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".
Flickr/Teresa Boardman
It was named for Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, one of the first settlers and a local tavern owner.
Flickr/Tracie Hall
2. The state muffin of Minnesota, yes it does exist, is the blueberry muffin, chosen in 1988.
Flickr/Steven Jackson
3. The BWCAW, officially formed by the The Wilderness Act of 1964, is 1.09 million acres and the most visited US wilderness area.
Flickr/Greg Gjerdingen
4. Chippewa Falls , WI headquartered Control Data created the first Super Computer, The Control Data 6600 in Minneapolis.
Wikimedia/Jitze Couperus
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.
Flickr/Randen Pederson

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6. Teddy Roosevelt's first use of the words "speak softly, and carry a big stick" was at the MN State Fair.
Wikimedia/Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
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.
Wikimedia/U.S. Navy photo by Photograher's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Robert R. McRill
7. The state photograph, yes there is also one of those, was adopted in 2002 and is "Grace" by Eric Engstrom, taken in 1918.
Wikimedia Public Domain/Eric Enstrom
8. Minnesota was named for the Dakota words meaning "sky-tinted water". Basically, we have a lot of blue, clear, lakes.
Flickr/ShaLynn Wren
9. On February 9, 1895, the first Intercollegiate Basketball game was played in Minnesota.
Flickr/Dustin Gaffke
The University of Minnesota beat Hamline 9-3, obviously.
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.
Flickr/Jacob Norlund

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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