History of Minnesota

Minnesota is a large state in the Midwestern United States. The state is an important producer of agricultural and manufactured goods. Such service industries as finance and trade are also important to its economy. Minnesota's Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul form a major metropolitan area of the Midwest. St. Paul is Minnesota's capital, and Minneapolis is the state's largest city.

Minnesota flag and seal

Southern Minnesota has some of the nation's richest farmland. Thousands of dairy cattle in this area make Minnesota one of the leading milk-producing states. Minnesota is also a major producer of corn, hogs, soybeans, and wheat.

Minnesota bird, flower, and tree

The processing of farm products is a leading manufacturing activity in Minnesota. Large dairy plants, flour mills, and meat-packing plants are found in several parts of the state. Minnesota's other chief manufacturing activity is the production of computers. The Twin Cities and Rochester have large computer companies.

Minneapolis is a leading financial center of the Midwest. Retail trade employs many people in the Twin Cities. Duluth has the busiest freshwater port in North America. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester is a world-famous medical center.

Minnesota's scenic beauty, sparkling lakes, and deep pine woods make it a vacation wonderland. Its plentiful game animals and fish attract people who enjoy hunting and fishing. Campers, canoeists, and hikers can explore its vast northern wilderness areas.

The state's history is much the story of the development of its great natural resources. The fur-bearing animals of Minnesota's forests first attracted fur traders. Next, the fertile soil brought farmers, who poured into the region from the Eastern States and from Europe. The thick forests of tall pines attracted lumberjacks from Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Finally, miners came to dig the state's vast deposits of rich iron ore.

The name Minnesota comes from two Sioux Indian words meaning sky-tinted waters. During the late 1800's, the state's flour mills and dairy products gave Minnesota one of its nicknamesthe Bread and Butter State. But it is best known as the Gopher State. This nickname can be traced to an 1857 cartoon that represented dishonest railroad organizers as striped gophers. Gophers, known for being destructive to farm crops, live mainly in the state's southern and western prairies.


		Minnesota in brief

		Interesting Facts about Minnesota

This article discusses Minnesota (People) (Visitor's guide) (Land and climate) (Economy) (Government) (History).

People
Population. The 2000 United States census reported that Minnesota had 4,919,479 people. The population of the state had increased 12 ¹/2 percent over the 1990 census figure, which was 4,375,009. According to the 2000 census, Minnesota ranks 21st in population among the 50 states.

About 70 percent of Minnesota's people live in metropolitan areas (see Metropolitan area). More than half of the people live in the MinneapolisSt. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota. It adjoins St. Paul, Minnesota's capital and second largest city. The Twin Cities, as they are called, serve as the state's leading cultural, financial, and commercial center. The state's next largest cities, in order of population, are Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, and Plymouth.

African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans each account for about 3 percent of Minnesota's population. The largest groups of people who settled in Minnesota during the 1800's and early 1900's came from Finland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. Many also came from Austria, Canada, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, and Russia.

Schools. About 1820, the first school for white children was opened at Fort St. Anthony (later renamed Fort Snelling). Missionaries set up some Indian schools during the 1830's. In 1849, the territorial legislature passed a law providing for the establishment of public schools in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning oversees and supports school districts throughout the state. Its chief administrator, the commissioner, is appointed by the governor to a four-year term with approval of the state Senate.


		Universities and colleges in Minnesota

Minnesota offers open enrollment across school districts. The state requires children to attend school between their 7th and 18th birthdays. The nation's first charter schools opened in Minnesota in 1991. For the number of students and teachers in the state, see Education (table: U.S. students, teachers, and school expenditures).

Libraries. Minnesota has about 360 public libraries. The largest ones serve Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Hennepin County. The libraries of the Twin Cities Campus of the University of Minnesota have the largest collection in the state. The university has some of the country's largest collections of materials dealing with children's literature, European expansion, and Scandinavia.

Other important library collections in Minnesota include the James J. Hill Reference Library, the Minnesota Historical Society Library, and the State Law Library, all in St. Paul; and the Mayo Medical Library in Rochester. Statewide library networks allow Minnesotans to have access to materials from the state's largest public and university libraries.

Museums. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is the largest art museum in Minnesota. Its artworks come from many periods and cultures. The Walker Art Center, also in Minneapolis, has an outstanding collection of modern art.

The Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul has exhibits dealing with science, technology, and natural history. The Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth features railroad cars and equipment. The Canal Park Marine Museum in Duluth traces the history of commercial shipping in the upper Great Lakes region.

Visitor's guide

Minnesota shoreline

Minnesota is one of the nation's most popular playgrounds. Every year, several million residents and out-of-state visitors spend their vacations in Minnesota. Thousands of sparkling blue lakes attract swimmers, water skiers, and boaters. Fishing enthusiasts find the cool northern waters filled with a great variety of game fish. Wooded parks and deep forests are scattered throughout the state. Skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing are favorite winter activities.


		Places to visit in Minnesota

		Annual events in Minnesota

Minnesota's long, cold winters are ideal for winter carnivals and sports festivals. The St. Paul Winter Carnival begins the last week in January. The carnival features ice-skating races, and ski-jumping and ice sculpture contests. The Minneapolis Aquatennial, held in July, features boat races, costume balls, and a torchlight parade. Minnesota holds its State Fair in St. Paul from late August through Labor Day.

Land and climate
During a period of geologic time known as the Pleistocene Epoch, which began about 2 million years ago, a series of glaciers moved across Minnesota. The glaciers last began to retreat less than 20,000 years ago. As the glaciers advanced south and west across Minnesota, they leveled most of the land. Only a small area in the southeast was untouched. The glaciers created gently rolling plains over most of the state. Thousands of low places formed by the glaciers filled with water. These places became lakes, swamps, or marshes.

Land regions. Minnesota has four major land regions: (1) the Superior Upland, (2) the Young Drift Plains, (3) the Dissected Till Plains, and (4) the Driftless Area.

The Superior Upland is part of the southern tip of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield is a vast area lying over old, hard rock (see Canadian Shield). The glaciers had less effect on the hard rock of the Superior Upland than on most other regions of the state. That is why this region includes the most rugged part of Minnesota. The area just north of Lake Superior is the roughest, most isolated part of the state. Eagle Mountain in Cook County is 2,301 feet (701 meters) high. It is Minnesota's highest point. The northeastern tip of the Superior Upland has an arrowhead shape, and is called the Arrowhead Country. Most of Minnesota's iron ore deposits are in the Superior Upland.

The Young Drift Plains consist mainly of gently rolling farmlands. Glaciers smoothed the surface of this region and deposited great amounts of fertile topsoil called drift as they melted. The region has some of the nation's richest farmland, and it is the most important farming area in Minnesota. Parts of the Drift Plains are sandy or stony, and not so well suited for crop farming. Moraines can be found in some places, especially in central Minnesota. These are deposits of stones and other earth materials pushed before or along the sides of the glaciers. The moraine areas are hilly and have many lakes. The northernmost tip of the Drift Plains was once part of the bed of Lake Agassiz, a huge lake that drained away after the end of the most recent ice age about 11,500 years ago (see Lake Agassiz). Marshlands and wooded areas lie in parts of this northern section. But most of it is a level and almost treeless plain.

The Dissected Till Plains cover the southwestern corner of Minnesota. There, the glaciers left a thick deposit of tilla soil-forming material of sand, gravel, and clay. Streams have dissected (cut up) the region. The few level areas in the Dissected Till Plains make excellent farmland.

The Driftless Area lies along the Mississippi River in the southeastern corner of the state. Although glaciers never touched this region, the western part is almost flat. Swift-flowing streams have cut deep valleys into the eastern part of the Driftless Area, giving it a broken surface.

Lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Minnesota has one of the greatest water areas of any state. Its thousands of inland lakes cover more than 4,750 square miles (12,300 square kilometers)over a twentieth of the state's area. The number of lakes in Minnesota has been estimated as high as 22,000. There are more than 15,000 known lake basins in the state that cover 10 acres (4 hectares) or more. But opinions differ on how large a body of water must be to be properly called a lake.

The largest lake within the state, Red Lake, covers 430 square miles (1,110 square kilometers). Other big lakes in northern Minnesota include Cass Lake, Lake of the Woods, Leech Lake, Vermilion Lake, and Winnibigoshish Lake. Large lakes elsewhere in the state include Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse, in western Minnesota; and Mille Lacs Lake and Lake Minnetonka, near the center of Minnesota.

Lake Itasca, in north-central Minnesota, is the source of the mighty Mississippi River. It flows out of the lake as a small, clear stream about 10 feet (3 meters) wide and less than 2 feet (61 centimeters) deep.

The Mississippi River and its branches drain about 57 per cent of Minnesota. The Mississippi's chief branches include the Crow Wing, Minnesota, Rum, St. Croix, and Sauk rivers. The Rainy River, the Red River of the North, and the Bois de Sioux River drain the northern and northwestern areas of Minnesota. The St. Louis River and other rivers that empty into Lake Superior drain the land that lies north of the lake.

One of Minnesota's most beautiful waterfalls is Minnehaha Falls, on Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made this 53-foot (16-meter) falls famous in his poem The Song of Hiawatha. The 49-foot (15-meter) Falls of St. Anthony, on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, was an important source of power in the early development of Minneapolis. The highest waterfall entirely within the state is 124-foot (38-meter) Cascade Falls, on the Cascade River in Cook County. Another famous waterfall is High Falls, on the Pigeon River along the Minnesota-Ontario border. High Falls drops 133 feet (41 meters).

Plant and animal life. Forests cover about 35 percent of Minnesota. Aspen, balsam fir, pine, spruce, and white birch grow in the northern part of the state. Scattered groves of ash, black walnut, elm, maple, and oak grow in the south.

Blackberries, lilies of the valley, raspberries, rue anemones, wild geraniums, and wild roses are found in northern Minnesota. Blueberries, honeysuckles, sweet ferns, trailing arbutus, and wintergreen cover natural openings in the pine forests.

Wildflowers grow in the southern, western, and northwestern parts of Minnesota. These flowers include asters, bird's-foot violets, blazing stars, goldenrod, and prairie phlox.

White-tailed deer can be found over most of the state. Black bears and moose roam the woods and swamps of the north. Smaller animals found in various parts of Minnesota include beavers, bobcats, foxes, gophers, minks, muskrats, raccoons, and skunks. Quail and ring-necked pheasants feed in the grainfields. Ducks nest in the lakes and swamps during the summer. Fish in Minnesota waters include bass, northern pike, sunfish, trout, and walleye.

Average July temperatures in Minnesota

Average January temperatures in Minnesota

Climate. In July, Minnesota averages 68 °F (20 °C) in the north and 74 °F (23 °C) in the south. The record high, 114 °F (46 °C), was set at Beardsley on July 29, 1917, and at Moorhead on July 6, 1936. January temperatures average 2 °F (17 °C) in the north and 15 °F (9 °C) in the south. The record low, 60 °F (51 °C), was set at Tower on Feb. 2, 1996.

Average yearly precipitation in Minnesota


		Average monthly weather in Minnesota

Northwestern Minnesota has about 19 inches (48 centimeters) of precipitation (rain, melted snow, and other forms of moisture) each year. The southeast receives about 32 inches (81 centimeters) of precipitation a year. Snowfall averages 20 inches (51 centimeters) annually in the southwest and 70 inches (180 centimeters) in the northeast.

Economy


		Minnesota's economic production and workers

Service industries, taken together, make up the greatest portion of Minnesota's gross state productthe total value of all goods and services produced in a state in a year. Minnesota is internationally recognized as a center of health care and medicine. The state's economy benefits from spending by the thousands of tourists each year. Manufacturing also plays an important role in the state's economy.

Natural resources of Minnesota include fertile soil, important minerals, and thick evergreen forests.

Soil is Minnesota's most important natural resource because it is the basis of the state's great farm economy. Minnesota has several types of soil. Most of them were formed from the drift deposited by the glaciers. The color and fertility of the soil indicate the direction from which the ice sheets came. Drift brought from the north was generally gray and more fertile. Drift from the northeast was reddish and less fertile. In some places, different kinds of drift were deposited in layers or mixed. In parts of southern Minnesota, the wind deposited a fine, silty material called loess on top of the drift. The loess formed a fertile, rock-free topsoil.

Minerals. The Mesabi Range, in Itasca and St. Louis counties, yields all of Minnesota's iron ore. Most of the ore mined in the Mesabi Range comes from a rock called taconite (see Taconite). Ore from the Cuyuna Range, located just north of Mille Lacs Lake, contains manganese, an important element in steelmaking. Large deposits of granite are found near St. Cloud and along the upper Minnesota River. Quarries in the southern part of Minnesota produce limestone and sandstone. Sand and gravel are found throughout the state.

Forests cover about 35 percent of Minnesota. Forests of jack, Norway, and white pine grow in the north. Other northern trees include the aspen, balsam fir, spruce, and white birch. Scattered groves of ash, black walnut, elm, maple, and oak trees grow in the southern part of the state.

Service industries account for the largest part of the gross state product of Minnesota. Most of these industries are concentrated in the metropolitan areas.

Community, business, and personal services rank first among Minnesota's service industries in terms of the gross state product. These services employ more people in Minnesota than any other industry. Community, business, and personal services include private health care, computer programming and data processing, legal services, and automobile repair. Rochester is the home of the Mayo Clinic, one of the world's largest medical centers. The Twin Cities are home to several private health-care facilities and the University of Minnesota, a leader in organ transplants.

Ranking next among the state's service industries are (1) wholesale and retail trade and (2) finance, insurance, and real estate. Each of these two industry groups accounts for an equal share of the gross state product.

The wholesale trade of automobiles, farm products, and groceries is important in Minnesota. Leading retail businesses include discount stores, food stores, and restaurants. Two of the nation's top retailing companies, Target Corporation and SuperValu Stores, are based in the Twin Cities area. Duluth is a major center of wholesale and retail trade.

Minneapolis is the center of finance, insurance, and real estate in Minnesota. Real estate is the leading part of this industry because of the large sums of money involved in the buying and selling of homes and other buildings. The Minneapolis area is the headquarters of several major U.S. banks, holding companies, and insurance firms. Several large insurance companies are based in St. Paul.

Government is the fourth-ranking service industry in Minnesota. The state's government services include the operation of public schools and hospitals, and of military bases.

Transportation, communication, and utilities form the state's fifth-ranking service industry. Northwest Airlines is based in Eagan. Utilities provide gas, electric, and water service. More information about transportation and communication appears later in this section.

Manufacturing. Goods produced in Minnesota have a value added by manufacture of about $39 billion yearly. This figure represents the increase in value of raw materials after they become finished products.

Computer and electronic products are the leading type of manufactured product in Minnesota in terms of value added by manufacture. Computers manufactured in the state range in size from small desktop models to gigantic supercomputers. Telephone and other communications equipment are also major manufactures from the electronic products sector. The state's electronic products also include medical devices developed by the state's advanced health care research facilities.

Food products rank second. Meat packing is the most important food-processing activity, and Minnesota is a leading meat-packing state. Most large plants are in the southern part of the state. The state is also a leading producer of flour. Its factories produce large amounts of cake mixes and breakfast cereals. Minnesota ranks high among the states in milk, butter, and cheese production. The state is a top producer of canned vegetables. Most of the canning plants are in southern Minnesota. Sugar-beet refineries operate in the Red River Valley and along the Minnesota River.

Machinery ranks third among the manufactured products of Minnesota in terms of value added by manufacture. Machinery for agriculture, metalworking, and heating and cooling is manufactured in the state. The state's factories also make machines for making computer microchips.

Fabricated metal products rank fourth among Minnesota's manufactured products. Major types of metal products made in Minnesota include weapons and ammunition, cans, and stampings.

Other types of products made in Minnesota include paper products, printed materials, transportation equipment, and wood products. Cloquet and Grand Rapids have large paper mills, and Hutchinson has a large plant that manufactures adhesive tape. Commercial printing shops, newspaper publishers, and book publishers produce most of the printed materials. St. Paul, Minneapolis, Mankato, and Duluth are the major printing centers. Automobiles, trucks, and buses are major types of transportation equipment made in Minnesota. Factories in the state also manufacture a variety of aircraft parts. Plywood is the state's leading wood product.

Agriculture. Minnesota ranks among the leading states in annual farm income. Farmland covers a little more than half the state. Minnesota has approximately 80,000 farms.

Thousands of Minnesota farmers sell their produce through farm cooperatives. Most of them are dairy cooperatives, but many handle grain and livestock. See Cooperative.

Livestock and livestock products provide about half of Minnesota's annual income from farm products. Hogs are the state's most valuable livestock product. Minnesota ranks among the leaders in hog production.

Dairy and beef cattle are also important sources of livestock income in Minnesota. Minnesota has more than 800,000 dairy cattle. It ranks as one of the leading milk-producing states. Most of Minnesota's milk is made into butter and cheese. The southwestern part of the state has the most cattle and hog farms. The state is also an important producer of eggs and turkeys.

Workers prepare corn on the cob

Crops account for about half of Minnesota's farm income. Corn is the state's most valuable field crop. Soybeans rank as the second most valuable crop. Minnesota is a leading state in the production of both corn and soybeans. Both of these crops are grown throughout southern Minnesota. Farmers also grow hay in the southern part of the state. Much of Minnesota's corn, hay, and soybeans is used as feed for livestock. Sugar beets are grown in southern and western Minnesota. The Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota is famous for its huge wheat crops.

Other field crops grown in Minnesota include barley, flaxseed, and oats. Peas, potatoes, and sweet corn are the state's leading vegetable crops. Apples are the leading fruit crop.

Mining. Iron ore provides most of Minnesota's mining income. Minnesota leads the states in iron ore production. But the importance of iron ore mining to the Minnesota economy declined greatly during the late 1900's. Most of the remaining iron ore is a low grade called taconite. It is mined in northeastern Minnesota.

Quarries in central Minnesota yield unusually fine granite. Limestone is taken from extensive deposits in southern Minnesota. Clay comes from many areas of Minnesota, and is used in making bricks and tile. Sand and gravel are also produced throughout the state.

Fishing industry. Fishing, both recreational and commercial, is a major activity in the state. The most valuable fishes taken from the Mississippi River include buffalo fish, carp, catfish, whitefish, and yellow perch. Lake herring, smelt, walleye, and yellow pike are the chief products of the Lake Superior catch.

Electric power. About two-thirds of Minnesota's electric power is produced by plants that burn coal. Nuclear plants generate about one-fourth of the state's electric power. Minnesota has two nuclear power plants at Prairie Island near Red Wing and one at Monticello. In addition, hydroelectric plants and plants that burn natural gas or petroleum generate a small amount of the state's power. Minnesota must purchase some electric power from other states and from Canada to fulfill its needs.

Transportation. Minnesota's great network of rivers and lakes provided transportation for the explorers, fur traders, missionaries, and settlers who first entered the region. In the 1820's, the first steamboats sailed on the upper Mississippi. Railroad construction in the state progressed rapidly after 1865. Today, 12 rail lines provide freight service, and passenger trains serve several cities. The Twin Cities form the chief rail center of the Upper Mississippi Valley. They also have the state's busiest airport.

About 130,000 miles (209,000 kilometers) of roads and highways cross the state. The nation's largest bus system, Greyhound Bus Lines, had its start in Hibbing in 1914.

Barges bring coal, oil, and other products to Minnesota ports which lie on the Minnesota, Mississippi, and St. Croix rivers. The barges return with grain and other products from Minnesota. Much of Minnesota's water traffic is on Lake Superior. The harbor at Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin, is the busiest freshwater port in North America and one of the busiest freshwater ports in the world. Grains, iron ore, and coal make up most of the outgoing cargo from this port.

Communication. In 1849, James Madison Goodhue began publishing Minnesota's first newspaper, the Minnesota Pioneer, in St. Paul. Today, Minnesota has about 20 daily newspapers and about 300 weekly newspapers. The daily newspapers with the largest circulations include the Rochester Post-Bulletin, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota also publishes about 200 periodicals.

Minnesota's first licensed radio station was WLB (now KUOM), an educational station owned by the University of Minnesota. The station was licensed in Minneapolis in 1922. The first commercial radio station, WDGY, began broadcasting from Minneapolis in 1923. KSTP-TV, Minnesota's first television station, started broadcasting in Minneapolis in 1948. Minnesota now has about 200 radio stations and 25 television stations. Cable television systems and Internet providers serve many communities.

Government
Constitution. Minnesota is still governed under its original constitution, adopted in 1858. The Constitution may be amended (changed) in two ways. An amendment may be proposed in the Legislature, where it must be approved by a majority of the lawmakers. Next, the amendment must be approved by a majority of the voters in an election.

The Constitution may also be amended by a constitutional convention. A proposal to call such a convention must be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature and by a majority of the voters in an election. Proposals made by a convention become law after they have been approved by three-fifths of the voters casting ballots on the proposals.


		Governors of Minnesota

Executive. The governor of Minnesota is elected to hold office for a four-year term. The governor can be reelected any number of times.

The lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor are also elected to four-year terms. The governor appoints the heads of most state departments, boards, and commissions. These officials are appointed to serve terms that range from two to six years.

Legislature consists of a 67-member Senate and a 134-member House of Representatives. Each senator and representative is elected from a separate district. Most senators serve four-year terms. But senators elected in years that can be divided by 10 serve two-year terms to allow for reapportionment (redrawing of districts). All representatives serve two-year terms.

The Minnesota Legislature begins its regular session on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January in odd-numbered years. The Constitution of Minnesota limits regular legislative sessions to 120 legislative days over a two-year period. The governor may call special legislative sessions.

Courts. The state Supreme Court, Minnesota's highest court, has a chief justice and six associate justices. The chief justice and the associate justices are elected to six-year terms. In 1982, Minnesota adopted a state constitutional amendment that established a Court of Appeals. The court consists of 16 judges, who are elected to six-year terms.

Minnesota has one district court. It is divided into 10 judicial districts. Each judicial district has three or more judges, who are elected to six-year terms. The district court handles criminal and civil cases. The judicial districts in Hennepin and Ramsey counties also handle cases involving juveniles.

Local government. Minnesota has 87 counties. Each is governed by a board of commissioners, usually consisting of five members. The board's powers include borrowing money, collecting taxes, and determining how funds are to be spent. Board members are elected to four-year terms. Other county officials in Minnesota include the attorney, auditor, medical examiner or coroner, sheriff, and treasurer. These officials also serve four-year terms.

Minnesota has more than 850 cities. The state constitution allows cities to adopt home-rule charters. This means that a city may choose the form of government best suited to its needs. About 100 cities operate under home-rule charters. Most Minnesota cities use the mayor-council form of government. The rest use the commission or council-manager form.

There are about 1,800 organized townships in Minnesota. Each township is governed by a board of supervisors. The voters elect the supervisors to three-year terms at an annual township meeting.

Revenue. Taxes bring in about 60 percent of the state government's general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and programs. A tax on personal income and a general sales tax provide most of the tax revenue. Other sources of tax revenue include taxes on corporate income, motor fuels, and motor vehicle licenses.

Politics. During most of its early history, Minnesota strongly favored Republicans for state offices and for president. Between 1858 and 1931, Minnesota had only four Democratic governors.

In 1918, a third party, the Farmer-Labor Party, was founded in Minnesota. It soon became powerful. In 1944, the Farmer-Labor Party joined with the Minnesota Democratic Party to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).

Hubert H. Humphrey, a DFL leader, served in the U.S. Senate from 1949 to 1964 and from 1971 to 1978. Humphrey was vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 1968, but lost. Walter F. Mondale of Minnesota also served as vice president and as a U.S. senator. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984, but he lost the election.

In 1975, the Republican Party of Minnesota changed its name to Independent-Republicans of Minnesota. Both the DFL and the Independent-Republicans have much strength in Minnesota today.

History


		Important dates in Minnesota

Indian days. White people first entered the Minnesota region in the last half of the 1600's. They found Sioux Indians in the northern forests. The Sioux lived in dome-shaped wigwams and were skilled hunters. By 1750, large numbers of Chippewa Indians were moving westward into Minnesota. The Chippewa Indians took over the northern forests of the region, and they forced the Sioux to move to the southwest. The Sioux became wanderers, and the two tribes remained enemies for many years.

Exploration. Two famous French fur traders, Pierre Esprit Radisson and Medard Chouart, Sieur des Groseilliers, were the first white men to set foot in Minnesota. They arrived in the area near what is now Two Harbors about 1660.

Another Frenchman, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Duluth (or Du Lhut), entered Minnesota in 1679. Duluth was an adventurer who hoped to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Duluth landed on the western shore of Lake Superior, and then pushed on into the interior of Minnesota. He claimed the entire region for King Louis XIV of France.

In 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, a Belgian missionary, set out from the Illinois region to explore the upper Mississippi. But Sioux Indians captured Hennepin and his two companions. The Indians took them into Minnesota. Although a captive, Hennepin saw much of the region. He became the first white man to visit the site of present-day Minneapolis, where he sighted and named the Falls of St. Anthony. Meanwhile, Duluth heard that Indians had captured three white men. He found the Indians and successfully demanded that they release the captives.

Struggle for control. In 1762, France gave Spain all its land west of the Mississippi River, including much of Minnesota. But the Spaniards did not try to explore or settle the region, and French trappers continued to collect furs there. In 1763, the French and Indian War ended. France lost this war with the United Kingdom over rival claims in North America. France gave the United Kingdom almost all its land east of the Mississippi, including eastern Minnesota. During the next 50 years, the North West Company and other British fur-trading firms established posts in the region.

In 1783, the Revolutionary War ended. The United Kingdom gave its land that was south of the Great Lakes and east of the Mississippi River to the United States. This vast area became part of the Northwest Territory, which Congress created in 1787. However, British fur companies continued to trade in the region. The United States did not gain full control of the Northwest Territory until after the War of 1812.

The Louisiana Purchase. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte forced Spain to return the region west of the Mississippi River to France. France sold this region, called Louisiana, to the United States in 1803 (see Louisiana Purchase). Two years later, Zebulon M. Pike was sent to explore the upper Mississippi and the Minnesota wilderness.

In 1819, the U.S. Army established a fort in temporary buildings. In 1820, American soldiers began building Fort St. Anthony as a permanent fort at the point where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet. The fort was completed in 1825 and renamed Fort Snelling. It became a center of industry and culture, as well as of military duty. Explorers often used Fort Snelling as a base from which they set out for undiscovered parts of Minnesota. These explorers included Stephen H. Long, William H. Keating, and George W. Featherstonhaugh. In 1832, Henry R. Schoolcraft discovered and named Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River.

Lumbering began in the St. Croix Valley during the late 1830's. In 1837, the Sioux and Chippewa Indians sold their claims to the logging area around the St. Croix River to the U.S. government. Lumberers and settlers soon moved to the area. Settlers founded Minnesota's first townsSt. Paul, St. Anthony (which later merged with Minneapolis), and Stillwater.

Territorial days. Through the years, parts of Minnesota had belonged to the territories of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin, and to the territory and district of Louisiana. On March 3, 1849, Congress created the Minnesota Territory. Its southern, northern, and eastern boundaries were the same as those of the state today. The western boundary extended to the Missouri and White Earth rivers. Alexander Ramsey was appointed as the first territorial governor. About 4,000 white people lived in Minnesota when it became a territory.

In 1851, the Sioux Indians, under pressure from the U.S. government, signed two treaties giving up their rights to a vast area west of the Mississippi River. Most of the land was in southern Minnesota. This new rich territory was opened to white settlement, and newcomers poured in.

Statehood. On May 11, 1858, Congress admitted Minnesota into the Union as the 32nd state. The people elected Henry H. Sibley as the first governor of their state. Sibley had been an agent of the American Fur Company, and had worked for the creation of the Minnesota Territory. Minnesota had a population of about 150,000 when it became a state.

The Civil War began in 1861. Minnesota became the first state to offer troops for the Union armies. In August 1862, when many Minnesota men were away fighting for the Union, the Siouxthen confined to reservationswent to war against the pioneers. The Indians swooped down on frontier towns, killing about 500 settlers and destroying much property. Federal troops helped Minnesota militiamen put down the uprising.

Industrial development occurred rapidly in Minnesota after the Civil War ended in 1865. Railroads expanded across the state, and the old Sioux hunting grounds became wheat lands. Flour mills sprang up throughout the wheat region, but most were in the Minneapolis area. These mills produced such huge quantities of flour that Minneapolis was known as the Mill City.

Minnesota waged a vigorous drive to attract newcomers. The state government and the railroads sent pamphlets to Europe, describing the opportunities in Minnesota. During the 1870's, 1880's, and 1890's, thousands of immigrants, especially Germans, Norwegians, and Swedes, settled in the state.

The outstanding event of the late 1800's was the development of rich iron ore resources. In 1884, the first ore was shipped from the Vermilion Range. In 1890, workers employed by Leonidas Merritt and several of his seven brothers discovered ore near Mountain Iron in the Mesabi Range. Two years later, after involving other relatives in their venture, the Merritts shipped the first load of ore from the Mesabi Range.

In 1889, William W. Mayo and his two sons, William and Charles, established the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The clinic's fame spread rapidly, and the Mayos turned it into a general medical center. The clinic became one of the world's leading medical research centers.

In 1894, a great forest fire swept across about 400 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) of eastern Minnesota. It wiped out the villages of Hinckley and Sandstone. More than 400 people were killed, and property valued at over $1 million was destroyed.

The early 1900's. In 1911, the first shipment of iron ore left the Cuyuna Range. In December 1915, the first operations began at a huge steel mill in Duluth. After the United States entered World War I in 1917, there were heavy demands for Minnesota's products. Great crops of wheat and other grains were raised to feed the armed forces. Iron ore production totaled almost 90 million short tons (82 million metric tons) during 1917 and 1918.

In 1918, Minnesota was struck by another disastrous forest fire. Strong winds fanned a number of small fires into one huge fire that roared across large areas of Carlton and St. Louis counties in the northeast. The fire killed more than 400 people and destroyed property valued at about $25 million.

During the 1890's and early 1900's, many Minnesota farmers joined cooperatives. They joined together to provide their own financial and storage services, and transportation for their products. The farmers believed that the railroads, banks, and grain companies charged too much for these services. During the 1920's, the new Farmer-Labor Party supported the farmers. In 1931, Floyd B. Olson became the first Farmer-Labor governor.

The Great Depression of the 1930's hit Minnesota hard. Unemployment was widespread in the cities. About 70 percent of the iron-range workers in the state lost their jobs. Farm income fell sharply. The state government took many steps to fight the depression, and federal agencies were set up to provide employment and relief.

The mid-1900's. Minnesota's economy recovered during World War II (1939-1945). The state's lumber and mining industries turned out huge amounts of raw materials for the armed forces. But the supply of high-grade iron ore suddenly dropped in the 1950's, as did the demand for the ore. The industry declined and several mines closed.

As a result of the mining slump, the state's iron industry began to develop low-grade taconite ore. Taconite contains about 30 percent iron in the form of specks of iron oxide.

In 1964, Minnesota voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that boosted investment in the iron industry. The so-called taconite amendment guaranteed that taxes on taconite would not be raised at a higher rate than taxes on other products for 25 years. Previously, iron-mining companies had been taxed at a higher rate, and producers had delayed plans to build taconite plants. After passage of the taconite amendment, producers invested more than $1 billion in taconite plants.

Many new manufacturing industries began operating in Minnesota during the mid-1900's. The products of these industries include aerospace equipment, chemicals, computers, electronic equipment, and heavy machinery. These developments added diversification (variety) to the state's economic base.

In Minnesota, as in other states, the number of farms and farmworkers decreased. Large numbers of families moved from rural areas to cities. By 1950, the state's total urban population had grown larger than the rural population for the first time. In 1964, a federal court ordered Minnesota to reapportion (redivide) its legislative districts to give the city population equal representation in the state Legislature.

The Farmer-Labor Party joined the state Democratic Party in 1944 to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). In 1975, the Republican Party of Minnesota changed its name to Independent-Republicans of Minnesota.

Recent developments. A major problem facing Minnesota today is to find ways to develop the state's many resources while preserving its natural beauty. The state's taconite plants became a source of air and water pollution. In 1978, the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered the Reserve Mining Company of Silver Bay to meet pollution control standards at its taconite-processing plant. In 1980, the company established an on-land waste disposal site and no longer discharged waste into nearby Lake Superior. In the 1980's and 1990's, the state government worked with businesses to have the businesses increase their own pollution control efforts.

The economic diversification that began in Minnesota during the mid-1900's increased in the 1990's. The growth of service industries such as finance, insurance, and real estate contributed to the state's economic strength.