These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
September 229, 2024
One hundred years ago, Roseau County was promoting its strong points in an article in the Roseau Times-
Region on April 25, 1924.
Roseau county is located up against the Canadian boundary in the northwestern section of Minnesota. Its
northeast corner is lapped by the waters of the Lake of the Woods, which is ninety miles across and
whose expanse is dotted with 14,000 islands. Its eastern, southern and western boundaries are formed
by Lake of the Woods, Marshall and Kittson counties.
Roseau county is not an old settlement. The first settlers came here in 1886 or 1887 but the real influx
came after the hard times in 1893. Travel and communication in those days were not convenient for the
nearest railway stations were Warren and Stephen, some sixty miles distant. The hardy homesteaders,
however, overlooked the discomforts and the inconveniences in order to file on their claims of
productive land, looking toward the future to bring the things that add to comfort.
In 1908 the Great Northern railroad came through from Greenbush to Warroad. This line got the
nickname of “the Fishline” by reason of the large shipments of fish consigned from Warroad by the Lake
of the Woods’ fisheries.
The coming of the railroad marked an era of greater development. Farm lands were more rapidly cleared,
timber products became a more important factor and dairying and livestock took on a greater
importance. Creameries were built at Badger, Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Strathcona, Wannaska and
Ross, all of which are now organized as cooperative creameries and members of the Minnesota
Cooperative Creameries association. Small grains made up the larger portion of the farmers’ marketable
produce. These crops will continue to be important as the soil is in general a black loam with a yellow clay
subsoil well adapted for such crops. The average rainfall is twenty-three inches.
The early start of diversification in this county insures against depletion of the plant food elements in the
soil, which has been the experience of the purely grain raising sections.
Roseau county has an area of about 1656 square miles and has a population of 13,305 people according
to the 1920 census report. The greater proportion of the county’s area is under cultivation by farmer-
owners, but there is also considerable improved and unimproved farms owned by non-residents, which,
if worked by their owners, can be made to yield good returns on the investment besides increasing the
value of the farm. Farm lands in Roseau county can never be bought for less than they are now.
The Roseau valley in the central part of the county from south to north is drained by the Roseau river and
its several tributary creeks. Some of the best soil in the northern part of the state is found here. The
banks of the river and the branches are lined with elm, oak, birch and poplar. At various places in this
system, beavers build their dams, and the woods are populated with small and large game
In the center of this valley and built on both sides of the river is Roseau village, the county seat of Roseau
county, with a population of 1,100. Inland towns in the valley are Wannaska, River, Pencer and Skime to
the south, and Ross and Pinecreek to the north. A railroad will some day cut through the county, south
and north, and touch these places.
Communication is now facilitated by several mail routes from each of the villages on the railroad and
practically every farm home is linked to the other by telephone. A trunk highway runs through the county
from Strathcona, through Greenbush, Badger, Fox, Roseau, Salol and Warroad, thence east through
Roosevelt. State roads connect with the trunk highway. The county highway program follows out a policy
of building permanent roads, and within a few years every part of the county can be reached by traveling
over well-graded and graveled roads.
The schools of the county are well organized and supervised. There are two state high schools – one at
Roseau and one at Warroad while the Badger and Greenbush consolidated schools offer a full high school
course. The rural schools are well established so every child in the county has opportunity of attending.
The spiritual side of life is not neglected. Protestant and Catholic churches have been built at the various
centers.
Land values differ, ranging from $10 an acre up to $85, depending upon location and improvements.
So it was 100 years ago. There have been many changes since then!
Thank you to 
for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.