Pillager, Minnesota
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1916 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Pillager City. It lies in ZIP code area 56473. It stands on Pillager Creek. The Survey maps it on the Pillager quadrangle. 507 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,211 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Pillager
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Crow Wing State Parklisted 1970
Population over time
2 figuresPillager grew from 469 to 507 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 469 | |
| 2020 | 507 | +38 (+8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1916 USGS Pillager quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1919 USGS Pillager quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Pillager quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1957 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
110 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 110 fires within 5 miles of Pillager between 1992 and 2020, burning about 275 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 12 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 57 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 9 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 September 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 31 August 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 August 2008 | Natural | 5.7 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 August 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 23 August 2003 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 August 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Pillager: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stark Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
42 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pillager in 42 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 26 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | $8,000 | Many trees were blown down, and power outages occurred. Some shingles were blown off a roof. |
| June 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Pillager | - | First of two tornadoes from a severe thunderstorm that crossed through Cass and Crow Wing Counties. The tornado began just north of Casino, Minnesota, and moved northeasterly for about 3.75 miles before taking an easterly turn near the end of Home Brook Lane on the south end of Hardy Lake. It then traveled east-southeast for about 7 miles and crossed into Crow Wing County while over Gull Lake. The tornado continued into Crow Wing County for about three-quarters of a mile moving back on shore then dissipating after crossing Sea Gull Road NW at 1643 CDT. Damage along the path was mainly limited to hardwood and softwood trees that were snapped about 10 to 20 feet up (DI 27/28, DOD 4). Near the beginning of the tornado, it moved across a homestead causing roof damage to the attached garage of a home and pushed the entire unanchored garage structure about one foot (DI 1, DOD 4). |
| July 2023 | Hail | Pillager | - | Some damage to vehicles was observed. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | A few trees were down across Minnesota Highway 210. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | There were 3 to 4-inch diameter tree branches down from a living oak tree. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Large trees fell and hit the powerlines. The trees had an estimated diameter of 18 inches. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | There were trees down, including one big oak, and a TV antenna and tower were blow down. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | The county sheriff reported a tree down. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | A 16 inch diameter tree snapped. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | A pole barn was destroyed. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Power lines were blown down. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Pillager | - | Some small branches were blown down by gusty winds, in addition to the hail that fell. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Pillager | - | Hail fell for on-half hour. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Two 18-inch diameter trees were blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Pillager | - | Wind gusts to 50 knots were also recorded. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Mnay 30-foot tall trees were blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Pillager | - | There was also wind damage with at least ten 18-inch diameter trees blown down. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Two large trees and several small trees were blown down. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | Twelve-inch diameter pine trees were blown down, and a couple of sheds were destroyed. The wind speed is estimated. |
| September 2025 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Pillager | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvan | 3.6 miles | 17 | |
| Bridgeman | 6.8 miles | 10 | |
| Casino | 7.6 miles | 10 | |
| East Gull Lake | 8.3 miles | 15 | |
| Lake Shore | 12.3 miles | 15 | |
| Leader | 16.7 miles | 10 | |
| Graff | 17.2 miles | 9 | |
| Ellis | 17.3 miles | 10 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Pillager | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2229386 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 649426. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







