Evidence of occupation dating back 1800 years has been confirmed through archaeological expeditions done in the 1930s and 1970s around the burial mounds on the sand ridges in the eastern part of the county, which date to the
Woodland Period. Evidence has been found that the Laurel, Arvilla, St. Croix, and Blackduck complexes were the area's early occupants. About 400 years ago, the
Cree,
Assiniboine,
Sioux and
Ojibwe inhabited the county. The early explorers of the region were fur traders.
Pembina, North Dakota's oldest settlement, across the
Red River from Kittson County, dates from 1797, when the first trading post was established by Charles Baptiste Chaboillez of the
Northwest Fur Company. The
Hudson Bay and American Fur Companies were also in Pembina as the fur trading industry increased. The fur traders and
voyageurs traveled on the eastern side of the Red.
Alexander Henry the younger, who erected a fort for the North West Company in Pembina, is thought to be the first white man to test agriculture in the valley.
Joe Rolette, who started a fur post for the American Fur Company in Pembina, and
Norman W. Kittson (for whom the county is named), were two early entrepreneurs who opened this area by developing the Red River Ox Cart trails and broadening the use of oxcarts. The need for oxcarts diminished as steamboats became the new mode for transporting furs and supplies. The railroad eventually replaced the steamboats. Pembina County was one of five large counties the
Minnesota Territory legislature established on October 27, 1849. It was not organized at that time. On March 9, 1878, the legislature renamed Pembina County to Kittson County. On February 25, 1879, Kittson County was divided, creating
Marshall County. The county seat, Hallock, was organized in 1880. Kittson County was further diminished in 1894 when
Roseau County was partitioned off. Kittson County has retained its present boundaries since 1894. St. Vincent, which is directly across the Red River from Pembina, was incorporated in 1857, just before statehood. In 1878, the
St. Paul & Pacific Railroad line reached St. Vincent and opened the area to settlement. With the railroad coming through, settlers began arriving to stake their claims. Many of the earliest settlers in what became Pembina and St. Vincent were
Métis, going back to the late 18th century. The railway extended through the western part of the county, with
Donaldson,
Kennedy,
Hallock,
Northcote,
Humboldt and
St. Vincent along the line. The eastern part of the county was settled in the early 1900s. The
Soo Line railroad was completed in 1904 and the communities of
Karlstad,
Halma,
Bronson,
Lancaster,
Orleans and
Noyes were established. Scandinavians, Ukrainians, Polish, Scottish, Irish, English, Germans, French Canadians,
Canadian Gaelic speakers from
New Brunswick, and Métis all contributed to the county's melting pot. Once home to over 10,000 people, the county population declined below 5,000 in 2006.
Historic sites Three sites in the county are listed in the
National Register of Historic Places: the
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, in
Caribou Township; the
burial mounds known as the "
Lake Bronson Site", in
Norway and
Percy Townships; and the
Lake Bronson State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources, which include an observation tower and several buildings. Lake Bronson State Park also has interpretive sites for the tower, a pioneer cemetery and the
WPA camp. ==Geography==