Anoka County | 4,645 followers on LinkedIn. The history of Anoka County starts in 1849 when the Minnesota territorial legislature organized the counties of Washington, Ramsey and Benton. What is now Anoka County was embraced in both Ramsey and Benton Counties because the Rum River was the dividing line between the two counties. As early as 1850, fur traders began to settle on the Rum River in the area now known as Ramsey.