This Day in Minnesota History
Today's Date:
Thomas Williamson and Alexander Huggins organize a church at Fort Snelling, probably the first Protestant church in Minnesota. Although Gideon H. and Samuel W. Pond had started their Dakota mission the year before, they had not yet organized a church. The French had a Catholic mission on Lake Pepin in the 1700s, and Father Lucien Galtier would establish a Catholic church in Mendota in 1840. The First Presbyterian Church of Minneapolis descends from the fort's church.
Minnesota Territory is divided into three judicial districts. The first district, the region between the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers, holds court in Stillwater and is presided over by Aaron Goodrich. The second, the lands north of the Minnesota River and west of the Mississippi River, holds court in St. Anthony, with Bradley B. Meeker as judge. South of the Minnesota River is the territory of Judge David Cooper, whose court is in Mendota.
Wadena County, named for a trading post on the Crow Wing River, is formed.
The Tom Brown Foot Ball Association, an exclusive club for football players, is formed in Minneapolis.
In an effort to control speeding bicyclists, the St. Paul police department establishes a squad of twelve bicycle officers to patrol the roads and sidewalks, keeping the public safe from "scorchers." The speed limits are set at six miles per hour on sidewalks and eight on streets.
Nellie Stone Johnson, union organizer and activist, is elected to the Minneapolis library board. She is the first African American elected to a citywide post in Minneapolis.