Lincoln

Formed March 6, 1873 (75^th county)

Lincoln County (5,644), Ivanhoe (556), Tyler (1,144)

A masonry Classical Revival building built in 1919 is on Rebecca, Wallace, Saxon, and Rotherwood streets.  Minnesota State Highway 19 is two blocks to the south.  C. Howard Parson provided the building designs.  There was a 1904 structure earlier.  Lincoln County was founded on March 6, 1873 from Lyon County as the 75^th county.  Marshfield (1873), Lake Benton (1883 & 1903), and Ivanhoe (1901 & 1904) have all served as the county seat.  The county is named for United States President Abraham Lincoln.  The county seat is named for Sir Walter Scott’s literary hero. 

Lincoln County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer, an auditor, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Nineteen District Court Judges serve Lincoln, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan counties (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of Minnesota.  South Dakota is on its western border.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 4.6 miles West-Southwest of Ivanhoe.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Yellow Medicine, Lyon, and Pipestone counties and South Dakota. 

The area of the county is 537.0 square miles.  It is 63 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 80 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 10.5 persons per square mile making it 71 out of 87 in the state.  Lincoln County has 54.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 14 crosses the county east to west from Lyon County to South Dakota.  United States Highway 75 goes north to south from Yellow Medicine County to Pipestone County.  The county is a rectangle.  Ivanhoe is located in the northern third of the county.  Tyler is in the southeast corner of the county.  Ivanhoe is the county seat and Tyler is the largest city.  Ivanhoe is 9.9% of the county population while Tyler is 20.3% of the county population.