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MNopedia

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

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Honeycutt, Prince Albert (1852–1924)

The businessman-politician-athlete who shaped Fergus Falls

Gooseberry Falls State Park

One of the most popular nature areas in Minnesota

Willis, Dorsey (1886–1977)

An Army veteran granted justice after six decades in Minnesota

Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM)

A non-profit organization that strives to preserve Tibetan identity, culture, and tradition

Ukrainian American Community, Northeast Minneapolis

The origins and growth of a Little Kyiv

Zenon Dance Company

A premier repertory dance company based in Minneapolis

Coyle, Brian J. (1944–1991)

A trailblazer in gay visibility and HIV/AIDS awareness

Sabathanites Drum Corps

The oldest existing African American drum corps in Minnesota

School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC)

A nonprofit, secular organization run by volunteers

Spotlight On The Mississippi River (Wakpa Tanka; Gichi-ziibiwininiwag)

Color image of the Anoka–Champlin Mississippi River Bridge carrying U.S. Route 169, 2013. Photographed by Wikimedia Commons user McGhiever.
Anoka–Champlin Mississippi River Bridge
Dam, Coon Rapids.
Coon Rapids Hydroelectric Dam
Wakan Ozanzan’s village
Dakota, Ho-Chunk, and French Indigenous Communities Between St. Paul and Prairie du Chien, ca. 1300–1865
Black and white photograph of the Hennepin Bridge from Nicollet Island, c.1868.
Father Louis Hennepin Suspension Bridge
Gull Lake Dam
Gull Lake Dam
postcard photograph showing Barn Bluff limestone formation
He Mni Caŋ (Barn Bluff)
View of the collapsed I-35W bridge (Bridge 9340) on August 1, 2007. Photograph by Heather Munro.
I-35W Bridge Collapse
Winnibigoshish Dam.
Mississippi River Reservoir Dam System
Volunteers Answer "Bird" Call - Newspaper photograph of a man washing off a duck
Mississippi River Oil Spill, 1962–1963
Color image of a National Eagle Center employee shows a bald eagle to visitors during a 2015 educational program.
National Eagle Center, Wabasha
Nymore Bridge
Nymore Bridge
Photograph of Ozaawindib Lake
Ozaawindib (late 1700s‒?)
Black and white photo print of a drawing the state capitol c.1853–1873.
Rock Island Excursion, 1854
Break in the tunnel, St. Anthony Falls
St. Anthony Falls Tunnel Collapse, October 5, 1869
See all spotlights


July 7

1849

Minnesota Territory is divided into seven "council districts." Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey also declares that elections will be held August 1.

1862

130 gold miners, including a group from St. Paul led by James L. Fisk, set out on oxcarts from Fort Abercrombie on the Red River for the Montana gold fields. The federal government encouraged the expedition in an effort to find gold to finance the Civil War.

1871

Lumbermen from Stillwater descend the St. Croix River at dawn to remove pilings placed in the river to support a railroad bridge at Hudson, Wisconsin. Lumber interests in Stillwater had obtained a court injunction requiring a 200-foot clearance between the pilings to allow timber rafts to float through, but the order had been ignored. The lumberjacks return to Stillwater with about 100 pilings, and the event becomes known as the "Battle of the Piles."

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

Recently Added Articles

Centro Tyrone Guzman
Centro Cultural Chicano, Minneapolis

Founded in 1974, Centro Cultural Chicano (known since 2014 as Centro Tyrone Guzman) is the oldest and largest multi-service Latine organization in Minneapolis. Centro’s mission and values are grounded in supporting the well-being of Latine families through a holistic approach to education and family engagement. Annually, Centro staff serve around 5,000 participants diverse in Latin American nationality, gender identity, and sexuality, as well as in age groups.

Penumbra Theatre Company, ca. 1990
Penumbra Theatre Company

Penumbra Theatre is one of the premier legacy Black theaters in the United States, and one of the few founded during the Black Arts Movement that survived into the twenty-first century. Penumbra's plays examine universal themes rooted in the daily lives and perspectives of Black folks across a spectrum of African American theater ideologies.

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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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