10 Things You Didn’t Know About The History Of Minnesota

Minnesota has a fascinating history and there are a lot of odd facts that the average Minnesotan might not know. From the state muffin to the original name of St. Paul, here are some cool things about the history of MN.

1. St. Paul was originally called "Pig's Eye".

It was named for Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, one of the first settlers and a local tavern owner.

2. The state muffin of Minnesota, yes it does exist, is the blueberry muffin, chosen in 1988.

3. The BWCAW, officially formed by the The Wilderness Act of 1964, is 1.09 million acres and the most visited US wilderness area.

4. Chippewa Falls , WI headquartered Control Data created the first Super Computer, The Control Data 6600 in Minneapolis.

5. Itasca State Park was the first MN state park, created on April 20, 1891. It also the second oldest in the entire country, following Niagara Falls.

6. Teddy Roosevelt's first use of the words "speak softly, and carry a big stick" was at the MN State Fair.

That ideology then went on to be his legacy, the words used to describe his foreign policy, and even the nickname for the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

7. The state photograph, yes there is also one of those, was adopted in 2002 and is "Grace" by Eric Engstrom, taken in 1918.

8. Minnesota was named for the Dakota words meaning "sky-tinted water". Basically, we have a lot of blue, clear, lakes.

9. On February 9, 1895, the first Intercollegiate Basketball game was played in Minnesota.

10. Minnesota's Northwest Angle, although not connected to MN by land, is the northernmost point in the contiguous 48 states and became so due to a surveying error.

Which of these facts did you know about Minnesota? Which one surprised you the most? Share your thoughts with us on the Only In Minnesota Facebook Page!

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Jo Magliocco

Minnesota staff writer for Only in Your State and owner of Minnesota blog NorthGuide.co, I'm a Minneapolis transplant who loves my cats, camera, and local coffee. On the weekends I'm usually exploring the North Shore or making my way through the list of Minnesota's State Parks. Want to talk about MN or ask me a question? Tweet me @sotafiedjo!

10 Things You Didn’t Know About The History Of Minnesota

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