News Coverage

  • This 1940s-era photo shows Red Lake tribal members celebrating and giving thanks during a traditional powwow. While Ojibwe language has faded, the powwow tradition remains strong. 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.
  • Young's General Store once carried farmers on credit for a year. The store still extends credit to customers. 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.
  • The driveway to the farmhouse and an oak tree remain the same in every picture of the house which was built in 1900. 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.
  • The wagon train made a pit stop at the College of St. Catherines before it continued down Summit Avenue to the Capitol. 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.
  • In the treetops: Kao Kalia Yang with her father in Thailand. 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."
  • St. Paul was already a bustling community when Minnesota became a state. Minnesota as it was
    St. Paul was already a bustling community when Minnesota became a state.
  • Minnesota may be known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But, really, the state has 15,291 of them. Minnesota by the numbers
    Minnesota may be known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But, really, the state has 15,291 of them.
  • Carl Larson (right) is 94 years old, his brother Bill(left) is 97. They farmed with horses, and remember when a gallon of diesel fuel cost just nine cents. 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.
  • Brian Johnson and Rob Wied will spend the next three summers walking through neighborhoods like this one, looking for property corner markers. Hunting for the past
    As Minneapolis prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary, a team of Hennepin County surveyors are roaming the streets checking to make sure that city property lines are where they're supposed to be.
  • Reatha Clark King standing next to an enlarged image of the Minnesota sesquicentennial commemorative postage stamp. State sesquicentennial celebration draws near
    Midday previews the upcoming Statehood Week and Minnesota's "Sesquicentennial Summer," with Jane Leonard and Reatha Clark King of the Sesquicentennial Commission.
  • A Civilian Conservation Corps team at a CCC camp in Lewiston, Minn. in 1933. William Rudolph, father of MPR employee PattiRai Rudolph, is standing at the far left. Stories from the Civilian Conservation Corps
    During the Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps helped propel the conservation of Minnesota's natural resources, and it gave more than 77,000 Minnesotans with jobs. Author Barbara Sommer captures the stories of these workers in her new book, "Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota."
  • The state's Sesquicentennial Commission paid for these signs, located at border crossings across the state. Sesquicentennial organizers look for state money
    A Minnesota House committee on Monday heard a request to give the state's Sesquicentennial Commission money to help pay for the state's 150th birthday celebration.
  • Each year for the past 13 years, fourth grade students at Linwood Elementary School in St. Paul have written and performed an opera. This year's performance marks Minnesota's 150th anniversary. Tales of a Fourth Grade Opera
    As Minnesota celebrates its 150th birthday, students at a St. Paul elementary school have created a sesquicentennial opera, which opens Thursday night. Fourth graders at Linwood A+ Elementary will show what they've learned about state history
  • Spinning stories of Minnesota
    University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley, professional football hall of famer Carl Eller, former Gov. Al Quie and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and more gathered to wax Minnesota during a story telling event put on by the 2008 Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission.
  • Jim Baird II Why does this man live in Minnesota?
    John Baird has lived in Minnesota for all of his 85 years, but it was not until recently that he really thought about why. He says it came up during a conversation at a college reunion on the east coast.
  • Jim Baird II Book explores history through the story of one family
    In a new book Southwest State University historian Joseph Amato traces the story of his family across North America and Europe.
  • Campaign button from Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign. A history of presidential hopefuls in Minnesota
    History professors Hy Berman and Steve Keillor join Midday to examine the list of Minnesotans who made a run for the presidency.
  • People of Minnesota
    As part of MPR's coverage of Minnesota's sesquicentennial, Midday asks who was living in Minnesota 150 years ago? Who's come since, and where did they come from? What brought people to Minnesota? Everyone's got a story. Here's your chance to ask historian Annette Atkins and Minnesota State Demographer Tom Gillaspy about your ancestors.
  • MN 150 150 things that shaped Minnesota
    The Minnesota Historical Society has compiled a list of the 150 "people, places, and things that shape our state." What made the list?
  • The first Minnesota State Capitol building, built in 1853 and used until 1873. 150 years of Minnesota history
    Minnesota's Constitution was signed 150 years ago on Aug. 29, and the state is preparing to celebrate its sesquicentennial next year. What was Minnesota like 150 years ago? What were the events and trends that changed Minnesota since then?
  • MN 150 150 things that shaped Minnesota
    The Minnesota Historical Society is accepting nominations for an exhibit next year celebrating the state's sesquicentennial.

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