Geographic Data
Champlin is located in northern Hennepin County on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 17 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The average elevation is 875 feet above sea level and the Mississippi River is approximately one-eighth of a mile wide. The City is approximately 8 square miles in size and has approximately 24,010 residents. It is bounded by the Mississippi River on the east and north, Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove on the south, and Dayton and the Elm Creek Park on the west.
History
After being captured by the Sioux Indians in the spring of 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan priest; Michael Accult, a voyager; and Picard Dulay were brought to the site now known as Champlin. In the 18th and 19th centuries, legend has it that there was an Indian trading post at the junction of Elm Creek and the Mississippi River. Charles Miles made the first permanent settlement here, building his house just below the mouth of Elm Creek in 1852. The Township of Marshall was organized in 1858 and a year later, Marshall reorganized into two townships, Champlin and Dayton, and the post office was established.
Champlin is unique in that it is one of the few communities in the United States which bears a surname as its name. The name Champlin came from the family name of U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Champlin. He was active in the war against England and Canada in 1812 and in the establishment of the Canadian-United States Boundary. The Commodore’s daughter was married to John B. Cook, a partner of Minnesota’s Alexander Ramsey. Although Cook was never a resident of Champlin, he was involved in real estate transactions here and in the incorporation of Champlin. In 1947 a portion of the old Township of Champlin was incorporated to form the Village of Champlin and on January 2, 1971, the Township of Champlin and the Village of Champlin consolidated as the result of a petitioned order from the Minnesota Municipal Commission to form the City of Champlin.
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