Minnesota History

Ask a 'sotan: How many lakes do we actually have?
Readers pour in questions about one of Minnesota’s most familiar claim to fame: lakes.
MPR News host Kerri Miller kicks off the State Fair with a Minnesota history quiz.
Fifty years after Woodstock, two Minnesotans look back
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Woodstock, the huge three-day concert that came to symbolize the 1960s’ counterculture. Two now-Minnesotans who attended went on to very different lives, but have fond memories of the event, which shaped a generation.
In Duluth, a quest for a home for a historic replica Viking ship
The ship from the 1920s was placed on public display at the Festival of Sail in Duluth this week. For more than 30 years, a group of volunteers has been working to restore the ship, and to build it a permanent home to honor a feat of sailing.
It's a playful rivalry now, but competition between Mpls. and St. Paul was once fierce
As Minneapolis and St. Paul wrangled to gain the upper hand in the late 19th century, the 1890 census got caught in the middle. Non-existent addresses, counting graveyard “residents” — nothing, it seems, was out of bounds as each city sought the prestige of being the larger city.
Photos: Documenting 1967's 'Fiery Unrest' in Minneapolis
A new audio documentary — “A Fiery Unrest: Why Plymouth Avenue Burned” — digs into the simmering conflicts that boiled over in north Minneapolis in the Long Hot Summer of 1967. The pictures reveal the destruction.
LIVE: Teaching the U.S.-Dakota War
Producer John Biewen and other guests participate in a live video conversation following Biewen's "Little War on the Prairie" documentary about the U.S.-Dakota War, and how to teach students about that event.
Part 12: Minnesota forgets her history
For a short time after the war, Wingerd says, Minnesotans were triumphant at having beaten back the savage Indians. They relished the story. But then the events fade from memory.