Minneapolis - Historical Background

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The landscape of the Twin Cities, with its many lakes and high river bluffs, is dramatic and stunning. As the glaciers that once covered the area here pulled back at the end of the last Ice Age, they dredged out the land and left huge geological landmarks. In certain places the evidence is still visible, with the most obvious example being more than 25 lakes in the seven-county metro area.

Twin Cities Early On

The Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, had quite different beginnings. Minneapolis and St. Paul sit astride two rivers, the Mississippi, which begins in northern Minnesota, and the Minnesota River, which flows south of the metro area. The downtowns are located just 13 miles apart, each situated on the banks of the Mississippi.

The first modern people to live here were the Dakota, and their story is a large part of the region. The area was a special place for these Native Americans, and their ceremonies are still enacted for special occasions. The waters of Lake Minnetonka, St. Anthony Falls, Minnehaha Creek, Minnehaha Falls, and the bluffs over the Mississippi are just some of the spots that they hold sacred. Visitors can still view burial mounds overlooking the river at Mounds Park in St. Paul.

Perhaps the first white man to discover the enchantment of the area was Father Louis Hennepin, a French missionary. In 1680, he came upon St. Anthony Falls, the only falls on the entire length of the Mississippi River. The county of Hennepin (which includes Minneapolis), Hennepin Avenue, which is a major downtown artery, and many other local spots are namesakes of this early explorer.

Fort Snelling

After the Louisiana Purchase, what would become the Twin Cities area fell under the jurisdiction of the United States Army. In 1819 the Army decided to build Fort Snelling at the intersection of the Mississippi and the Minnesota. The new garrison was intended to protect the area, which was fast filling up with settlers, and its location on the banks of the rivers would also facilitate trade with French trappers and local Native Americans.

In 1820, soldiers at Fort Snelling constructed a sawmill and flour mill at the site of St. Anthony Falls. By the 1840s, there were two distinct villages in the area of the falls, St. Anthony on the East bank of the river, and the village of Minneapolis on the West bank. Minneapolis created a city charter in 1867, and five years later the two villages were combined to form one city, connected by a suspension bridge. That first early flour mill would eventually lead to a huge industry in the area, with Pillsbury, General Mills, and Cargill all starting in Minneapolis. The supply of grain necessary for this industry was plentiful because the area had attracted many immigrant farmers, mostly Germans and Scandinavians who settled here because it reminded them of their rugged homeland.

Pig's Eye

St. Paul was almost chartered as Pig's Eye, after an early settler who prospered in the area. Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant was a retired trapper from Manitoba who came down to live near Fort Snelling, the only vestige of civilization on the northern frontier. The Indian Agent at the Fort didn't want this man and his bunch of squatters in the shadow of the Fort, so the group moved first to an area known as Fountain Cave, and then to the north side of the river, which is now the area of downtown St. Paul. Pig's Eye was a moonshiner and a colorful figure who supplied whiskey to the Native Americans and the soldiers at the Fort. As such, he was pretty popular, and the area around his little squatters' camp became known as Pig's Eye. He was the first businessman in the area, however dubious his business was. Pig's Eye lived in the area from 1832 to 1843, when he left to go back to Sault St. Marie.

Father Lucien Galtier is credited with saving the city from the fate of being named Pig's Eye. He was a missionary who promoted the name St. Paul, after his favorite patron saint. In 1841, the name was officially changed to St. Paul. Minnesota was named a territory in 1849, and St. Paul was designated the capitol. It was incorporated as a city in 1854, when the official city seal was created.

The Twin Cities were separated by just a few miles of river, but St. Paul was the furthest point north on the Mississippi that big river cargo boats could navigate. This is one reason that the two cities stayed distinct. Today, there are three locks that enable travel up the river to Minneapolis, but the trip is still time-consuming for such a short distance.

Sioux Uprising

The Famous Sioux uprising of 1862 (the Dakota were known by the French as Sioux, which was not a very complimentary name) sealed the fate of the Dakota. When the U.S. Army failed to provide foodstuff to the Native Americans, as they were bound to do by the treaty which granted the land to the Army, the Dakota went on a vindictive spree. The Chief, Little Crow, was unable to stop his hungry warriors from taking what they wanted from the settlers, killing many of the settlers in the process. Colonel Henry T. Sibley, commander of the Fort and later the first governor of Minnesota, rounded up 2,000 Dakota and put them on trial. They were sentenced to death. Most of the sentences were commuted by President Lincoln, but in December of 1862, 38 Dakota were hanged at a public gallows in Hastings, Minnesota. This violent and divisive event scattered the Dakota, destroying their community and cohesiveness. Today there are only about 2,000 left in the tribe, which owns Mystic Lake Casino. The remaining members enjoy prosperity and security from their gaming industry.

The area enjoyed peace and growing prosperity for the white settlers in the years to follow. They plowed up the prairie and tamed the grasses that had grown up to six feet tall. The towns of Minneapolis and St. Paul continued to thrive, and in their growth, came ever closer to one another. The vision of James J. Hill, who built the Great Northern railroad from the Twin Cities to Winnipeg in Canada, as well as the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis and his great mansion in St. Paul, helped move the area ahead of the times.

Politics

During the 1920s a new era played out in St. Paul. The Roaring Twenties was the era of gangsters, and many of them fled from Chicago northward to the Twin Cities area to escape the law. The lawmakers in St. Paul decided the criminals could stay, but only if they did not break any further laws. Clemency evidently lost its allure after some time, because the gangsters became active in the area and corruption of public officials followed. The old federal courthouse, now called The Landmark Center, was home to several of the gangsters for short periods of time.

Hubert H. Humphrey, for whom the Metrodome is named, rose to political prominence as he fought the corruption that had started with the gangsters. He was first Minneapolis City Attorney, then mayor of Minneapolis, then a Senator, and finally became Vice President under President Johnson. Another Minnesotan, Walter Mondale, rose to the second highest office in the land under President Jimmy Carter. Of course, the most famous politician in Minnesota today is the current governor, Governor Jesse Ventura. Minnesota's innovative, forward-thinking political climate was highlighted when Ventura beat out two main party candidates (sons of the two former Minnesotan Vice Presidents, no less) to win on the Reform Party ticket. Ventura's victory made him the highest-ranking Reform Party member in the country. The former professional wrestler entered the race after a large surplus was announced in the state's budget, and he vowed to give the money back to the people—a promise he made good on.







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Fort Snelling State Park


1820s living history
 101 Snelling Lake Road
Minneapolis, MN 55111
+1 612 725 2389 / +1 612 725 2724 (Visitors Center)
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/parks_and_recreation/state_parks/fort_snelling
Fort Snelling State Park
Mystic Lake Casino


Popular Tourist Destination
 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd
Minneapolis, MN 55372
+1 952 445 9000 / +1 800 262 7799
http://www.mysticlake.com/
Mystic Lake Casino
Landmark Center


Lavish Victorian architectural masterpiece
 75 West Fifth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55102
+1 651 292 3228
http://www.landmarkcenter.org
Landmark Center
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