North Chisago Historical Society

North Chisago lies in the upper St. Croix River valley, a fertile land of rolling hills, hardwood forests, and clear northern lakes, rivers and streams. Largely inaccessible until the mid-nineteenth century, North Chisago was home to the Sioux, and later the Chippewa, and a few white hunters and trappers.

In 1855, a military/trade road from the Mississippi River to Lake Superior opened North Chisago to settlement. Strong, determined, hardworking families, many from New England, built farms and towns in this beautiful land and made North Chisago their home.

In 1859, Sunrise, North Chisago's first town, was built around a flour mill on the Sunrise River. Sunrise grew and prospered. The area developed northward as North Branch, Harris, Rush City, Stark and Rush Point grew to serve the farmers. Today, farming remains North Chisago's predominant industry.