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 natura
Some of the oldest stone tools found in Minnesota
Ojibwa women in a canoe at Leech Lake Minnesota in 1909
Ruins of old Fond du Lac trading post on the Saint Louis River in 1907
Portrait of Louis Hennepin, 1694
The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to t
History of Minnesota
…in the area that became Minneapolis, while others settled downriver in the area that became Saint Paul. Minnesota's legal identity was created as the Minnesota Territory in 1849, and it became the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858. After the chaos of the American Civil War and the Dakota War of 1862 ended, the state's…
The nine original counties of the Minnesota Territory extended into what became North Dakota and South Dakota (left)
Minnesota Territory Centennial stamp, issued in 1949 in recognition of Minnesota's unique Métis oxcart traders.
Alexander Ramsey Brady Handy