The 83rd of Minnesota’s 87 counties was established by the proclamation of Governor Samuel Van Sant on December 20, 1902. It is 60 miles in its length and 18 miles in width, lying north and south. Its name was taken from the Ojibwe word “gawakomitgweia,” which means “clear water”. The county’s topography is unique, with the northern part being drained through the Clearwater River and eventually the waters going to Hudson Bay, while the southern part has its drainage into the Mississippi River and then to the Gulf of Mexico. Undoubtedly the most famous fact about Clearwater County is that it is the home of the source of the mighty Mississippi River whose headwaters are in Lake Itasca which lies inside equally famous Itasca State Park. Itasca Park still contains over 3,000 acres of old growth pine, which in earlier years was abundant throughout the county.