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General
Information
THE
EARLY DAYS
The Douglas County area was first settled in 1858, the same year that
Minnesota became a state. In 1862, the settlements were all but
abandoned due to Sioux Indian uprisings in the area and all records made
were lost. It was many months later before settlers began again
moving back to the region. By 1866, treaties had been signed with
the Sioux and it was in that year that Douglas County's borders were officially
set. Douglas County was named for Sen. Stephen A. Douglas who helped
get the county established. The first board of commissioners
were appointed by the State Legislature in the spring of 1866 and the
Commissioners soon appointed the first officers of Douglas County.
At the first meeting of the county board, two townships were established
- Alexandria Township and Osakis Township.
The settlement of Alexandria began
when Alexander and William Kinkead built a log cabin and hotel along the
shore of Lake Agnes in 1858. It was the Kinkead brothers who named
the area "Alexandria". The land which became the official
town site and the county seat was purchased in 1867 by William E. Hicks.
The town itself soon expanded as Mr. Hicks built a general store, provided
land for the Kinkead Cemetery and donated land for three churches.
Mr. Hicks also started the town's first newspaper, built a flour mill
and joined forces with Thomas Cowing to erect a saw mill near Lake Latoka.
The signing of the Homestead Act in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln
gave people the ability to own property if they lived and worked the land.
Under those provisions, the area was quickly settled by European immigrants
and Civil War veterans. By 1869, almost all of the county's tillable land
was claimed. With the increase of citizens in the region, additional
towns were soon created to provide goods and services to the settlers
in the outlying areas of the county.
The official business of the county
was held in officer's homes until 1867 when the county commissioners voted
to rent a small frame building on Main Street for the county offices.
The first county jail was built in 1868. It was a 12 x 14 foot building
of oak timbers with ceiling, floors, and walls one half foot thick.
In 1875, the widow of William Hicks donated Block 34 of the
Original Town Site of Alexandria to the county with the provision that
it be used for building a courthouse. In 1876, a two story frame
building with five offices on the ground floor was erected. The
second floor was used as a courtroom. This building was used for over
20 years until the first courthouse at the present location was built
in 1880 with a brick jail on the same lot.
The county government went through
a reorganization in 1888 and new commissioners were appointed by the State
Legislature. This was the last appointed county board as county
commissioners have been chosen through the election process since.
CURRENT OFFICES
Douglas County currently occupies three separate facilities in Alexandria
to house the county offices. The Douglas County Courthouse stands
at the 300 block of 8th Ave W between Douglas and Elm streets. The
Douglas County Services Center is across the street to the east and takes
two city blocks between 7th Ave and 9th Ave. The Public Works building
is located northwest of the courthouse square on 3rd Ave West.
Building layouts of the Courthouse
and the Services Center can be viewed by clicking the links below:
Courthouse
Layout
Services
Center Layout
CURRENT STATS
Douglas County contains 20 townships and 11 cities as well as a number
of smaller villages. Alexandria continues to be the county seat.
The county's population in 2005 was estimated at 35,138. This is
a 7.1% increase from 2000. There are 19,249 housing units within
the county lines based on 2005 data and a 77.2% homeownership rate was
reported in 2000. Median household income based on 2003 values is
approximately $41,908 annually. Federal statistics from 2005 reflect
a civilian labor force of 20,355 with an estimated unemployment rate of
3.6%.
The links below can provide you with more information
about Douglas County.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27/27041.html
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27000lk.html
http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/county.cfm&id=27041
BIG OLE
Douglas County's oldest claim to fame is the legendary Kensington Runestone.
Scholars and scientists have spent numerous hours studying the large flat
rock's runic inscriptions. Many are convinced the Runestone is a
genuine record of a visit by Viking explorers to the area in the 14th
century, more than 100 years before Columbus set sail for America.
Others claim is it a fake. The Runestone was discovered in a farmer's
field in the late 1800's near the town of Kensington. The 200-pound
stone is on display at the Runestone Museum in Alexandria. Directly
outside the museum stands the statue "Big Ole". The 28-foot
tall, 4-ton statue was originally designed to be displayed near a Kensington
Runestone exhibit at the World's Fair in New York in 1965. The theme
of the exhibit was "Minnesota, Birthplace of America".
After the fair ended, Big Ole was transported to Alexandria and has stood
at the north end of Broadway since December of 1965. He holds his
spear in his left hand and his shield in his right and greets residents
and visitors traveling north down the main street of Alexandria.
Click
here to go to the Pictures page
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