On May 11, 1858, Minnesota joined the United States, please insert your own joke here. No seriously, insert your own joke because the Guffaw is not sure he has many for the land of 10,000 lakes. Something, something Prince. Something, something, something else Walter Mondale.
Scholars will debate for centuries whether Minnesota has more street cred than Wisconsin or Wisconsin more street cred than Minnesota…
In 1857 the United States of America had no state of Minnesota, just a territory with Scandinavian small farmers and Native American tribes. In 1858, Congress said come join the fun Minnesota, no slaves. Minnesota, was like cool with us, who needs a free, morally repugnant labor force when you have Native American tribes to boss around? Actually the Minnesota Territory originally included what is present-day Minnesota and what would become the modern-day states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Only the “eastside” of the Minnesota Territory became a state. Minnesota supported the Union in the war supplied the Union with wheat and the battalion that defended Little Round-Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. Good hustle, Minnesota.
Minnesota is where the Mississippi River begins, sure that’s not a joke but a fun fact. You are welcome Mark Twain. The name Minnesota means something like “sky-tinted land.” Something, something “Twin Cities” and Kirby Puckett and the Vikings have never won a Super Bowl. Keep on trucking, Minnesota, keep on trucking.
*After writing this entry, the Guffaw has nothing but respect for the hardworking men and women of the Minnesota Tourism Board.
