History of Minnesota

Common card · No. 379122

The history of the U.S. state of Minnesota is shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Early economic growth was based on fur trading, logging, milling and farming, and later through railroads and iron mining. The earliest people followed herds of large game to the region during the last glacial period. They were the ancestors who preceded by thousands of years the recognized tribal communities of the Dakota, the Ioway, and other indigenous inhabitants. Fur traders from France arrived during the 17th century, as did the Anishinaabe. Europeans moving west during the 19th century drove out most of the Native Americans. Fort Snelling, built to protect United States territorial interests, brought early settlers to the future state. They used Saint Anthony Falls to power sawmills in the area that became Minneapolis, while others settled downriver in the area that became...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Thomas H Kirk, Public domain