WILLMAR

city, seat of Kandiyohi County, southwest central Minnesota, U.S., on Foot and Willmar lakes in the Little Crow lake region. An early settlement (1856) was deserted because of the Sioux uprising of 1862. In 1869 a railhead construction camp was established and named for Leon Willmar, an agent of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. It became a railroad division headquarters and a shipping point for grain and livestock. Subsequent development included a large turkey-processing plant and industries ranging from clothing to farm machinery. The city is the site of Willmar Area Vocational-Technical Institute (1962). A state mental hospital is nearby. Inc. village, 1874; city, 1901. Pop. (1990) 17,531.