Faribault, a S. county of Minnesota, bordering on Iowa, and drained by Blue Earth river and its branches; area, 720 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 9,940. The surface is mostly prairie; the soil is fertile. The Minnesota and Northwestern and the Southern Minnesota railroads pass through the county. The chief productions in 1870 were 552,940 bushels of wheat, 137,496 of Indian corn, 394,992 of oats, 25,786 of barley, 29,321 of potatoes, 15,398 tons of hay, and 259,645 lbs. of butter. There were 2,995 horses, 3,235 milch cows, 4,864 other cattle, 4,127 sheep, and 3,394 swine. Capital, Blue Earth City.

Faribault, a town and the capital of Rice co., Minnesota, at the confluence of the Cannon and Straight rivers, and on the Iowa and Minnesota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad, 46 m. S. of St. Paul; pop. in 1870, 3,045. It is the scat of the state asylum for the deaf, dumb, and blind, and of an Episcopal academy, and contains several other schools, six or eight churches, two weekly newspapers, two national banks, and several flour mills, saw mills, founderies, etc.