In April 1863—after the Dakota War of 1862, after the hanging of thirty-eight Dakota men in the largest mass execution in U.S. history— some 270 Dakota men were moved from Mankato, Minnesota, to a pri
Soldiers in the Union Army volunteered for many reasons—to reunite the country, to put down the southern rebellion. For most, however, slavery was a peripheral issue. Sympathy for slaves often came on
For tens of thousands of Minnesotans who walk and bike and paddle around Minneapolis’s beautiful Chain of Lakes every year, the lovely homes that surround these fine city parks are as intriguing as th
In 1930 two novice paddlers—Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port—launched a secondhand eighteen-foot canvas canoe into the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling for an ambitious summer-long journey from Minnea
In January 1966, navy nurse Lieutenant Kay Bauer stepped off a pan am airliner into the stifling heat of Saigon and was issued a camouflage uniform, boots, and a rifle. “What am I supposed to do with
To early American immigrants, nineteenth-century newcomers from the Scandinavian peninsula likely seemed all of a type. to immigrants hailing from Norway and Sweden, however, differences in language,
From flavorful artisanal cheeses to the year-round plenty of farmers markets to the first wild ramps of spring, options for eating well in Minnesota and Wisconsin abound. Brett Laidlaw has taken advan
“Far greater even than the loss of land, or the relentless coercion to surrender cultural traditions, the deaths of over six hundred children by the spring of 1864 were an unbearable tragedy. Nearly o
Farmers in Laos, U.S. allies during the Vietnam War, refugees in Thailand, citizens of the Western world—the stories of the Hmong who now live in America have been told in detail through books and art
When the senatorial election of 2008 between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman stretched on for a contentious six months, people throughout the country wondered about Minnesota’s offbeat
A tiny pair of beaded deerskin moccasins, given to a baby in 1913, provides the starting point for this thoughtful examination of the work of Dakota women. Mary Eastman Faribault, born in Minnesota, m
Many know rhubarb thanks to a shockingly tart introduction in childhood, likely countered by dipping the stalk in sugar, or as simply “the pie plant,” a worthy component of custard or mixed-fruit past
When the farmers’ markets start in earnest in April and May, Minnesotans’ pent-up desire for fresh, flavorful produce is answered immediately by rhubarb, spring onions, and tender lettuces. Within jus
“. . . the memory of my mother came to me like a drifting scent in the breeze, swirling through the branches of a nearby cedar tree. I was drawn back [35 years] to the day I learned she had passed on.
Near the end of her life, Mina Anderson penned a lively memoir that helped Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg create "Kristina," the central female character of his beloved emigrant novels, a woman who c
A prairie chicken dancing to the beat, a Red-Winged blackbird flashing his snazzy wing patches to attract a female, a grouse growing its own “snowshoes,” and American robins travel
Recognized as one of the twin cities’ best drink makers, Johnny Michaels is the cocktail connoisseur’s answer to a gourmet chef. His home base is the James Beard award–winning La Belle Vie, but he’s d
The social and political forces that swirled through the turbulent 1960s crested in 1968. That year saw the peak of the Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, ri
Being an older brother has its benefits, of that there’s little doubt. But how would you feel if your little brother grew to be bigger than you? And what if he insisted on touching all your things and
Perhaps your museum’s archives have run out of space, or its public programs have outgrown their facility. Perhaps a generous donor or an energetic campaign has provided the funding for a renovation,
