City Facts
Location
Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County. It is the county seat of Ramsey County.
| Time Zone: | Central | Distance In Miles From State Lines: |
| Latitude: | 48 degrees, 6 minutes North | Montana: 280 |
| Longitude: | 98 degrees, 51 minutes West | Minnesota: 90 |
| Elevation: | 1,447 feet | South Dakota: 170 |
| Area: | 6.41 square miles | Canadian International Boundary: 75 |
| Area Code: | 701 |
Population
Year |
Population |
Ramsey County |
2010 |
7,141 |
11,451 |
2000 |
7,222 |
12,066 |
1990 |
7,782 |
12,681 |
1980 |
7,442 |
13,026 |
1970 |
7,078 |
12,915 |
1960 |
6,299 |
13,443 |
1950 |
6,427 |
14,373 |
Climate
Average Temps |
High |
Low |
Winter |
15° F |
-2° F |
Spring |
51° F |
31° F |
Summer |
82° F |
58° F |
Fall |
56° F |
35° F |
History
Lieutenant Heber M. Creel, a West Point graduate and topographical engineer, stationed at nearby Fort Totten, resigned from the U.S. Army in the spring of 1882 and squatted on land bordering the north shore of Devils Lake, SE 1/4 Section 34-156-64, where he surveyed a townsite and named it CREELSBURG. A post office was established here November 15, 1882, with Heber M. Creel, postmaster. On February 28, 1883, the name was changed to CREEL CITY and located on Section 28, Creel Township. In May of that year the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway Co. (now the Great Northern) bought five-eights of the enlarged townsite, Section 33 and 34 Lake Township and established its station at this point on the lake, which was the head of the steamboat navigation and named it for this inland sea known as Devils Lake - the white man's misinterpretation of the Sioux named MiniWaukan ("Lake Holy One") of ("Lake Great One"). When the village incorporated in February 1884, it was renamed CITY OF DEVILS LAKE; however, the post office on January 14, 1884, was named Devils Lake; Henry C. Hansbrough was the assigned postmaster. When the county organized January 25, 1883, it was designated the county seat; incorporated as a village in 1887; as a city in 1894.
