Pembina County, North Dakota
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Pembina County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,844,<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was estimated to be 6,588 in 2024,<ref name="QF"/> The county seat and the largest city is Cavalier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
For thousands of years, various indigenous peoples inhabited the area along the Pembina and Red rivers. At the time of European contact in the 16th century, the dominant tribes were the Assiniboine and the Lakota (or Sioux, as the French colonists called them). The Ojibwe, also known as Chippewa, a branch of the Anishinaabe-speaking language group, gradually migrated west along both sides of the Great Lakes. They developed a long trading relationship with French trappers and colonists. Throughout the Red River of the North area, French trappers married Native American women, and their descendants continued to hunt and trap. A large mixed-race population developed, recognized as an ethnic First Nations group in Canada called the Métis. The Ojibwe and Métis generally supported the French forces during the Seven Years' War in the mid-eighteenth century against Great Britain.
With the British defeat of France and takeover of its colonial territory, the Chippewa learned to deal with a new trading culture. Armed with guns by trading and having adopted the horse from the Mandan and Hidatsa, by the end of the eighteenth century the Chippewa had migrated from woodlands to the Great Plains and begun to push the Lakota west before them. By the time of the War of 1812, the Ojibwe allied with the British against the United States, hoping to forestall European-American settlers' encroaching on their territory. With the settlement of the northern boundary with Canada, the Chippewa within the Dakota Territory were forced to deal with the United States. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Chippewa had continued conflicts with the Lakota along the Red River, finally pushing them into present-day western North and South Dakota.
Father George Belcourt, a Catholic Jesuit missionary who served them, described their territory in 1849 as the following
We understand here, that the district or department called Pembina, comprises all of the country or basin which is irrigated or traversed by the tributaries of the Red River, south of the line of the 49th parallel of latitude. The prairies' rivers and lakes which extend to the height of land of the Mississippi, and the immense plains which feed innumerable herds of bison to the westward and from which the Chippewa and half breeds [Métis] of this region obtain their subsistence, contains within their limits a country about 400 miles from north to south and more than five hundred miles from east to west.<ref>About US: "Move to the Plains" Template:Webarchive, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, accessed June 27, 2011</ref>
The Métis used two-wheeled ox-drawn carts to transport furs to market along the Red River Trails, between what is now Winnipeg, Canada and Mendota or St. Paul, Minnesota. They also used ox-carts to transport food and shelter during extended buffalo hunts.
Over time, the Ojibwe were persuaded to cede much of their land by treaty to the US, which in turn sold it to homesteaders. They moved to relatively small Indian reservations within their earlier territory.
The precursor to Pembina County was a county of the same name in the Minnesota Territory, extending from the Upper Mississippi River to the western boundary of the territory. When Minnesota became a state in 1858, its western boundary was set at the Red River, and the land to its west was unorganized. A new Pembina County was established as part of the Dakota Territory in 1867. At the time it was a large territory, and in 1871 it was expanded to include much of the territory in what is now eastern North Dakota from Canada to the South Dakota border.
The Dakota Territory legislature created Pembina County on January 9, 1867, from previously unorganized territory. Its government was organized on August 12 of that same year. It was named for a Chippewa term for stab or stabbing.<ref>Ojibwe People's DictionaryTemplate:Dead link, University of Minnesota</ref> Pembina, the oldest European-American settlement in the future state, was the county seat. In 1911 the seat was relocated to Cavalier.<ref name=wick>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The county boundaries were altered in 1871, 1873, 1881, and 1887. It has retained its present boundaries since 1887. Between 1873 and 1881, eleven new counties were created from Pembina, including Cass County and Grand Forks County. Pembina took its current form in 1887, when Cavalier County was increased in size.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Icelandic State Park is located in Pembina County. The first Icelandic immigrant settlement in present-day North Dakota was in Pembina County in the late 1870s, when a colony of settlers from Iceland moved into the county from the New Iceland homesteads near Lake Winnipeg.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The first Icelandic settlements in what is now North Dakota were established in Pembina County in the late 1870s. Many of the immigrants came from New Iceland near Lake Winnipeg, along with other Icelanders who moved into the area from colonies in Wisconsin. The new settlers lived primarily in the so-called "Icelandic Townships" of Akra, Beaulieu, Gardar, and Thingwalla. The State Historical Society of North Dakota reported fewer than 3 or 4 non-Icelandic families living there in the early 1900s. Evidence of this heritage is found in several township and city names with Icelandic origins. Akra was named after the town of Akranes, near Reykjavík; Gardar was named for Gardar Svavarsson, who was reportedly the first Scandinavian to visit Iceland; and Hallsson was named for an early settler, Johann P. Hallson.<ref name=barnes>Template:Cite book</ref>
Icelandic State Park was established to preserve evidence of this early pioneer heritage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
GeographyEdit
Pembina County lies at the northeastern corner of North Dakota. Its northern boundary line abuts the southern boundary line of Canada and its eastern boundary line abuts the western boundary line of the state of Minnesota (across the Red River, which flows northward along the county's eastern boundary line). The Pembina River flows eastward through the upper portion of the county, discharging into the Red River near the northeastern county corner. The Tongue River flows northeastward through the upper portion of the county, discharging into the Pembina shortly before the Pembina joins the Red River. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, etched by river drainages. The area is devoted to agriculture.<ref name=PCND>Pembina County ND Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the east and north; its highest point is on the lower western boundary line, at Template:Convert above sea level.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.24%) is water.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is the 32nd largest county in North Dakota by total area.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The lowest point in the state of North Dakota is located on the Red River of the North in Pembina Township in Pembina County, where it flows out of North Dakota and into the Canada–US border of Manitoba.
Major highwaysEdit
- File:I-29.svg Interstate 29
- File:US 81.svg U.S. Highway 81
- File:ND-5 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 5
- File:ND-18 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 18
- File:ND-32 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 32
- File:ND-44 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 44
- File:ND-66 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 66
- File:ND-89 (2015).svg North Dakota Highway 89
Adjacent counties and rural municipalitiesEdit
- Rural Municipality of Stanley, Manitoba, Canada - northwest
- Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba, Canada - north
- Rural Municipality of Montcalm, Manitoba, Canada - northeast
- Kittson County, Minnesota - east
- Marshall County, Minnesota - southeast
- Walsh County - south
- Cavalier County - west
Protected areasEdit
Source:<ref name=PCND/> Template:Div col
- Frost Fire Ski and Snow Board Area
- Houghton National Wildlife Management Area
- Icelandic State Park
- Juhl National Wildlife Management Area
- McDonald National Wildlife Management Area
- Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area
- Pembina Prairie National Wildlife Management Area
- Tetrault State Forest (part)
DemographicsEdit
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Pembina County was $123,544.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 2,959 estimated households in Pembina County with an average of 2.23 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $66,884. Approximately 8.9% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Pembina County has an estimated 58.5% employment rate, with 22.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.9% holding a high school diploma.<ref name="QF">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The median age in the county was 45.5 years.
Pembina County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 10,188 (97.97%) |
8,978 (97.19%) |
8,058 (93.86%) |
6,947 (93.71%) |
6,096 (89.07%) | |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 5 (0.05%) |
14 (0.15%) |
12 (0.14%) |
21 (0.28%) |
27 (0.39%) | |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 50 (0.48%) |
146 (1.58%) |
121 (1.41%) |
143 (1.93%) |
133 (1.94%) | |
Asian alone (NH) | 23 (0.22%) |
12 (0.13%) |
18 (0.21%) |
11 (0.15%) |
27 (0.39%) | |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | — | — | 0 (0.00%) |
2 (0.03%) |
0 (0.00%) | |
Other race alone (NH) | 7 (0.07%) |
1 (0.01%) |
4 (0.05%) |
3 (0.04%) |
22 (0.32%) | |
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | — | — | 108 (1.26%) |
96 (1.30%) |
296 (4.32%) | |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 126 (1.21%) |
87 (0.94%) |
264 (3.08%) |
190 (2.56%) |
243 (3.55%) | |
Total | 10,399 (100.00%) |
9,238 (100.00%) |
8,585 (100.00%) |
7,413 (100.00%) |
6,844 (100.00%) |
2023 estimateEdit
As of the 2023 estimate, there were 6,661 people and 2,959 households residing in the county. There were 3,496 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% White (88.7% NH White), 1.0% African American, 2.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.9% of the population.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020 censusEdit
As of the 2020 census, there were 6,844 people, 3,003 households, and 1,872 families residing in the county.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,499 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 90.20% White, 0.42% African American, 1.97% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from some other races and 5.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.55% of the population.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2010 censusEdit
As of the 2010 census, there were 7,413 people, 3,257 households, and 2,069 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,859 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 95.47% White, 0.28% African American, 1.94% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from some other races and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.56% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 33.8% were German, 21.3% were Norwegian, 10.6% were Irish, 9.5% were English, 8.0% were American, and 5.5% were Swedish.
There were 3,257 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.5% were non-families, and 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 46.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $48,502 and the median income for a family was $61,804. Males had a median income of $40,334 versus $29,662 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,019. About 4.0% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decadeEdit
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CommunitiesEdit
CitiesEdit
- Bathgate
- Canton City
- Cavalier (county seat)
- Crystal
- Drayton
- Hamilton
- Mountain
- Neche
- Pembina
- St. Thomas
- Walhalla
Unincorporated communitiesEdit
TownshipsEdit
- Advance
- Akra
- Bathgate
- Beaulieu
- Carlisle
- Cavalier
- Crystal
- Drayton
- Elora
- Felson
- Gardar
- Hamilton
- Joliette
- La Moure
- Lincoln
- Lodema
- Midland
- Neche
- Park
- Pembina
- St. Joseph
- St. Thomas
- Thingvalla
- Walhalla
American Indian reservationsEdit
Ghost TownEdit
PoliticsEdit
Pembina County voters have traditionally backed the Republican Party. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024). Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Pembina County official website
- Icelandic State Park
- Pembina County, North Dakota in the World War (1919) from the Digital Horizons website
- Homestead maps of Pembina County from the Digital Horizons website
- Pembina's pride-? : our rambling court house : new county buildings--where? (1910) from the Digital Horizons website
- Pembina County maps, Sheet 1 (northern) and Sheet 2 (southern), North Dakota DOT
Template:Pembina County, North Dakota Template:US state navigation box Template:Authority control