Stillwater, Minnesota

Stillwater, Minnesota
City
The waterfront of Stillwater on the St. Croix River
Nickname:  The Birthplace of Minnesota
Location of the city of Stillwater within Washington County, Minnesota
Stillwater, Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°3′N 92°49′W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Washington
First settled	October 26, 1843
Area
• Total	9.07 sq mi (23.50 km2)
• Land	8.05 sq mi (20.84 km2)
• Water	1.03 sq mi (2.66 km2)
Elevation	866 ft (264 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,394
• Density	2,410.39/sq mi (930.66/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	55082, 55083
Area code	651
FIPS code	27-62824
GNIS feature ID	2395969
Website	www.ci.stillwater.mn.us

Stillwater is a city in Washington County, Minnesota. It is on the St. Croix River directly across from the state of Wisconsin. The population was 19,394 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. Stillwater is part of the Twin Cities Metro Area.

History

Treaties

On July 29 and September 29, 1837, treaties were signed between the US government and the local Ojibwa and Dakota nations. They allowed settlement in the St. Croix River Valley. The town was founded by settlers drawn by the area's then-abundant lumber and river traffic. It is one of Minnesota's oldest towns, preceding Minneapolis by several years. Stillwater was officially incorporated as a city on March 4, 1854 (the same day as St. Paul). The city was named for the calm waters of the St. Croix River.

Stillwater c. 1860s

Washington County Courthouse

Territorial convention

Stillwater is often called the birthplace of Minnesota. In 1848, a territorial convention that began the process of establishing Minnesota as a state was held in Stillwater. The convention selected three leading Minnesota cities as locations for three important public institutions. Minneapolis got the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul became the capital, and Stillwater was chosen as the site of the territory's first prison. The Minnesota Territorial Prison was opened in 1853.

Lumbering era

Lumbering was the main industry in the St. Croix River Valley in the second half of the nineteenth century. For many years logs were sent down the St. Croix river, collected at the St. Croix Boom Site two miles upstream of Stillwater, and processed in Stillwater's many sawmills. Steamboats were used most widely from 1860 to 1890, and a few are still used for entertainment today.

Civil war

Stillwater sent men of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Company B and the 8th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company C to fight during the American Civil War.