Pillager

Population:  469

Median Age:  36.1

Median Income:  $29,375 

Area:  .88 square miles

Top Three Industries: Manufacturing, Education, Construction

PAST

Pillager is located on the north bank of the Crow Wing River, near Lake Placid, the Pillsbury State Forest, and is geologically situated on a natural break in the landscape known as the Pillager Gap.  In early times, this Gap provided an easy travel route for Native Americans and explorers.  Now the Gap can be easily driven on Highway 210 west of Brainerd.  From a vantage point on County Highway 1 south of Pillager, you can view the steep drop to the valley floor from atop the moraine and imagine Chief Hole-in-the-Day’s Band of Chippewa settlements below.   In the late 1800’s, the Trading Post (still standing) supported settlers’ logging enterprises; the primary industry in the area.  The railroad connected Pillager to Brainerd and Staples, so after the mills closed people were content to remain in Pillager. 

PRESENT

Now this quiet, inviting community takes pride in its supportive and generous potential coming from all generations.  A new focus for the town is the elementary and high school building; a recent Referendum passed by an overwhelming response.  Not only does this building support the educational needs for Pillager, but the Education Foundation also hosts coffee for moms, dads, and seniors.  The school halls ring out with Husky PRIDE, which stands for P-perseverance, R- respect/responsibility, I- integrity, D- discipline, E- excellence.  This pride carries over to its residents.

The Pillager Family Center was established in 1992 for charitable and educational purposes.  Being in a community where people know each other, they often pull together to address community needs, from raising funds for a family in need, to overwhelming support for the school, to community clean ups and services.  If you need help, it’s there. 

This collaborative nature creates a good working relationship between city, county and fair board leaders and this rapport extends to churches and service organizations, providing a good foundation to produce capable leaders.  One example of this collective spirit is an idea inspired and promoted by students.  Students created a Husky Pride mural in the new school carved in brick.  The new kiln is not only for the art department, but is shared and available for communal use by the Pillager community.

Currently, Pillager students learn to respect their natural surroundings through outdoor Science and Phy/Ed classes, where they work with respected professionals, in learning about responsible logging practices, fishing and the wildlife that is so much a part of living in Central Minnesota.  

Unique celebrations in the community include a focus on Arbor Day, an annual Fiddlers Contest, Mud Run and the oldest fair in Cass County. 

Pillager continues ongoing growth and development efforts by implementing ideas recommended after a recent visit from the Minnesota Design Team. Projects include the addition of fiber optics to enhance connectivity and creating a recreation task force to keep Pillager a proactive, friendly and healthy community.  

Pillager identified these additional assets in their community:

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