Chisago County (pop. 53,887) is east of Isanti County and across the St. Croix River from Wisconsin.

The county got its name from Lake Chisago, which came from the Ojibwe word “Ki-chi-saga-igun,” meaning “big lake with an outlet.”

Summer at the beach in Chisago City

The adjacent towns of Chisago City, Lindstrom, and Center City are surrounded by lakes.

Center City is Minnesota’s second-smallest county seat, with a population of 628.

Center City in 1910

Lindstrom (pop. 4,442) is known as “America’s Little Sweden.”

Lindstrom water tower

The setting for Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg’s “The Emigrants” novels was Chisago County. Moberg published the four novels between 1949 and 1959.

The movie was made in 1971.

Lindstrom celebrates its Swedish heritage with Karl Oskar Days every July. Karl Oskar Nilsson was the main character in the “Emigrant” novels.

Statue of Karl Oskar and Kristina in Lindstrom

Taylors Falls (pop. 976), on the St. Croix River, has many historic buildings from the mid-19th century, including the oldest public school building in the state.

Built in 1852

Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tours has excursions through the Dalles of the St. Croix River in Interstate State Park (in both Minnesota and Wisconsin).

St. Croix River near Taylors Falls

Seven miles north of Taylors Falls is Wild Mountain, which has skiing and snowboarding in the winter and waterslides and alpine slides in the summer.

Adult lift tickets are $43 a day.

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