The bill creating the Minnesota Territory and making St. Paul its capital was signed into law in March 1849. “Thank the Lord!” cried one Minnesota pioneer when word of the action trickled into the Mississippi Valley a month later. “We live in the United States again!”

“Minnesota history began in the dim reaches of time, when great glaciers carved out the valley of the Mississippi. They left behind bountiful resources including fertile land and rich deposits of ore, contests for which would be waged for four centuries (and part of a fifth!) between Native Americans, pioneers, farmers, millers, and businessmen. Present-day Minnesotans are part of that continuous interaction in this beautiful North Star state. What can we learn from those who came before us? Where are we headed in the 21st century?”

“Karal Ann Marling and the Afton Historical Society Press have given us a wonderful birthday present in Minnesota, Hail to Thee!—our own story. Read it and share it, because it is a fairly certain bet that knowing where we’ve been is the surest way to know which way to go.” —Don Shelby, WCCO TV and Radio

Read introduction pages! Click here!