Willow River is set in northern Pine County. Located along Interstate 35 just 54 miles south of Duluth and 100 miles north of the Twin Cities. Map
Willow River was established November 3, 1891. At that time, the village of Willow River had as many as 10 trains coming through daily with the lumber mill running 24 hours a day and the village population had grown to nearly 1,000 residents. It was said that the area was covered in trees so thick that the sun's light was blocked out. Many of the early settlers received free land. At that time, any citizen could stake out a claim on 160 acres or less of government land. Once they lived on the land for 5 years and improved it with a house and/or barn, they could file an application with the land office for a fee of $10 and the land was theirs.
PopulationAccording to the 2010 census, the city's population is 415.
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Did you know?Willow River once had a newspaper called The Pine County Farmer
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The DamThe Willow River Dam was constructed in 1939 by men from Camp Curry and took nearly a year to build
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Rock Rapids
The Willow River Dam was breached and damaged during a flood in July of 2016. After the damage, the dam was no longer able to hold the lake levels at their former elevation. To restore lake levels and to provide for fish passage, a rock arch rapids was installed in 2021. Because the rock rapids maintain upstream lake levels that existed previously, the rapids are classified as a dam by the DNR. The new "dam" represents an improvement to the river ecosystem while maintaining the upstream reservoir level. The rapids were designed to allow upstream migration of warm-water fish species while safely accommodating much larger flood flows than the old dam.
Ernie Nevers
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Ernie Nevers, sometimes known by the nickname "Big Dog" was born in 1903 in Willow River. He went on to play professional football and baseball and later coached football. Ernie was widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th century. He played as a fullback and was a triple-threat man known for his talents running, passing and kicking. Ernie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920's All-Decade Team. In 1929, he set an NFL record that still stands by scoring 40 points in a single game.
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    In the early years, Ernie played football, basketball, baseball and track and field for Stanford University. In the NFL he played for the Duluth Eskimos and the Chicago Cardinals. In baseball, Ernie played pitcher for the St. Louis Browns and the Mission Bells. Later he coached as assistant football coach for Stanford and as head coach for the Chicago Cardinals and Lafayette. He died in 1976.
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"Wild Bill" Cooper
In the 1960's Bill Cooper came into Willow River and bought the Squirrel Cage bar. His biggest claim to fame was when he and 6 other men planned a 5,000 mile snowmobile trip from Minnesota to Moscow in the winter of 1972. They were forced to end the trip in Greenland during the second year. The harsh conditions and lack of money were to blame.
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city of willow river
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