Chisago County
is a county
located in the
U.S. state of
Minnesota. As of
2000, the
population was
41,101. Its
county seat is
Center City.
Chisago County
is, like many
other counties
in Minnesota,
strongly
influenced by
the Swedish
immigrants that
settled there in
the middle of
the 19th
century. It was
here Vilhelm
Moberg made his
research for his
The Emigrants
suite in the
1950s. His
fictional
characters
Karl-Oskar and
Kristina Nilsson
from Ljuder
parish in
Småland settled
around the Lake
Ki-Chi-Saga
(from the Ojibwe
language
Ki-chi-saga-igun
(Gichi-zaaga'igan
in the
contemporary
spelling)
meaning "Big
Lake-with-an-outlet,"
which was later
shortened to
Lake Chisago).
The heritage of
the early
settlers is
still honored
by the annual
Karl Oskar Days
in Lindstrom.
