Father Lucien Galtier dedicates his log church to "St. Paul, the apostle of nations." This name is deemed superior to "Pig's Eye," the community's previous moniker, and St. Paul is incorporated as a town on this date in 1849. The log structure later serves as the first school of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and in 1856 its logs are dismantled, numbered, and hauled up the hill to the St. Joseph's Academy construction site.

The "Halloween Blizzard" begins. A record snowfall of 24 to 36 inches blankets the area from Duluth to the Twin Cities. It is the state's largest recorded snowfall in a single storm.

Anoka begins earning its reputation as the Halloween Capital of the World by holding its first planned celebration of the holiday. Traditional events include a parade, a football game, and a 5K Grey Ghost Run.

A Minnesota–Michigan football game ends in a 6-6 tie. Declaring a "moral victory" over the favored Michigan team, the Gophers claim for their trophy a water jug accidentally left behind by the Michigan trainer. The Little Brown Jug becomes a symbol of the two teams' rivalry.

Augsburg College is dedicated in Minneapolis.

In a rare instance of a tong war in Minnesota, Wong Si Wing, a laundryman, is shot in Minneapolis. Tongs, or merchant organizations, were initially formed to protect members from encroachment by rival Chinese businessmen but now are usually social groups.

Henry H. Sibley is chosen to represent the as-yet unrecognized Minnesota Territory in the US Congress. He travels to Washington, DC, and persuades the committee on elections to allow him to sit with Congress. The territory would be formally created on March 3, 1849.

Actress Winona Ryder is born in Winona.

Charles Babcock, the father of the Minnesota highway system, is honored with a monument dedicated in Elk River. He had served as commissioner of highways beginning in 1917, planning the state's trunk highway system and seeing three-fourths of it completed before leaving office in 1932.

The Uppertown Olympics beat the Lowertown Saxons in St. Paul to become the city's first baseball champions.