Carlton County is named for Reuben B Carlton, one of the first settlers in the town of Fond du Lac and who was a farmer and blacksmith for the Ojibway.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Douglas County, Wisconsin
S – Pine County
W – Aitkin County
Created: May 23, 1857
County Seat:
Twin Lakes 1857 – 1870
Thomson 1870 – 1890
Carlton ( Cloquet ) 1890 – present
County Courthouse – Carlton
Location: 301 Walnut Avenue / 3rd Street
Built: 1922 – 1924
Style: Classical Second Renaissance Revival
Architect: Clyde W Kelly
Contractor: Niebuhr Company of Minneapolis
Description: The building faces south and is a three story cream colored brick, concrete and stone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Carlton. In the center section are four columns rising from the second to the top of the third story. The base of the building is stone. The roof is sloped. In the interior, the grand staircase is located at the center of the north side. The County District Court courtroom is located on the south side of the third story. The building houses the County District Court of the 6th Judicial District.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Carlton County Courthouse
County Justice Center – Carlton
Location: 1780 Justice Drive / Highway 61
Built: 2022 – 2024
Style: Modern
Architect: Klein McCarthy Architects
Contractor: Adolphson & Peterson Construction
Description: The building faces south and is a two story glass and 0revast concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds four miles west of the center of Carlton. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County District Court of the 6th Judicial District.
Note: Taracon Precast of Hawley was awarded the contract to furnish the needed pre-cast concrete for construction of the new Justice Center complex at a cost of $5,230,000.
See: The 6th Judicial District includes Cook County, Lake County and Saint Louis County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and Twin Lakes was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a tavern. In 1870, the county seat moved to Thomson and the second courthouse was a converted frame structure. In 1890, the county seat was moved to Cloquet when a second jail had been built in 1880. In 1890, the third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in Cloquet which became Carlton. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1922 to 1924 at a cost of $301,350.
County Courthouse – Carlton
County District Court courtroom
Photos taken 2006, 2007 and 2022
Images 16*