On This Date in Minnesota History: March 9

March 9, 1874 – Established on this date, Cook County, Minn., “was named in honor of Major Michael Cook, of Faribault, a prominent citizen and a brave soldier in the civil war (sic).”
Upham, Warren; Minnesota Geographic Names, Their Origin and Historic Significance; Minnesota Historical Society (St. Paul, Minn., 1969); p. 135.

Major Michael Cook
http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=11792