Old Crow Wing is a historical site and former settlement located at the confluence of the Crow Wing and Mississippi Rivers in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Once one of the most significant population centers in the region during the mid-19th century, it is currently preserved as part of Crow Wing State Park.
The site’s geographical location made it a natural crossroads for travel and trade. It was a major stop on the Woods Trail, one of the Red River Trails used by oxcart brigades to transport furs and goods between the Red River Colony and St. Paul. In the 1820s and 1830s, the American Fur Company established a presence there, and by the 1840s, it had become a permanent trading post and village.
The population of Old Crow Wing was diverse, consisting of European-American settlers, French-Canadian voyageurs, and members of the Ojibwe and Dakota nations. Notable residents included fur traders Clement Beaulieu and Allan Morrison. The area was also the site of significant conflict; in 1854, the Battle of Crow Wing took place nearby between the Ojibwe and the Dakota.
In 1870, Crow Wing was designated as the first county seat of Crow Wing County. However, the town’s prominence declined rapidly after 1871, when the Northern Pacific Railway chose to cross the Mississippi River at Brainerd instead of Crow Wing. Most residents and businesses relocated to Brainerd to remain near the railroad. By 1880, the town was largely abandoned.
Today, the site is an interpretive area within Crow Wing State Park. It features historical markers, the remains of the town’s main street, and the restored 1859 home of Clement Beaulieu. Archaeological studies have been conducted at the site to document the layout of the former village and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.
