,441 according to the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city is Montevideo with a population of 5,383 people. The upper part of the county's western boundary is formed by the outline of Lac qui Parle reservoir, which was formed when the Minnesota River was dammed in 1939. The Minnesota River flows southeast from the lake, along the county's southwestern border, while the Chippewa River flows south through the western part of the county to discharge into the Minnesota at the county's southern border. The Dry Weather Creek drains the west-central part of the county into the Chippewa, while the Palmer Creek drains the lower central part of the county into the Minnesota near the county's southernmost point. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, devoted to agriculture. The terrain generally slopes to the south, and locally to the river valleys.