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The history of the U.S. state of Minnesota is shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Early economic growth was based on fur trading, logging, milling and farming, and later through railroads and iron mining.
- Minnesota's Native American History
- Land Cessions and The Dakota Uprising of 1862
- Minnesota Fur Trade and Exploration
- Minnesota's Colonial History and Statehood
- Slavery in Minnesota
- Immigration in Minnesota
- Minnesota Business and Industry
- Interesting Facts
- Sources
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The first people arrived in the area now known as Minnesota around 12,000 years ago. By the 1600s, two main Indigenous groups lived in Minnesota: the Dakota and the Anishinaabe. They relied on the area’s waterways for food, transportation and trade—as attested to by the name Minnesota, which comes from the Dakota word for “cloudy water.” The Dakota...
The Anishinaabe agreed to a treaty in 1837 that sold most of their land in eastern Minnesota to the U.S. government. An 1854 treaty ceded the nation’s remaining land in the state in return for reservations. The subsequent Dawes Severalty Act of 1887effectively forced the Anishinaabe to sell more than 90 percent of their reservation lands to white s...
French fur traders living in Canada were the first Europeans to explore the area now known as Minnesota in the 1600s. Medard Chouart, Sieur Des Groseilliers—a French fur trader known for starting the Hudson Bay Company for the English—explored the Great Lakes region from 1654 to 1656. He and Pierre Esprit Radisson traveled to Lake Superior with a g...
Trade disputes between Great Britain and the United States led to the War of 1812. The 1814 Treaty of Ghentled to the Convention of 1818, which set the 49th parallel as the boundary between British North America (now Canada) and the United States—and all of Minnesota formally became part of the United States. In 1819, Colonel Henry Leavenworth bega...
Fur traders used slaves since the first white settlers arrived in Minnesota. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established a government for the Northwest Territories and forbade slavery in new territories, including Minnesota east of the Mississippi River. The Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory above the ...
Minnesota has a strong history of immigration dating to its early days as a state. In the 1860s and 1870s, a flood of immigrants arrived from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy and Poland. By the late 1800s, 40 percent of the state’s population was born outside of the United States, compared to 11 percent nationally. Mo...
Minnesota is home to several flourishing industries, including forestry, health, agribusiness and retail. Many major national and international corporations and organizations have headquarters in the state, including 3M, Mayo Clinic, Target, General Mills and Best Buy. With roughly 40 million visitors each year, Bloomington’s Mall of America is the...
The first successful open-heart surgery was performed on a 5-year-old girl on September 2, 1952, by Dr. Floyd John Lewis and Dr. Clarence Walton Lillehei at the University of Minnesota. With her bo...The skyway system in downtown Minneapolis is the world’s largest continuous indoor network of pedestrian pathways, stretching eight miles and connecting 73 blocks—making it possible to sleep, eat,...Minnesota’s nickname is the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” A more accurate moniker would be the “Land of 11,842 Lakes.”United States Census Bureau, Quick Facts: Minnesota Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums, Indigenous Tribes of Minnesota Minnesota Historical Society, Native Americans Minnesota Historical Society, The Dakota People Minnesota Historical Society, Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, 1851 Library of Congress, The treaty of Traverse des Siou...
Learn about Minnesota's history from its Native American origins to its statehood in 1858. Explore the conflicts, treaties, migrations and cultural influences that shaped the state's identity and economy.
Minnesota became a U.S. territory in 1849; its boundaries at that time reached as far west as the upper Missouri River, but most of its 4,000 settlers were located in the Fort Snelling– St. Paul area, in the eastern part of the territory.
2 days ago · Minnesota, constituent state of the United States of America that became the 32nd state of the union on May 11, 1858. The most northerly of the 48 conterminous U.S. states, it consists of extensive woodlands, fertile prairies, and innumerable lakes, which led to the state’s nickname ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes.’.
Learn about Minnesota's diverse and complex past through historic sites, museums, exhibitions, collections, and research. Explore the history of women, African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and more with the Minnesota Historical Society.
Learn how Minnesota's forests changed over time from ancient spruce and pine to modern aspen and birch, and how human activities influenced the landscape. Explore the history of logging, lumbering, conservation, and forest management in the state.
The history of the U.S. state of Minnesota is shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Early economic growth was based on fur trading, logging, milling and farming, and later through railroads and iron mining.
