The Minnesota Territorial Legislature designated Aitkin County, named for the colorful adventurer William Aitkin, on May 23, 1857. Prior to this, the Aitkin County area had been the scene of commerce and trade for hundreds of years. The British built a fur post near Cedar Lake in the 1700’s. Built on the main Ojibwe route to the Mississippi River, the post incorporated an already established trade route. The War of 1812 banned foreign trade on American soil, trade districts purchased by John Jacob Astor in the country’s interior led to the establishment of American owned fur trading posts. Aitkin was the clerk in charge of the American Fur Company that operated on the west side of Sandy Lake, then a cornerstone of travel connecting the Mississippi River north and south with Lake Superior via the long Savanna Portage. William Aitkin also operated a Mississippi River post at the site that today bears his name, where he remained active in the fur trade until his death in 1851.

The area has a rich history of riverboats, railroading, logging, and immigrant life. The logging industry began its heyday in Aitkin County in the 1850’s; moving north along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, cutting the huge stands of White Pine that built much of Minnesota. The Mississippi River also provided a flourishing means of travel and commerce until the early 1920’s. The construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1871 brought dramatic changes to the Aitkin area. Settlers followed the logging, carving homesteads out of the wilderness. Small towns and settlements sprang up throughout the county, some are still here, others barely a memory.

Covering about 200 square miles in central Minnesota, Mille Lacs Lake is unique in that its sheer size and almost round, shape make it easily identifiable—even in satellite photos shot from hundreds of miles away in space. For more than four thousand years, Native Americans established permanent villages along the shores of Mille Lacs Lake, traveling farther north and west to gather rice and hunt.

Aitkin County covers an area of 1,215,669 acres (1,828 sq. miles) with 55 full and fractional congressional townships with a population of 15,301 in the 2000 census. Aitkin County has 365 lakes, 10 school districts, and 1647 miles of roads, 123,000 acres of water (not counting rivers) and 95 miles of the Mississippi River.

Public ownership of over 50 percent of the land in Aitkin County and the Mille Lacs Lake area include National Wildlife Refuges, State Parks, State Forests and campgrounds. Snowmobile trails, ATV trails and cross-country ski trails along with many miles of State Forest Roads, a Designated Solitude Area and Designated Trout lakes for the public to enjoy fishing, boating, birdwatching, butterflies, wildflowers, berry picking, wildlife viewing, hunting opportunities and many more outdoor activities. Whether looking for quiet solitude or an outdoor adventure with more excitement, Aitkin County is the place to be – “naturally”.