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

Trading Posts and Big Boxes: The Social, Political, and Economic Importance of Minnesota Business

Sabes Jewish Community Center, Minneapolis

A mainstay of Jewish cultural life

Central Park, St. Paul

An exclusive Gilded Age neighborhood

Minnesota Building

Reinventing business architecture in the Twin Cities

Artificial Limb Industry in Minneapolis

A national center for innovation in prosthetics

Gedney Foods Company

Official source of "the Minnesota pickle"

Minnesota State Boundaries

Tracking the changing shape of the North Star State

The Ho-Chunk and Blue Earth, 1855–1863

Adaptation, exile, and survival

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Trading Posts and Big Boxes: The Social, Political, and Economic Importance of Minnesota Business

Expert Essay: Associate professor of history Tracey Deutsch reveals how Minnesota trading traditions, businesses, and industries both large and small have influenced the course of Minnesota history.
O'Connor Layover Agreement

The O'Connor layover agreement was instituted by John O'Connor shortly after his promotion from St. Paul Detective to Chief of Police on June 1, 1900. It allowed criminals to stay in the city under three conditions: that they checked-in with police upon their arrival; agreed to pay bribes to city officials; and committed no major crimes in the city of St. Paul. This arrangement lasted for almost forty years, ending when rampant corruption forced crusading local citizens and the federal government to step in.
Ayer, Elizabeth Taylor (1803–1898)

Elizabeth Taylor Ayer's life spanned nearly the entire nineteenth century. In an era when women rarely had professional careers, her work as a teaching missionary gave her more status and independence than most women enjoyed.
Central Park, St. Paul

St. Paul's Central Park began in 1885 as an amenity for a new, upscale neighborhood north of the business district. As the city around it changed, so did the park; by the 1930s it had become a playground and meeting place for children and students. In 1975 it became a parking ramp.
Sabes Jewish Community Center, Minneapolis

The Sabes Jewish Community Center (JCC) began in 1918 as a community center for immigrant youth on the North Side of Minneapolis. Located in St. Louis Park since the early 1960s, in the twenty-first century the Sabes JCC continues to be a mainstay of Jewish cultural life for the greater Minneapolis community.
Swede Hollow

Nestled into a small valley between the mansions of Dayton's Bluff and St. Paul proper, Swede Hollow was a bustling community tucked away from the prying eyes of the city above. It lacked more than it offered; houses had no plumbing, electricity, or yards, and there were no roads or businesses. In spite of this, it provided a home to the poorest immigrants in St. Paul for nearly a century.
Sibley, Henry H. (1811–1891)

Henry Hastings Sibley occupied the stage of Minnesota history for fifty-six active years. He was the territory's first representative in Congress (1849–1853) and the state's first governor (1858–1860). In 1862 he led a volunteer army against the Dakota under Taoyateduta (Little Crow IV). After his victory at Wood Lake and his rescue of more than two hundred white prisoners, he was made a brigadier general in the Union Army.
Minnesota Building

Built in 1929, the Minnesota Building represents a turning point in the economic history of downtown St. Paul and the architectural history of the entire Twin Cities area.