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MNopedia

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

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Race and Policing in the Twin Cities

Responses to racism inside and outside the law-enforcement system

Evolution of Dakota Beadwork

A practice that both reinforced and transformed Dakota art

African Americans in Minnesota

More than two centuries of social history, politics, and community building

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)

A scenic wilderness with thousands of lakes, canoe routes, hiking trails, and campsites

Mi Perú-Minnesota

A dance ensemble bridging Peru and Minnesota

Faribault, Pelagie (1783–1847)

The matriarch of an influential Dakota family

Minnesota State Prison, Stillwater

The oldest prison in Minnesota

Moving through Minnesota: Transportation in the Land of Lakes

From sleds and snowshoes to airplanes and light rail

Spotlight On Crime, Policing, and Community Response

Postcard with photograph of AIM Patrol poster, 1991.
AIM Patrol, Minneapolis
Intersection of Sixth and Minnesota Streets, St. Paul
Arrest of Cecelia Regina Gonzaga, 1885
Brown Berets marching with flags
Brown Berets in Minnesota
Black and white photograph of National Guardsmen patrolling Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis, July 1967.
Civil Unrest on Plymouth Avenue, Minneapolis, 1967
White lynch mob posing with murdered African American men
Duluth Lynchings
Street view of Washington Avenue
Gateway District (“Skid Row”), Minneapolis
Black and white photograph of inmate believed to be Houston Osborne, c.1895.
Near-Lynching of Houston Osborne
Black and white photograph of John O'Connor during the height of his power in St. Paul, c.1912.
O'Connor Layover Agreement
St. Paul Police Deputy James S. Griffin sitting at his desk, ca. 1960s. From box 1 of the James S. Griffin papers (P1679), Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society.
Race and Policing in the Twin Cities
Photograph of John J. O'Connor’s chief-of-police badge
St. Paul Police Department Reform, 1933–1940
See all spotlights


April 13

1849

The army officially occupies Fort Gaines, later renamed Fort Ripley. The post had been built to monitor the Ho-Chunk people (Winnebago) at Long Prairie, and to maintain peace between Ojibwe and Dakota bands.

1907

Harold E. Stassen is born in West St. Paul. Elected governor at age thirty-two, he would be the youngest individual to hold that office, from 1939 to 1943. He would resign as governor to serve as lieutenant commander in the navy during World War II. His long and distinguished career in public service would unfortunately be overshadowed by a string of defeats as he sought the Republican nomination for president. He died in 2001.

1967

Rod Carew plays his first major league baseball game with the Minnesota Twins, hitting a single.

1993

The North Stars professional hockey team plays its final game in the Met Center against the Chicago Blackhawks, losing 3-2. The team moves to Dallas later that year.

Select a new date

From The Minnesota Book of Days (Minnesota Historical Society Press).

Recently Added Articles

Twine factory floor
Twine Industry at Minnesota State Prison, Stillwater

A cornerstone of the prison labor system for almost eighty years, the binder twine factory at the Minnesota State Prison employed thousands of inmates who produced over a billion pounds of cordage for regional farmers. The twine-manufacturing industry began at the original facility and continued at a custom-built factory on a new site after the prison moved in 1914. The factory closed in 1970.

Front entrance to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
Minnesota Music Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm offers a wide-ranging display of artifacts, mementos, and photos acquired since it recognized its first class of inductees in 1989. It pays tribute to music performers and artists who shaped Minnesota’s music scene in the mid-twentieth century, with a focus on the polka groups and dance orchestras that were popular around New Ulm at that time.

More

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Made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on November 4, 2008. Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.
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