Traverse County is named after Lake Traverse which is a translation of the Dakota name “Mdehdakinyan” meaning the “lake lying crosswise”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Wilkin County
E – Grant County and Stevens County
S – Big Stone County
W – Roberts County, South Dakota and Richland County, North Dakota
Created: February 20, 1862
County Seat:
Browns Valley 1862 – 1881
Maudada 1882 – 1884
Browns Valley 1884 – 1889
Wheaton 1889 – present
County Courthouse – Wheaton
Location: 702 2nd Avenue North / 7th Street North
Built: 1891 – 1892
Style: Romanesque
Architect: Harry W Jones of Minneapolis
Contractor: Alfred A Sutterlund of Wheaton
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Wheaton. The building is constructed of red colored brick. On the east and west sides are round-arched windows. A steel portico is over the south entrance and the roof is hipped. In the interior, the County District Court courtroom is located at the center of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 8th Judicial District. The architect was Harry W Jones of Minneapolis and the contractor was Alfred A Sutterlund of Wheaton. An addition was built onto the south side in 1919 and the tower was removed. The architect was Helmer Hanson and the contractor was Carlson and Hasslen. In 1938, a vault was built. The architect and contractor was P C Bettenburg of Architect and Engineers Inc. Further renovations were made in 1973 and in 1974, the size of the building was doubled. The architect was Glenn Cording Associates Inc. and the contractor was Bruch and Morrow Inc. On the west side is the attached one story County Courthouse Annex and on the north side is a one story brick addition.
See: The 8th Judicial District includes Big Stone County, Chippewa County, Grant County, Kandiyohi County, Lac Qui Parle County, Meeker County, Pope County, Renville County, Stevens County, Swift County, Wilkin County and Yellow Medicine County.
History: The county was created in 1862 and Browns Valley was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was the Davis store in Browns Valley in 1881. The county seat was moved to Maudada from 1882 to 1884 and the county seat returned to Browns Valley. In 1889, the county seat was moved to Wheaton. The second courthouse was rented rooms in a former lumber company. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1891 to 1892 at a cost of $12,000. The cost of the 1919 addition was $10,038.
County Courthouse – Wheaton
County District Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Wheaton
Photos taken 2007, 2008, 2017 and 2024
Images 14*