Minnesota History: Difference between revisions

1686– 1762: The French established a chain of forts and small settlements in the area of Minnesota.

1763–1819: The area was controlled by British fur traders of the Northwest Company.

1783: Great Britain grants eastern portions of Minnesota to the United States.

1787–1800: Part of Northwest Territory

1800– 1809: Part of Indiana Territory

1803: The United States obtains the western portion of the area through the Louisiana Purchase.

1809–1818: Part of Illinois Territory

1820: The U.S. Army establishes Fort Snelling at its permanent location near the future site of St. Paul. It becomes a nucleus of settlement. Mississippi River steamboats reach Fort Snelling in 1823.

1818–1836: The area that is now Minnesota is in Michigan Territory.

1836: All of Minnesota is in Wisconsin Territory.

1837: Sioux and Chippewa Indians sell their claim to the St. Croix Valley, opening the way to major white settlements in eastern Minnesota.

1840: Some Minnesota residents are listed in the 1840 territorial censuses of Wisconsin and Iowa.

1849: Congress creates Minnesota Territory.

1851–1855: The Indians give up their rights to millions of acres of land west of the Mississippi River.

1854: Large scale immigration begins when the railroad reaches the Mississippi River.

1858: Minnesota gains statehood.

1861–1865: The Civil War and Indian wars involve 22,000 men.

1862: Dakota Conflict (See the "[[Minnesota Military Records|Military Records]]" section of this outline for details.)

1870–1890: Rapid settlement as homesteaders— many immigrants from Germany, Sweden, and Norway—move into western and southwestern Minnesota.

1917–1918 : More than half a million men between age 18 and 45 register with the Selective Service; about 75,000 enter the service in World War I

1930s: Many Mexican Americans arrive.

1941–1945: More than 6,000 Minnesota soldiers lose their lives in World War II.

1970s: Arrival of refugees from southeast Asia