Minnesota History

7,000 years of sacred history written in stone: New exhibit shows off Minnesota petroglyphs
The Jeffers Petroglyphs site in southwestern Minnesota is renowned for rock carvings, some older than Stonehenge. With a newly updated visitor center and contemporary Native exhibits, the Minnesota Historical Society hopes to draw a new generation to the ancient site.
In 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order that mandated a shift in how American history is portrayed in federal institutions. The goal was to move away from “divisive or anti-American” ideology and promote a more “patriotic” narrative. How are Minnesota historians and museum directors responding to that pressure?
85 years after he left home, WWII Medal of Honor recipient will be buried in New Ulm
Exactly 85 years since Captain Willibald C. Bianchi left his hometown of New Ulm in 1941, the World War II Medal of Honor recipient's remains have finally returned home to his family. On Saturday, he’ll be buried with full military honors with his family by his side.
Thoroughly Modern Lisl: A new book tells the story of the woman who was Minnesota's first Modern architect
Architectural historian Jane King Hession has been studying the work of Minnesota’s first Modernist architect Elizabeth “Lisl” Scheu Close for decades, even conducting an oral history with the architect in 2000 for the Minnesota Historical Society.
Adult bathhouses were a part of Minneapolis nightlife. Then police and panic pushed them out
Forty years after the adult bathhouse ban was passed, the city council is considering reversing it. A myriad of components led to the ban, but for several decades, public sexual spaces in Minneapolis were an active part of downtown.
How historians are documenting ICE enforcement in Minnesota
As more federal officers leave the state, the Morning Edition team wondered how historians might document this moment. The Minnesota Historical Society’s Director of Collections, Cecily Marcus, joined Cathy Wurzer with answers.
In Elmore, an effort to keep the Mondale legacy alive
Former Vice President and U.S. Sen. Walter Mondale grew up in Elmore, just north of the Iowa border. Now, a few people want to put this tiny town on the map by listing Mondale's childhood home on the National Register of Historic Places.
South St. Paul history teacher mourns demolition of stockyard landmark
The Armour Gates that stood in South St. Paul for over a hundred years are coming down despite efforts to save them. Social studies teacher Mark Westpfahl got his students involved in the push for preservation.