Watonwan County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,253. Its county seat is St. James. In 1849, the recently organized Minnesota Territory legislature authorized the creation of nine large counties across the territory. In 1853, one of those original counties, Dakota, had a large area partitioned off to create Bl…Watonwan County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,253. Its county seat is St. James. In 1849, the recently organized Minnesota Territory legislature authorized the creation of nine large counties across the territory. In 1853, one of those original counties, Dakota, had a large area partitioned off to create Blue Earth County. In 1855 the western part of Blue Earth was partitioned to create Brown County. On February 25, 1860, the southern part of Brown was partitioned to create this county, with Madelia as the designated county seat. The county was named for its eponymous river, whose name reflects the Dakota word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish." The word first appears in the written record on an 1843 map of the area so naming the river.
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