Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Goodhue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 46,183. Its county seat is Red Wing. Nearly all of Prairie Island Indian Community is within the county. he county was formed from territory within Wabasha County on March 5, 1853. County boundaries were defined in 1854 and further refined again in 1855. Hamline University, Minnesota's first college of higher learning, was originally located in Red Wing, Minnesota. It opened its doors in 1854 but closed during the Civil War due to low enrollment. Hamline University re-opened in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1869.