3 ▁and ▁State ▁Highway ▁ 1 ▁( M N ▁ 1 ) ▁are ▁the ▁two ▁main ▁routes ▁through ▁the ▁city . ▁Cook ▁serves ▁as ▁the ▁gateway ▁to ▁the ▁western ▁half ▁of ▁Lake ▁Verm il ion . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁city ▁of ▁Cook ▁was ▁known ▁initially ▁as ▁Little ▁F ork , ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁river ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁name ▁that ▁runs ▁through ▁the ▁city , ▁later ▁being ▁known ▁as ▁Ash awa , ▁which ▁stands ▁for ▁" by ▁the ▁river ▁or ▁across ▁the ▁river "; ▁however ▁its ▁name ▁was ▁changed ▁to ▁its ▁current ▁name ▁on ▁August ▁ 1 , ▁ 1 9 0 8 ; ▁at ▁the ▁request ▁of ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Post al ▁Service ▁" because ▁confusion ▁with ▁a ▁village ▁in ▁southern ▁Minnesota ▁named ▁O sh awa ". ▁The ▁town ▁was ▁named ▁in ▁honor ▁of ▁W irth ▁Cook , ▁an ▁owner ▁of ▁the ▁rail road ▁that ▁was ▁constructed ▁through ▁Cook ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 3 ▁and ▁ 1 9 0 4 . ▁Cook ▁was ▁incorpor ated ▁on ▁May ▁ 1 3 , ▁ 1 9 2 6 . ▁ ▁Geography ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁Census ▁Bureau , ▁the ▁city ▁has ▁a ▁total ▁area ▁of ▁, ▁all ▁of ▁it ▁land . ▁ ▁Dem ograph ics ▁▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁census ▁As ▁of ▁the ▁census ▁of ▁ 2 0 1 0 , ▁there ▁were ▁ 5 7 4 ▁people , ▁ 2 6 8 ▁households , ▁and ▁ 1 3 4 ▁families ▁living ▁in ▁the ▁city . ▁The ▁population ▁density ▁was