Kandiyohi County, Minnesota: History
Kandiyohi County is named for a Dakota word meaning "where the buffalo fish come". (kandi’ - the buffalo fish + oh-hi’-yu - v. of hiyu - to come through). It was organized on March 20, 1858, with Kandiyohi established as the county seat in 1870 (it was then called Kandiyohi Station, as it was merely a stop on the railroad line). The original county occupied only the southern half of its current area. Development was slow, and in 1870 the state legislature called for Monongalia County to merge with Kandiyohi. It took until November 21, 1871, to agree on the centrally located Willmar as the county seat.
In March 1915, a law was signed to give Minnesota counties the right to choose whether to allow alcohol production. At this point, all cities in Kandiyohi County had already voted to ban alcohol. Until May 1965, when county option was eliminated, Kandiyohi was a dry county; no beverages with over 3.2% alcohol could be sold.