Kittson County

Kittson County is an administrative area in northwestern Minnesota bordering Canada. The landscape features rolling terrain with the Red River forming the natural boundary between the county and the Canadian province of Manitoba.

The area was established in 1878 when the former Pembina County was renamed. The arrival of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad that same year brought economic changes and settlement growth to the region.

The county takes its name from Norman Kittson, a French-Canadian fur trader who shaped the region. Visitors can still see traces of this trading heritage reflected in the local communities today.

The area is accessible, but visitors should be prepared for rural and spread-out communities. Essential services are concentrated in Hallock, the county seat, where administrative buildings and facilities are easy to locate.

The region contains burial mounds dating back over 1,800 years to the Woodland Period, providing evidence of early human settlement. These archaeological sites allow visitors to glimpse the prehistoric history of the northwestern plains.

Location: Minnesota

Inception: March 9, 1878

Capital city: Hallock

Shares border with: Emerson, Pembina County, Marshall County, Roseau County

Website: http://co.kittson.mn.us

GPS coordinates: 48.78000,-96.78000

Latest update: December 7, 2025 20:24