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Tell Your Story

To celebrate 150 years of statehood, Minnesota Public Radio wants to tell the story of the people who make up our state. It's a daunting task, and we'd like your help. Share your story of arrival in this state with other Minnesotans in our MPR-Moderated discussion group at MNArrival.Gather.com.

For those who need a little extra help telling their story, please see our tips on how to tell your story. For an idea of what we're looking for, watch videos gathered from around the state.

View the arrival stories we've alredy collected on a map for geographic representation, or a timeline for a linear perspective. The MPR newsroom contributed stories from the archive about events or arrival stories that have had an affect on the state's history. Post your story at MNArrival.Gather.com — or just give us the quick version — and we'll add it here too.

Arrived: From: Reason: Method of travel: On Gather: MPR News story:

Sort the stories based on the following criteria:

• American Indians prefer to reflect on their own history
  Minnesota marks 150 years of statehood this year, but not everyone is celebrating. American Indian tribes in Minnesota were here long before the state was. For many Indians, the history they remember is one of repression, broken promises and loss of culture.
• A taste of yesterday
  In the early days of Minnesota, the general store was where people shopped and socialized. The general store is mostly a memory now, replaced by supermarkets and big box retailers. But in one small Minnesota town, there's a general store that's been run by the same family for 100 years.
• 151 years of Olson family history
  The land attracted many settlers to Minnesota even before it was a state. The land is what has kept six generations of Olsons on a family farm hear Albert Lea.
• From Cannon Falls to St. Paul, wagon train marks Sesquicentennial
  Celebrations in honor of Minnesota's 150th anniversary as the 32nd state in the union kicked off this weekend. As part of the Sesquicentennial, a wagon train of 20 carts and prairie schooners drove 100 miles from Cannon Falls to St. Paul, where it arrived for the official opening ceremony on the Capitol grounds.
• New memoir tells Hmong story
  A new book tells the story of one family's life in Minnesota after a harrowing escape from Laos. Hmong author Kao Kalia Yang has written a memoir called "The Latehomecomer."
• Minnesota as it was
  St. Paul was already a bustling community when Minnesota became a state.
• Living history on a Minnesota farm
  When Minnesota was a new state, thousands of immigrants claimed a piece of the landscape and tried to eke out a living. The wild land and harsh climate defeated many, but others prospered through hard work and a bit of luck. Two brothers have watched nearly a century of state history from their northern Minnesota farm.

• More news stories >>

• Ann Reed: Song for Minnesota
  

  Reed, a prolific singer-songwriter and frequent guest on The Morning Show, has been selected as the Minnesota Public Radio Troubadour. She'll be touring greater Minnesota, performing at six MPR-produced and sesquicentennial-sanctioned concerts from January to May. In the tour's grand finale at the Fitzgerald Theater, Reed will debut her new song about Minnesota.

  Not only will it be a Song for Minnesota, it will be a Song of Minnesota because it will be a Song written with Minnesota.

Listen to the show

Tell us your story in person

We are hosting videotaping events across the state in April and May where you can join others to tell us your story in your own voice. Reserve your session below.