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Home > Research Labs > Wilford Lab > Publications > Prehistoric Pottery of Minnesota > Appendices : Trinomial Site Designations for MN Counties

Trinomial Site Designations for MN Counties

In the Smithsonian Trinomial Site Designation system, archaeological sites in the United States are given a three-part designation, such as 21AK4. The first part (the 21) indicates the state, the second part (the AK) the county, and the third part (the 4) the order in which the site was assigned a number for that county by the state agency responsible for assigning site numbers. State numbers for nearby states are Iowa (13), Nebraska (25), North Dakota (32), South Dakota (39), and Wisconsin (47). Minnesota’s state number is 21. The list below contains the official designators for Minnesota counties. The accompanying map shows where the counties are in the state.

Aitkin AK Isanti IA Pipestone PP
Anoka AN Itasca IC Polk PL
Becker BK Jackson JK Pope PO
Beltrami BL Kanabec KA Ramsey RA
Benton BN Kandiyohi KH Red Lake RL
Big Stone BS Kittson KT Redwood RW
Blue Earth BE Koochiching KC Renville RN
Brown BW Lac Qui Parle LP Rice RC
Carlton CL Lake LA Rock RK
Carver CR Lake of the Woods LW Roseau RO
Cass CA Le Sueur LE St. Louis SL
Chippewa CP Lincoln LN Scott SC
Chisago CH Lyon LY Sherburne SH
Clay CY McLeod MC Sibley SB
Clearwater CE Mahnomen MH Stearns SN
Cook CK Marshall MA Steele ST
Cottonwood CO Martin MR Stevens SE
Crow Wing CW Meeker ME Swift SW
Dakota DK Mille Lacs ML Todd TO
Dodge DO Morrison MO Traverse TR
Douglas DL Mower MW Wabasha WB
Faribault FA Murray MU Wadena WD
Fillmore FL Nicollet NL Waseca WE
Freeborn FE Nobles NO Washington WA
Goodhue GD Norman NR Watonwan WW
Grant GR Olmsted OL Wilkin WL
Hennepin HE Otter Tail OT Winona WN
Houston HU Pennington PE Wright WR
Hubbard HB Pine PN Yellow Medicine YM