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History. The nine original counties of the Minnesota Territory extended into what became North Dakota and South Dakota (left) Minnesota Territory Centennial stamp, issued in 1949 in recognition of Minnesota's unique Métis oxcart traders.
The University of Minnesota takes significant pride in predating Minnesota’s statehood. The “University of the Territory of Minnesota” was established in 1851, supported by a grant of two townships (46,080 acres of land) for its “use and support.”
Across the Kellogg and John Ireland interchange from our campus sits the Minnesota Historical Society’s History Center. Founded in 1849 shortly after the Federal Government created the Minnesota Territory, The Historical Society is the oldest cultural institution in the state.
The Minnesota Territory was established from the lands remaining from Iowa Territory and Wisconsin Territory on March 3, 1849. The Minnesota Territory extended far into what is now North Dakota and South Dakota, to the Missouri River. There was a dispute over the shape of the state to be carved out of Minnesota Territory.
We are Minnesotans who can trace their ancestry back to the pioneers who settled in the Minnesota Territory before the state of Minnesota was admitted into the Union in 1858.
Long before the place we call Minnesota had a motto, a capitol building, or a voting member of Congress, the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) was helping people understand the region’s past. From the start, our mission was to collect and preserve Minnesota’s stories in all their forms.
Today, both the Dakota and Ojibwe remain a vibrant part of Minnesota – what happened between first European contacts in the area and today is of critical importance in understanding our shared history.
