A resource for reliable information about significant people, places, events and things in Minnesota history.

Split Rock Lighthouse Station. Photographed by Dennis Adams of the Federal Highway Administration c.2000.

Split Rock Lighthouse

Historic beacon and tourist attraction on Lake Superior

Temple Israel, Minneapolis, 1890

Temple Israel, Minneapolis

Serving the Minneapolis community since 1878

The Willmar 8 Bank Strike

The forefront of the fight for equal pay, 1977-1979

Elevator to Foshay Tower observation balcony, Minneapolis, 1948

Foshay Tower, Minneapolis

A city's treasure and a businessman's undoing

Photograph of William H Illingworth (left) with a group at Minnehaha falls c.1865.

Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis

Centerpiece of Minnehaha Park

This battle flag of the 1st Battery, Minnesota Light Artillery consists of one layer of red silk with a gold knotted fringe around the perimeter and three pairs of ties for attachment to the staff. The flag is adorned with battle honors encompassing much of the battery's service.

First Battery of Minnesota Light Artillery

Key players in the Civil War's Western Theater

Duane Barnhart drew this caricature of fellow Minnesota cartoonist Curt Swan for Curt Swan Day, 1993.

Swan, Curt (1920–1996)

Principal artist for DC Comics

Adath Jeshurun Women's League, Minneapolis, c.1930.

Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Minnetonka

The oldest Conservative Jewish congregation west of Chicago

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Split Rock Lighthouse

Split Rock Lighthouse opened in the summer of 1910 to guide bulk ore ships sailing near Lake Superior's rocky coast. By 1940, its picturesque North Shore setting had made it one of the most visited lighthouses in the United States.
Von Rovigno, Count William Rudolph Martinovich (1882–1971)

Count William Rudolph Martinovich von Rovigno was born a European nobleman but became a big-game hunter, worldwide traveler, bronco-buster, wilderness guide, and friend of "Buffalo Bill" Cody. After falling in love with Minnesota's north woods, he settled and worked in the state as a game warden, forest guard, and wilderness advocate.
Temple Israel, Minneapolis

Minneapolis's oldest synagogue, Temple Israel (originally named Shaarai Tov), was founded in 1878. By 2012, over two thousand member families belonged to the temple, making it one of the largest Jewish congregations in the United States.
The Planned Community of Jonathan

The 1960s and 1970s were a time of rapid suburban growth. City planners in these decades were frustrated with the growing problems of pollution, traffic, and creating new neighborhoods as cities spread. One solution to this idea was the "new town" movement. Designed as planned communities, these "towns" tried to organize the design and growth of the town in advance to better deal with urban sprawl. The community of Jonathan, located within the existing city of Chaska, was built along these concepts.
Minnesota's "Melting Pot:" Goodhue County in 1880

By 1880, Goodhue County held within its borders four significant Euro-American immigrant enclaves: Minnesota's largest group of Swedish settlers and the second largest assembly of Norwegians, as well as one of the most densely populated German tracts. There was also an Irish colony at the county's center. The settling of Goodhue County serves as a case study of the state's early immigration patterns.
The Willmar 8 Bank Strike

For nearly two years, eight female employees of Willmar's Citizens National Bank, dubbed the Willmar 8, picketed in front of their downtown workplace seeking pay equity. They never got pay increases, they never got strike-related compensation, and after the strike, only one woman returned to work at the bank for more than a few months. But for the women's movement, the 1977-1979 strike was a resounding success. It was a chink in the armor of the institutional sexism women faced in the workplace.
Beth Jacob Congregation, Mendota Heights

Beth Jacob Congregation is a Conservative synagogue located in Mendota Heights. It was formed in 1985 when Sons of Jacob, St. Paul's second-oldest synagogue, merged with a group of young worshipers who came together in 1984.
Our Historical Role in Influencing Contemporary Minnesota

Expert Essay: Thomas D. Peacock, member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and author of many books and articles on Ojibwe history and culture, reflects on the Ojibwe influence on Minnesota, from language, literature, and the arts to education, economics, and politics.