Manomin County is a defunct county that was located in East Central Minnesota and was established on May 23, 1857 by the Territorial Legislature. The area had previously been a part of Ramsey County until prominent farmer and Territorial Representative Abram Fridley succeeded in getting the legislature to carve out a 16-square mile section as an independent county. Manomin, also known as "Fridley's farm," was one of the smallest counties in the nation. The name for Manomin County comes from, 'manoomin,' the Objibwe word for wild rice ('mano' in Objibwe means 'spirit'). Manomin County was absorbed by Anoka County after an amendment to Article 11 of the state constitution passed in the November 2, 1869 election with 88.9 percent support. Manomin (now named Fridley) was the county seat. Sources: Winona Daily News, September 30, 1958 (p. 6). Minnesota Geographic Names, by Warren Upham (Minnesota Historical Society, 1969).
Notable candidates from Manomin County include:
- Abram Fridley: Democratic Territorial Representative (1855-1856) and State Representative (1869-1872, 1879-1881)
