1659 - 1660: French fur
traders, Groseilliers and Radisson,
explored western end of Lake
Superior, surrounding area
1673: French explorers,
Marquette and Joliet, discovered
upper portion of Mississippi River
1679: Frenchman, Daniel
Greysolon Sieur du Lhut, met with
Dakota Indians near Mille Lacs Lake
1683: Catholic Missionary
Father Louis Hennepin, after being
held captive by Dakota Indians,
returned to France; wrote
Description de la Louisiane,
first book about Minnesota
1763: Spain received
Louisiana Territory from France,
included Minnesota west of the
Mississippi River
1783: Republic of the United
States of America gained eastern
portion of Minnesota from Great
Britain in American Revolution
1787: Eastern Minnesota
designated part of American
Northwest Territories of United
States; first mapping of Minnesota
completed by David Thompson of North
West Company
1803: U. S. purchased
Louisiana Territory from France,
included western portion of
Minnesota
1805: Lieutenant Zebulon
Montgomery Pike led first U. S.
expedition through Minnesota
1815: Peace treaty
negotiated between Dakota Indians
and U. S. government; first American
fur traders entered Minnesota
1818: Northern boundary of
Minnesota established at forty-ninth
parallel
1832: Henry Schoolcraft and
Ojibwe guide, Ozawindib, found
source of Mississippi River at Lake
Itasca
1836: Wisconsin Territory
established, included Minnesota
1849: Minnesota Territory
formed with present day eastern and
southern boundaries set
1850: Treaties executed with
Dakota Indians for lands east of Red
River, Lake Traverse, and the Big
Dakota River and south between
Dakota and Chippewa; wheat became
major crop
1858: Minnesota became 32nd
state
1862: Dakota Indians
attacked settlers for failure of
land treaties and fiscal
mistreatment by traders, 486
settlers killed; 38 Indians hung at
Mankato; first railroad between
Minneapolis and Saint Paul completed
1873: Three-day blizzard
struck, 70 killed
1878: Explosion at flour
mill killed 18
1880: Telephone
communication established between
Saint Paul and Minneapolis
1881: Saint Paul destroyed
by fire
1883: Mayo Clinic founded in
Rochester; tornado swept through
Rochester, 35 killed
1884: Exportation of iron
ore began
1886: Sauk Rapids flattened
by a tornado, 79 killed
1887: First ski tournament
Midwest held in Saint Paul
1888: Western Minnesota
struck by major blizzard, 109 died
1893: Virginia, Minnesota
destroyed by fire
1894: Massive forest fire
encompassed Hinckley and several
other communities, over 400 perished
1900: Virginia again
destroyed by fire
1908: Chisholm destroyed by
forest fire
1918: Influenza killed
7,521; Cloquet and Moose Lake are
destroyed forest fires
1919: 19th amendment
ratified; tornado struck Fergus
Falls killing 59
1927: Minnesota native,
Charles Lindbergh, flew solo across
Atlantic Ocean from New York to
Paris
1931: Ancient remains of
20,000 year old skeleton nicknamed
"Minnesota Man" found in Otter Tail
County
1933: "Browns Valley Man"
remains, estimated to be 8,000 -
10,000 years old, discovered in
Brown County
1934: Businessman Edward G.
Bremer of St. Paul kidnapped by the
Barker-Karpis gang, ransom of
$200,000 one of the largest ransoms
in U.S; John Dillinger escaped
following gun battle with FBI agents
in St. Paul
1936: Temperatures remained
below zero for a record thirty-six
days
1939: Roof of Duluth
Amphitheater collapsed under weight
of snow during hockey game
1940: Blizzard struck
Minnesota, over 16 inches of snow
fell in 24 hours, 49 residents died,
over $1,500,000 property was damaged
1954: Coya Knutson became
first Minnesota woman elected to U.
S. Congress
1959: - Duluth gained access
to Atlantic Ocean with opening of
St. Lawrence Seaway
1963: Last ore shipment left
Vermillion iron range
1964: Minnesota Senator
Hubert Humphrey elected
vice-president of U S.
1969: Saint Paul native,
Warren Burger, named to U.S. Supreme
Court
1976: Minnesota Senator
Walter Mondale elected as U.S.
vice-president
1980: Last ore shipment left
Cuyuna iron range
1982: 34 inches of snow fell
on Twin Cities in two days
1984: Last ore shipment left
the Mesabi iron range ending
Minnesota's iron ore industry
1987: Minnesota Twins won
World Series
1988: Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act caused boom in Indian
casinos and gambling; major drought
occurred
1991: Minnesota Twins won
World Series; snowstorm hit
depositing 24 inches of snow in 24
hours
1991: Mall of America
opened, largest mall in U. S.
1996: Coldest official
temperature recorded -60 degrees
Fahrenheit: near Tower
1998: Minnesota became home
to largest Hmong population in U.
S.; tobacco industry agreed to $4
billion settlement for cost of
medical treatment; Jesse Ventura
elected first "third party" governor
since 1936
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