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Member, Regional Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of Minn. Minnesota History: A Chronology for Real Estate 1659-1660 French fur traders Groseilliers and Radisson explore western end of Lake Superior and environs. 1673 French explorers Marquette and Joliet discover the upper portion of the Mississippi River. 1679 Frenchman Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Luth meets with Dakota Indians near Mille Lacs. 1683 Catholic Missionary Father Louis Hennepin returns to France after exploring Minnesota and being held captive by the Dakota to write the first book about Minnesota, Description de la Louisiane. 1700 1745 The Ojibwe Indians defeat the Dakota Indians at the Kathio, driving the Dakota into southern and western Minnesota. 1763 Spain receives Louisiana Territory (includes Minnesota west of the Mississippi River) from France in compensation for its loss of Florida during the Seven Years War. Great Britain wins claim to what is now eastern North America (east of the Mississippi River) and Canada. 1770-1804 Grand Portage (Minnesota) evolves into the western fur-trading headquarters of the British Empire in North America. British troops stationed here act as only military force in Minnesota during the American Revolution. Fur trading continues to be the main source of commerce in Minnesota through the early 19th century. 1775-1783 American Revolution 1783 The newly formed republic of the United States of America wins the eastern portion of Minnesota (from the Mississippi river east) from Great Britain in the American Revolution. 1787 Eastern Minnesota officially designated part of the American Northwest Territories of the United States of America. David Thompson, working for the North West Company (fur-trading) completes the first formal mapping of Minnesota. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota 1800 1800 France acquires Louisiana Territory from Spain. 1803 The United States of America purchases Louisiana Territory from France, gaining ownership of the western portion of Minnesota. Boundary disputes with British Canada keep British fur companies in Minnesota until 1818. 1805 Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike leads the first United States expedition through the Minnesota country. 1812-1814 War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain with their Dakota, Winnebago, and Ojibwe allies. 1815 Peace treaty negotiated between the Dakota Indian nation and the United States government. First American fur traders enter Minnesota. 1818 Northern boundary of Minnesota fixed at the forty-ninth parallel. Boundary negotiations with British Canada continue until 1931. Lawrence Taliaferro instated as first United States Indian agent at Fort Snelling. 1819 Colonel Josiah Snelling begins construction of Fort St. Anthony on land purchased from the Dakota Indians for $2000 US. 1824 Fort St. Anthony completed. Name changed to Fort Snelling in Honor of Colonel Josiah Snelling’s work. 1832 Henry Schoolcraft credited with finding the source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, Minnesota with his Ojibwe guide Ozawindib. 1836 Creation of Wisconsin Territory which encompassed Minnesota. 1837 Land-cession treaties negotiated with the Dakota Indians and the Chippewa Indians for United States rights to a portion of land between the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers. This new land stimulates the lumber industry in Minnesota. 1841 Chapel of Saint Paul built. Later it would serve to name the state capitol which sprang up around it. 1838-1848 St. Paul, St. Anthony, and Stillwater (Minnesota's first towns) founded. 1848 Wisconsin admitted into the union as a state, leaving residents of the area between the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers (current day eastern Minnesota) without a territorial government or legal system. 1849 Minnesota Territory formed with present day eastern and southern boundaries set. The population amounts to less than 4000 people, not including persons of pure Native-American heritage. Law provides for free public schools to be open to all people between four and twenty-one years of age. Minnesota Historical Society formed to collect, publish, and educate people about Minnesota history. James Madison Goodhue begins publishing Minnesota's first newspaper, the Minnesota Pioneer. 1850 Treaties concluded at Traverse des Sioux and Mendota with the Dakota Indians whereby the Dakota ceded their lands east of the Red River, Lake Traverse, and the Big Dakota River and south of a boundary line between the Dakota and Chippewa in 1825. In return the Dakota received $1,665,000 US, $1,360,000 of which was set into a trust fund, of which the interest would be distributed to chiefs partly in cash, partly in supplies, and partly in education and civilization funds. The vast majority ended up being used to pay off Indian debts to white traders. Wheat becomes a major crop in Minnesota. 1851 Charter granted to the University of Minnesota, the first collegiate institution in the territory. 1853-1857 Population explosion occurs in Minnesota from 40,000 people in 1853 to approximately 150,000 people in 1857. 1854 St. Paul becomes a city with a total area of four square miles. 1855 Die Minnesota Deutsche Zeitung (The Minnesota German Newspaper), Minnesota's first non-English newspaper, rolls off the press for the first time in St. Paul. 1857 The Dred Scott Decision is rendered by the United States Supreme Court, where a Missouri slave, Dred Scott, sued for his freedom based in part upon his residence in Minnesota. Amidst the sectional and racial animosity sweeping the nation, the court ruled Scott remained a slave. The residents of the Minnesota territory ratify the state constitution almost unanimously. The Panic of 1857 sends prices skyrocketing. Banks bust and businesses fail. Depression lingers until 1861. 1858 Newspaper promotion of the Minnesota Territory prompts over one thousand steamboat arrivals in St. Paul, filled with settlers. On May 11 Minnesota becomes the thirty-second state admitted to the Union of the United States of America. State seal adopted by the Minnesota Legislature. 1858-1859 Henry Sibley instated as first governor of Minnesota. 1859 First Minnesota State Fair held. 1861 Civil War of the United States begins. Minnesota volunteers one thousand men for service in the Union Army. Minnesota eventually provides 24,000 men for service in the Union Army for fighting in the Civil War or the Indian Outbreak. 1862 The Dakota Conflict sweeps across Minnesota with a series of attacks motivated by hungry Dakota enraged by the failure of land treaties and unfair fiscal practices of local traders. By the end of the conflict 486 white settlers would be dead. On December 26 thirty-eight Indians were hung at Mankato. Minnesota's first railroad is completed, connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul. 1863 At the Battle of Gettysburg the First Minnesota Regiment makes a heroic charges, losing 215 of 262 men. 1865 Civil War of the United States ends. 1868 Mankato receives a city charter. The Minnesota Legislature authorizes establishment of the 2nd State Normal School in Mankato (now known as Minnesota State University, Mankato). Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota 1873 A three-day blizzard hits Minnesota in January, killing seventy Minnesotans. 1878 68.98% of tilled land in Minnesota devoted to wheat production, the high point for wheat farmers in Minnesota. After five consecutive summers of devastating infestations of Rocky Mountain Locusts (called the great Grasshopper Plague) which thrived on wheat, farmers decided to diversify, and wheat production was slowly replaced by other crops and dairy farming. A massive explosion in a Minneapolis flour mill kills 18. 1880 Telephone communication begun between St. Paul and Minneapolis. 1881 St. Paul is destroyed by fire. 1883 Mayo Clinic founded by Dr. William Worrall Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota after a tornado sweeps through Rochester, killing 35. With his two sons, Dr. William James Mayo and Dr. Charles Horace Mayo, he begins a clinic world-renowned for its dedication to the latest advances in medicine and surgical procedures. 1884 Minnesota iron ore begins to be exported heralding the dawn of iron mining in Minnesota. Over the next two decades mines spring up on the Mesabi, Cuyuna, and Vermilion iron ranges, spurring the rapid growth of mining cities such as Evelyth, Chisholm, Virginia, and Hibbing, Minnesota as well as the port cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. 1886 Sauk Rapids is flattened by a tornado. Seventy-nine people die. St. Paul holds its first winter carnival. 1887 St. Paul hosts the first ski tourney in the Midwest. 1888 Western Minnesota receives a major blizzard on January 12 which takes 109 lives. 1890s Electric streetcars become commonplace in large Minnesota cities. 1893 The Minnesota state flag, designed by Amelia Hyde Center of Minneapolis, is accepted by the Minnesota Legislature. Virginia, Minnesota destroyed by fire. 1894 A massive forest fire caused by clear-cut logging debris encompasses Hinckley, Minnesota and several other nearby communities. Over four hundred die. 1898 The Spanish-American War begins. Minnesota, the first state to volunteer, raises four regiments, one of which serves in the Philippines. Disease proves to be the biggest killer, with combat fatalities accounting for only four Minnesota soldier deaths. Farmer Olof Ohman finds a stone tablet with runic carvings on it in his field near Kensington, Minnesota. The runes indicate a party of Viking explorers passed through that area in 1362. Initially considered a hoax, it was accepted by the Smithsonian Institution in 1948. Opinions differ, but most academic sources today doubt its veracity. 1899 Minnesota's lumber industry reaches its peak. By 1930 only 1/3 of the state would remain forested, with very little of that virgin growth. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota 1900 1900 Virginia, Minnesota destroyed by fire again. 1902 Approximately twelve automobiles appear in Minneapolis. Tom Shevlin, son of a lumber magnate, gets arrested for violating the ten mile per hour city speed limit. 1905 John A. Johnson, Minnesota's first native-born governor, elected to the first of his three terms. Lumber production peaks in Minnesota. 1906 William Williams is hanged in the county jail in St. Paul on February 13, ending capital punishment in Minnesota. 1908 Chisholm, Minnesota is virtually obliterated by a late summer forest fire. 1914 World War I begins. Minneapolis becomes the home of the Federal Reserve Bank. 1917 The United States of America enters World War I. 118,497 men from Minnesota serve in the war. 1918 World War I ends with 1,432 Minnesotans in uniform giving their lives for their country. The new Farmer-Labor Party becomes the second largest political party in Minnesota and capitalizes on the rural depression which plagues Minnesota until 1824 to gain a broad base of support. Influenza spreads to Minnesota. Labeled a "pandemic of influenza", this disease managed to kill 7,521Minnesotans in 1918 and more than 4,200 over the course of the following two years. Cloquet and Moose Lake, Minnesota are destroyed when seventy mile an hour winds change minor forest fires into major conflagrations. 1919 Minnesota ratifies the 19th amendment (women's suffrage) to the United States constitution. A tornado strikes Fergus Falls, Minnesota killing 59. 1920 Minnesota authors receive international recognition. Main Street, written by Sinclair Lewis, earns national recognition as he takes a critical look at his hometown of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. By the end of the decade he had won the Nobel Prize for literature after a string of four more novels won international acclaim. St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald receives much acclaim for his book This Side of Paradise. By 1925 he had published five more works, all focusing on the extravagance and despair of the 1920s in the United States. 1921 WLB, the first Minnesota radio station, formed at the University of Minnesota. 1927 Charles Lindbergh, a native of Little Falls, Minnesota, flies solo across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. 1929 Great Depression begins in the United States. The depression begins in Minnesota with the bankruptcy of key employers in Minneapolis and quickly spreads to the rest of the state. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota 1930-1935 Over 1/2 of iron ore extracted from the earth originates in Minnesota mines. 1931 Ancient remains of 20,000 year old skeleton dubbed "Minnesota Man" found in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. 1933 "Browns Valley Man" remains, estimated to be 8,000 - 10,000 years old, discovered in Brown County, Minnesota. 1934 Edward G. Bremer of St. Paul kidnapped by the Barker-Karpis gang. His ransom of $200,000 US is one of the largest ransoms in the United States up to that time. By 1936 the kidnappers had been caught and convicted. "Public Enemy Number 1" John Dillinger has a gun battle with FBI agents in St. Paul on March 11 and escapes. 1936 Temperatures remain below zero for a record thirty-six days beginning on January 18. Later in the summer Moorhead, Minnesota ties a state record high official temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit, previously set in Beardsley, Minnesota in 1927. 1939 A hockey game in the Duluth Amphitheater is interrupted when the ceiling collapses under the weight of snow. No deaths are reported. 1940 The Armistice Day Blizzard strikes Minnesota leaving a 16.8 inches of snow in twenty four hours. Winds that day exceed thirty two miles per hour with gusts over sixty miles per hour. Forty-nine Minnesota residents die and over $1,500,000 US worth of property is damaged as a result of the storm. 1941 First tax on taconite, a black magnetic iron-bearing ore, in effect in Minnesota. The United States enters World War II. Singer Bob Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) born in Duluth. 1944 The Democratic and Farmer Labor parties merge to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. 1945 World War II ends with 6,255 American servicemen from Minnesota giving their lives for their country. The Minnesota state song, "Hail! Minnesota" is adopted by the Minnesota Legislature. 1948 Minnesota's first television station, KSTP, goes on the air. 1950 The Korean War begins. By the time of the armistice in 1953, 688 Minnesotans had died in the fighting. 1951 Over 82% of iron ore extracted from United States mines during this year originates in Minnesota. 1954 Coya Knutson becomes the first Minnesota woman elected to the Congress of the United States. 1959 The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway makes Duluth accessible to the Atlantic Ocean. 1963 Last iron ore shipment leaves the Vermillion iron range. 1964 Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey elected vice-president of the United States as the running-mate of president Lyndon Johnson. Conventional American ground forces are introduced into Vietnam. 1968 Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota begins his bid for the presidency by easily winning the New Hampshire presidential primary. Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey also runs for president that year, narrowly losing to Richard Nixon. The American Indian Movement (AIM) is founded in Minneapolis to combat racism. 1969 Warren Burger, a native of St. Paul, named to the Supreme Court of the United States. 1970 Minnesotan Harry Blackmun named to the Supreme Court of the United States. He would later write the majority opinion in the case of Roe v. Wade, which legalizes abortion. 1975 The last American military personnel leave Vietnam with the evacuation of the United States embassy in Saigon, completely ending American involvement in Vietnam and the Vietnam War. 1,053 Minnesotans gave their lives over the course of the war. 1976 Jimmy Carter becomes the 39th president of the United States with Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale as his vice-president. Mondale would later run for president in 1984, losing to Ronald Reagan. 1977 Rosalie Wahl becomes the first woman justice in the Minnesota Supreme Court. 1980 Last iron ore shipment leaves the Cuyuna iron range. 1982 A total of 34.3 inches of snow falls on the Twin Cities on January 20 and 22. Taconite mining emerges as the future employment source for the iron range, with 12,000 workers. The subsequent depression and trend toward mechanization halve that number by 1995. 1984 Last iron ore shipment leaves the Mesabi iron range, effectively ending Minnesota's direct iron ore industry and confirming a difficult depression on the iron range. 1987 The Minnesota Twins win the World Series. 1988 The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, passed to promote tribal economies, causes a boom in Indian casinos and gambling in Minnesota. By 1990 Minnesota ranks fourth in the nation in per capita gambling sales. Minnesota hit by a record setting drought. 1990 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev visits Minnesota. 1991 Operation Desert Storm occurs with approximately 11,000 Minnesotans in uniform helping to defeat Iraq and liberate Kuwait. The Minnesota Twins win the World Series. A record-breaking snowstorm hits Minnesota on November 1 depositing twenty-four inches of snow in twenty-four hours. 1996 Coldest official temperature ever recorded in Minnesota set at -60 degrees Fahrenheit on February 2 near Tower, MN. 1998 Minnesota becomes home to largest ethnic Hmong population in America. Sources The Minnesota Legislative Manual Awesome Almanac Minnesota Minnesota: A History of the State The American Past: Part 1: A Survey of American History to 1877 All Hell Broke Loose: Experiences of Young People During the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard The People's Health: A History of Public Health in Minnesota to 1948 Muskets to Missiles: A Military History of Minnesota Minnesota: A History "The Minnesota Territory." A lecture by Dr. William E. Lass The Minnesota Book of Days State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources Website Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Minnesota History For Minnesota Home Owners, and For Sale By Owners: ORIGIN OF MINNESOTA COUNTY NAMES Aitkin. Named for William Alexander Aitken (whose name is properly spelled with an "e"), a fur trader with the Ojibways. Minnesota Home Owners in Anoka. From the Dakota word meaning "on both sides". County was named after the City of Anoka, which was laid out on both sides of the Rum River. Becker. Named for George Loomis Becker, mayor of St. Paul, 1856; state senator, 1868-71. Beltrami. Named for Giacomo Costantino Beltrami, Italian explorer. Explored northern reaches of Mississippi River, 1823. Benton. Named for Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator from Missouri, 1821-51, who championed the passage of the first homestead land laws. Big Stone. Named for Big Stone Lake. Big Stone is the translation of the Dakota name for the lake, which alludes to large outcropping of granite near the foot of the lake. Blue Earth. From the Blue Earth River, named for blue-green earth found near its mouth and used by the Dakotas as pigment. Brown. Named for Joseph Renshaw Brown, prominent pioneer, publisher of the Minnesota Pioneer, member of the territorial legislature, 1854-55, 1857. Minnesota Home Owners in Carlton. Named for Reuben B. Carlton, one of the first settlers at the Fond du Lac; member of first state senate, 1858. Minnesota Home Owners in Carver. Named for Captain Jonathan Carver, noted explorer and author, traveled through Minnesota in 1766-67. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Cass. Named for Lewis Cass. Explored upper Mississippi to Cass Lake in 1820; governor, Michigan Territory, 1813-31; U.S. Secretary of War, 1831-36; U.S. Senator from Michigan 1945-57; U.S. Secretary of State, 1857-60. Chippewa. Named for Chippewa River. River so named by the Dakotas because of heavy use by Ojibway war parties to access the Minnesota River valley. Minnesota Home Owners in Chisago. Named for Chisago Lake. Chisago is an anglicized version of the Ojibway words kichi and saga which mean "large" and "lovely", respectively. Clay. Named for Henry Clay, American statesman. U.S. Senator and Congressman from Kentucky variously during the period 1806-52; U.S. Secretary of State, 1825-29; three times Speaker of the House, and three times a candidate for president. Clearwater. Named after Clearwater river and lake. Clearwater is a translation of the Ojibway word Ga-wakomitigweia, describing the appearance of the water. Cook. Named for Major Michael Cook of Faribault. Territorial and state senator, 1857-62; killed in Civil War at battle of Nashville. Cottonwood. Named after the Cottonwood River. Cottonwood is a translation of Waraju, the Dakota name for the river, reflecting the abundance of the tree on its banks. Crow Wing. Named after the Crow Wing River. Crow Wing is loose translation of Kagiwigwan, the Ojibway name for the river. A more accurate translation of this name may be "raven feather". Minnesota Home Owners in Dakota. Named for the Dakota people, meaning an alliance or league. Minnesota Home Owners in Dodge. Named for Henry Dodge and his son Augustus. Henry Dodge, was territorial governor, delegate in Congress and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1836-57. Augustus Dodge was delegate to Congress for Iowa Territory, 1840-47 and U.S. Senator from Iowa, 1848-55. Douglas. Named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, member of Congress from Illinois 1843-47, U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1847-61; candidate for president in 1860; advocated Minnesota statehood as chairman of Senate Committee on Territories. Minnesota Home Owners in Faribault. Named for Jean Baptiste Faribault, first white settler to farm in Minnesota. Major figure in trade with the Dakotas, 1803-60. Fillmore. Named for Millard Fillmore, member of Congress from New York 1833-35 and 1837-43; president of the United States, 1850-53. Freeborn. Named for William Freeborn, member of the council in the territorial legislature, 1854-57; second mayor of Red Wing, 1858. Minnesota Home Owners in Goodhue. Named for James Madison Goodhue, first printer and editor in Minnesota. Printed first issue of the Minnesota Pioneer on April 28, 1849. Grant. Named for Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Union armies, 1864-65; president of the United States, 1869-77. Minnesota Home Owners in Hennepin. Named for Louis Hennepin, Franciscan missionary, author and explorer. Explored large section of Mississippi River and named Falls of St. Anthony, 1680. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Houston. Named for Samuel Houston, member of Congress from Tennessee, 1823-27; governor of Tennessee, 1827-29; president of Texas, 1836-38, 1841-44; U. S. Senator from Texas, 1845-59; governor of Texas, 1859-61. Hubbard. Named for Lucius Frederick Hubbard, editor of Red Wing Republican; state senator, 1872-1875; governor of Minnesota, 1882-87. Minnesota Home Owners in Isanti. Named for a division of the Dakotas known as the Izatys, which may be translated to mean "dwell at Knife Lake", where they resided. Itasca. Named after Lake Itasca. Lake Itasca was named by the explorer Henry R. Schoolcraft in 1832. He made up the name by combining the Latin words veritas and caput, which mean "truth" and "head", respectively. Schoolcraft discovered the source of the Mississippi river at the lake. Jackson. Named for Henry Jackson, the first merchant in St. Paul and a member of the first territorial legislature. Kanabec. Named after the Snake River. Kanabec is the Ojibway word for snake. Minnesota Home Owners in Kandiyohi. Named for Kandiyohi Lake. Kandiyohi is the Dakota name for several lakes, meaning "where the buffalo fish come". Kittson. Named for Norman Wolfred Kittson, member of territorial legislature, 1851-55 and mayor of St. Paul, 1858. The Cathedral of St. Paul is built on the former site of his home. Koochiching. The Ojibway version of the Cree name for Rainy Lake and Rainy River. Lac qui Parle. Named for Lac qui Parle Lake. Lac qui Parle is French meaning "the lake that talks", a translation of the Dakota name for the lake, Mdeiyedan. Lake. Named for the Lake Superior, which forms the southeastern boundary of the county. Lake of the Woods. Named for Lake of the Woods. Translation of the Cree name for the lake. The lake was first mapped and named Lac des Bois in 1737. Minnesota Home Owners in Le Sueur. Named for Pierre Charles LeSueur, French-Canadian trader and explorer who traveled sections of the Mississippi River starting in 1683. Lincoln. Named for Abraham Lincoln, member of Congress from Illinois, 1847-49; president of the United States, 1861-65. Lyon. Named for General Nathaniel Lyon who worked against secession in Missouri; served in frontier duty with Army in Minnesota and Dakota territory, 1853-61; killed in Civil War at battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri, 1861. Minnesota Home Owners in McLeod. Named for Martin McLeod, pioneer fur trader, member of the council in the territorial legislature, 1849-53; one of the founders of the City of Glencoe, 1855. Mahnomen. Mahnomen or manomin is the Ojibway word for wild rice. Marshall. Named for William Rainey Marshall, governor of Minnesota, 1866-70 and general in 7th Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War. Martin. Named either for Henry Martin or Morgan Lewis Martin. Henry Martin was a prominent landowner from Connecticut. Morgan Lewis Martin was a delegate to Congress from Wisconsin and introduced a bill for the organization of the Minnesota Territory. Meeker. Named for Bradley B. Meeker, associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 1849-53; member of the constitutional convention, 1857; member of the territorial legislature, 1851. Minnesota Home Owners in Mille Lacs. Named for Mille Lacs Lake. Mille Lacs is French for "a thousand lakes", in reference to the region known by voyageurs and traders to contain a large number of lakes. Morrison. Named for the brothers William and Allen Morrison. William Morrison, fur trader for American Fur Company, established trading posts from Grand Portage to the Lake of the Woods. Allen Morrison was a representative in the first territorial legislature. Mower. Named for John E. Mower, member of the council in the territorial legislature, 1854-55; state representative, 1874-75. Murray. Named for Willian Pitt Murray, member of the territorial legislature 1852-55 and 1857; member of the constitutional convention; state representative, 1863 and 1868; state senator, 1866-67 and 1875-76; served seventeen years on the St. Paul City Council and was St. Paul City Attorney for thirteen years. Nicollet. Named for Joseph Nicollet, geographer and explorer, who led expedition to Minnesota and parts of North and South Dakota. Nobles. Named for William H. Nobles, member of the territorial legislature in 1854 and 1856. Norman. Named to commemorate the great number of immigrants in the county of Norwegian (Norseman or Norman) descent. Minnesota Home Owners in Olmsted. Named for David Olmsted, first mayor of St. Paul, 1854; member of the council of the first territorial legislature, 1849 and 1850. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Otter Tail. Named for Otter Tail Lake. Otter Tail is the translation of the Ojibway name for the lake, characterized by a long, narrow sand bar in the shape of an otter's tail. Pennington. Named for Edmund Pennington, president of the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company. Pine. Named for large stands of white and red pine found at one time in the county. Pipestone. Named for sacred Dakota quarry of red pipestone found in the county, used in the making of ceremonial pipes. Polk. Named for James K. Polk, member of Congress from Tennessee, 1825-39; governor of Tennessee, 1839-41; president of the United States, 1845-49. On his last day in office, Polk approved the act of Congress which organized the Minnesota Territory. Pope. Named for General John Pope, who explored sections of the Red, Crow Wing and Mississippi Rivers in 1849; based in St. Paul as commander of the Department of the Northwest during the Dakota War, 1863-64. Minnesota Home Owners in Ramsey. Named for Alexander Ramsey, first governor of Minnesota Territory, 1849-53; second mayor of St. Paul, 1855; second governor of Minnesota, 1860-63; U.S. Senator, 1863-75; U.S. Secretary of War, 1879-81. Red Lake. Named for Red Lake River. Red Lake is the translation of the Ojibway name for this geographic feature, so named because of the color of the lake at sunset. Redwood. Named for Redwood River. Redwood is the translation of the Dakota name "Chanshayapi". Renville. Named for Joseph Renville, captain in the British Army who led the Dakotas in attacks on the American frontier during the War of 1812; served as interpreter in Long Expedition to Red River and Lake Winnipeg in 1823; later employed as a trader for the American Fur Company. Minnesota Home Owners in Rice. Named for Henry Mower Rice, one of the first two U.S. Senators from Minnesota, 1858-63. Rock. Named for the prominent outcrop of quartzite north of the City of Luverne. Roseau. Named for Roseau Lake and River. Roseau is the French translation of the Ojibway name ga-shash-agunushkokawi-sibi, meaning "place of the rushes". Minnesota Home Owners in St. Louis. Named for the St. Louis River. The St. Louis River was named by the French explorer Verendrye in honor of being awarded the order of St. Louis by the King of France in 1749. Scott. Named for General Winfield Scott, commander in chief, U.S. Army, 1841-61; commander of American forces, Mexican War, 1847. On his recommendation, the name of Ft. St. Anthony was changed to Ft. Snelling in 1825. Minnesota Home Owners in Sherburne. Named for Moses Sherburne, associate justice, Minnesota Supreme Court, 1853-57. Minnesota Home Owners in Sibley. Named for General Henry Hastings Sibley, delegate to Congress from Minnesota Territory, 1849-53; first governor of Minnesota, 1858-60. Minnesota Home Owners in Stearns. Named for Charles Thomas Stearns, member of the council of the territorial legislature, 1854-55. Steele. Named for Franklin Steele, prominent Minneapolis pioneer and businessman; member of first board of regents of the University of Minnesota. Stevens. Named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens. Directed the northern surveys conducted for the construction of a Pacific railroad; governor of Washington Territory, 1853-57; delegate to Congress from Washington Territory, 1857-61; general in Civil War, killed in the battle of Chantilly, Virginia. Swift. Named in honor of Henry A. Swift, state senator, 1862-65; governor of Minnesota, 1863. Todd. Named for John Blair Smith Todd, commander of Ft. Ripley, 1849-56; general in the Civil War; delegate in Congress from Dakota Territory, 1861 and 1863-65; governor of Dakota Territory, 1869-71. Traverse. Received its name from the Lake Traverse, a translation of the Dakota name Mdehdakinyan, which means lake lying crosswise (compared to Big Stone and Lac qui Parle Lakes). Minnesota Home Owners in Wabasha. Named for three generations of chiefs who had great influence among the Dakotas living along the Mississippi River. Wadena. Received its name from the Wadena Trading Post, derived from an Ojibway word meaning "a little round hill". Waseca. Waseca is a Dakota word meaning "rich and fertile," apparently in reference to the soil found in the county. Minnesota Home Owners in Washington. Named for George Washington, commander-in-chief during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783; president of the United States, 1789-97. Watonwan. Received its name from the Watonwan River. Translation of the Dakota word watanwan meaning "where fish bait bounds". Wilkin. Named for Colonel Alexander Wilkin, U.S. marshal for Minnesota and secretary of the Minnesota Territory, 1851-53; killed during the Civil War at the battle of Tupelo, Mississippi, 1864. Minnesota Home Owners in Winona. Named for Dakota woman, cousin of the last chief Wabasha; from the Dakota word for "first born daughter". Minnesota Home Owners in Wright. Named for Silas Wright, member of Congress from New York, 1827-29; U.S. Senator from New York, 1833-44; governor of New York 1845-47. Personal friend of a Monticello resident who urged the legislature to establish the county. Yellow Medicine. Named for Yellow Medicine River. Yellow medicine is a translation of the Dakota name Pajutazee, in reference to yellow-rooted plants used for medicinal purposes found along river. Source: Minnesota Geographic Names, by Warren Upham, Minnesota Historical Society, 1969. Minnesota MLS listings in Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota |