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.
NEXT: WASHINGTON COUNTY
This may be my 2nd favorite report.(next to Koochiching)..I have a good friend named Lindstrom and will send it to her.
are you sure that Max Von Sydow isn’t just Robert Redford’s stage name in Sweden? Taylor Falls looks charming – those old buildings must be beautiful!