Minidoka County | |
|---|---|
 Minidoka County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Idaho | |
 Idaho's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 42°51′N 113°38′W / 42.85°N 113.64°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Idaho |
| Founded | January 28, 1913 |
| Named for | Dakota Sioux word meaning "a fountain or spring of water." |
| Seat | Rupert |
| Largest city | Rupert |
| Area | |
| • Total | 763 sq mi (1,980 km2) |
| • Land | 758 sq mi (1,960 km2) |
| • Water | 5.3 sq mi (14 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 21,613 |
| • Density | 28/sq mi (11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Minidoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,613.[1] The county seat and largest city is Rupert.[2]
Minidoka County is part of the Burley, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The name Minidoka is of Dakota Sioux origin meaning "a fountain or spring of water."[3] Minidoka was first used in 1883 as a name for the Union Pacific's Oregon Short Line, a railroad spur in the middle of the Snake River Plain. The spur later became the site of a watering station along the line. The village of Minidoka grew up next to the station. The Minidoka name was then given to a reclamation project under then President Theodore Roosevelt which included the construction of the Minidoka Dam, completed in 1904. Minidoka National Historic Site (in adjacent Hunt of Jerome County) was part of the original reclamation project and hence shares the name. Minidoka County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 28, 1913, by a partition of Lincoln County.[4]
Camp Rupert, west of Paul, was a prisoner of war (POW) camp during World War II.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Idaho History.net reference series, page #34
- ^ Idaho.gov - Minidoka County Archived August 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine accessed May 29, 2009