A Bit of Minnesota History...and where to experience the history of Minnesota as you travel across the state.Learning some Minnesota history will add to the enjoyment of your Minnesota vacation. Plan to visit some of the cities and areas that figure prominently in Minnesota state history.
Experience the history of Minnesota's indigenous people, our early immigrants and find out why some in our state believe America was discovered by the Norwegians.Our family roots are firmly planted in the history of Minnesota. My German maternal grandparents farmed in northern Minnesota, my Irish paternal grandfather was a Minneapolis cop, and I lived for many years on, or near, Native American reservations.  Saint Paul is a great starting point for an overview of the history that created Minnesota. 
Most towns of any size in Minnesota have a museum that highlights the history of Minnesota in their area. We love to stop and explore the surprises each offers...there is something new to learn about our state in each one.One the most well known of these local museums is the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, MN that displays The Kensington Runestone. Locals assert that the runestone proves that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of North America in the 14th century. Plan an Alexandria, Minnesota vacation and make a stop in at the Runestone Museum to see if you can be convinced. Be sure to visit the best of our Minnesota History Museums that are located in our major cities.
Minnesota’s First Inhabitants
Some of Minnesota’s earliest people contributed to Minnesota history by carving pictures of humans, animals and weapons into rocks. Many of the state's rock art sites are located on the prairies of southwestern Minnesota.Some of these ancient carvings, called “petroglyphs,” may be 5,000 years old – and many are still visible today in one of the state’s greatest historic sites, Jeffer's Petroglyphs near Comfrey and Windom, MN. Ancient burial mounds and unearthed objects like spear points are evidence that people lived here ages ago. Minnesota's Indigenous People
The Dakota and Ojibwe
(also called Chippewa or Anishinabe) Indians lived in Minnesota when the first Europeans arrived. Many Dakota, Ojibwe tribes and other American Indians still live in Minnesota today.The Dakota Nation includes the native peoples who once lived in the northern forests and along the upper Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. In time, the Dakota Nation divided into three groups (Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota), each moving in different directions, but still maintaining close ties to one another. The Ojibwe were not agricultural, their country being too cold for profitable farming by traditional Indian methods. They depended for subsistence upon fishing, hunting, and the gathering of wild rice. Their territory abounded in lakes and clear streams well stocked with fish, with vast fields of wild rice in the quieter waters. They also gathered cranberries and manufactured maple sugar and discovered ways of making maple syrup. European SettlersIn the late 1600s, French explorers led an expedition into Minnesota, and were soon followed by fur traders for French, and then British companies, who come for beaver pelts to make hats in Europe.Fort Snelling State Park is on the site where, for almost 30 years, members of the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes gathered to trade, debate government policy and perform their dances and sports. Traders stopped at the fort while their goods were inspected. The American and Columbia fur companies built headquarters nearby and employees' families settled at nearby Mendota.
Travel to north central Minnesota to visit the Mississippi River source. Early explorers contributed much to our present knowledge of our Minnesota heritage. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft discoverd the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca in 1832. He and his Ojibwe guide, Ozawindib, documented what is now known about the beginnings of the mighty river. Our first state park, Itasca State Park is a great place to visit and to explore some history of Minnesota.
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by Ole Rolvaag which describes the experiences of Norwegian immigrants in the midwest.
edited by Joseph A. A. Burnquist and published in 1924.
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