Hinckley, Minnesota

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hinckley, Minnesota
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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imagesize = 250px
image_caption = Main Street in downtown Hinckley in 2007


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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Hinckley, Minnesota


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Minnesota
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Pine

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 7.5
area_land_km2 = 7.4
area_water_km2 = 0.1
area_total_sq_mi = 2.9
area_land_sq_mi = 2.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1291
population_density_km2 = 175.4
population_density_sq_mi = 454.3

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 315
elevation_ft = 1033
latd = 46 |latm = 0 |lats = 52 |latNS = N
longd = 92 |longm = 56 |longs = 19 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 55037
area_code = 320
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 27-29294GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0645028GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Hinckley is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 48. The population was 1,291 at the 2000 census.

Hinckley's name in the Ojibwe language is "Gaa-zhiigwanaabikokaag" [ [http://www.millelacsojibwe.org/pdf/StatutesTitle2.pdf Mille Lacs Band Statutes, Annotated (2MLBSA§11c)] ] [Weshki-ayaad, Lippert and Gambill. [http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/ojibwe.html Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary] ] , meaning "the place abundant with grindstones" due to being located along the Grindstone River. Portions of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation are located within and adjacent to Hinckley.

On September 1, 1894 the Great Hinckley Fire killed more than 400 people.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.73%) is water. Interstate Highway 35 and Minnesota Highway 23 (co-signed); and Minnesota Highway 48 are two of the main routes in the city.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,291 people, 551 households, and 332 families residing in the city. The population density was 454.3 people per square mile (175.5/km²). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 216.0/sq mi (83.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.87% White, 0.15% African American, 5.81% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.

There were 551 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,338, and the median income for a family was $37,313. Males had a median income of $29,167 versus $21,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,537. About 12.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Ojibwe Indians were the first people to settle the area. They trapped and hunted on the land and traded furs at the Mille Lacs and Pokegama trading posts.

When European settlers came to Hinckley area it was a heavily forested area with thick forests of white pine, some of the largest in the state. The first railroad arrived in Hinckley in 1869 and so began a logging and railroad expansion. The town was known as “Central Station” by the railroads because of its position halfway between the Twin Port of Duluth and Superior as well as the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It was renamed in 1870 after Isaac Hinckley, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad. The town was officially incorporated in 1885. By 1894, Hinckley was a prosperous community with an estimated population nearing 2,000. It had everything needed to serve residents and the fast expanding lumber industry.

On September 1, 1894, everything changed with a firestorm wiping out Hinckley and many northeastern Minnesota towns. Today the Hinckley Fire Museum tells the devastating story of what came to be called the Great Hinckley Fire and the town’s recovery from it. The museum is located in a restored railroad depot downtown, an exact replica of the pre-fire depot, built just after the fire.

The legacy of the fire is seen today throughout the world. It began the modern day conservation movement as an object lesson in how reckless management of our natural resources can bring dire circumstances.

After the fire, the burned stumps of the forests were cleared to take advantage of the now nutrient-rich soil. Hinckley’s recovery would hinge on agriculture. Some of the main crops were potatoes, fruits and vegetables. The early harvests were bountiful, and Pine County outshone other counties at the Minnesota State Fair each year.Abundant clover helped feed milk cows for a brisk dairy industry.

Following the national trend in farming, Hinckley has lost most of its agricultural underpinnings.

ee also

*Camp Nathanael

References

External links

* [http://www.hinckleymn.com/ Hinckley Convention and Visitors Bureau -- Visitor Information]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7361170380859078942 Video documentary on The Hinckley Fire of 1894]