History
I am an immortal, and have traveled the entire world since I first appeared on this Earth. Now, I haven’t lived since the dawn of time, but darned close. (My grandfather, however, has…) Every state, every nation, and every country that came into being, I have watched—observed, really. I have watched wars…famines…natural disasters…human-made disasters…so you will know when I tell you—I have the history of the entire world locked into my head, plus a few extra details that you may want to know now, should you take a vacation. So, without further explanation, let me tell you about a fascinating city—Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the state it is in, Minnesota.
I remember my grandfather telling me of when the first settlers came to this region. They were following herd of large game to the region during the last Big Ice Age. (Remember the little Ice Age?) If my story is right, I believe the Native Americans descended from these settlers. Later on, in the 1600’s, fur traders from France came here. I actually remember them—they were so funny to watch as they tried using their form of currency with the native peoples of the region. Language and cultural barriers made it completely impossible to conduct any sort of trade…
Later on after the first settlers came to this area, the climate began changing, and with it, larger animals began dying off. Personally, I thought it felt nice to finally be able to shed my furs and feel the warm sun on my skin. But, that meant that the way of life was changing for everyone, as they had to find other ways to get food. I vaguely remember my grandparents talking about people needing to go gather nuts, berries, and vegetables. Smaller animals were being hunted, as all the larger ones had died off…
Once the Europeans came to this country, most of the native people were driven out of this region. It seemed that during those times, everyone who was of a “civilized” culture were really “gung ho” on getting the “savages” out of the area. As the years went by, however, it seems the popular sentiment of the era today is regret and remorse for what happened to the native people of this land. My question to you is: what about when other conquerers took over entire lands and civilizations? Do you have an remorse and regrets for them?
Anyway…this isn’t a political converstation, now, is it? Back to the history of this place…After that happened, and this country began getting organized, the Homestead Act in 1862 facilitated land claims by settlers, who regarded the land as being cheap and fertile. The railroad industry, led by the Northern Pacific Railway and Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad, advertised the many opportunities in the state and worked to get immigrants to settle in Minnesota.
Now…there is something to be said about slave labor. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have a few running around doing all your work for you? Now don’t get me wrong—I would never own anyone, as that is just plain immoral, rude and disgusting. However, many people down south of this great state didn’t agree with me, and the rest of the North. Let me tell you a story that happened back in the 1850’s.
Fort Snelling played a key role in the infamous Dred Scott court case. Slaves Dred Scott and his wife were taken to the fort by their master, John Emerson. They lived at the fort and elsewhere in territories where slavery was prohibited. After Emerson's death, the Scotts argued that since they had lived in free territory, they were no longer slaves. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court sided against the Scotts. Dred Scott Field, located just a short distance away in Bloomington, is named in the memory of Fort Snelling's significance in one of the most important legal precedents in U.S. History. And of course, Fort Snelling was largely responsible for the establishment of the city of Minneapolis.
What I found interesting, as the story of the Twin Cities unfolded is that Fort Snelling was also responsible for the development of St. Paul. Here is the story: Apparently, a group of squatters, mostly from the ill-fated Selkirk Colony in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba, established a camp near the fort. A number of the people at the fort, including Taliaferro, did not appreciate the new presence.
As the fort imposed new restrictions, the squatters were forced to head down the Mississippi River. They settled at a site known as Fountain Cave. This site was not quite far enough for the officers at the fort, so the squatters were forced out again. Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, a popular moonshiner among the group, moved downriver and established a saloon, becoming the first European resident in the area that later became Saint Paul. The squatters named their settlement "Pig's Eye" after Parrant. The name was later changed to Lambert's Landing and then finally Saint Paul.
At the end of the 19th century, several forms of industrial development shaped Minnesota. In 1882, a hydroelectric power plant was built at Saint Anthony Falls, marking one of the first developments of hydroelectric power in the United States. I was just fascinated with that! A form of something new—electricity—using water! I couldn’t believe it, even though I was able to see it up close…
As a result of industrialization, the population became more concentrated into urban areas. By 1900, the Twin Cities were becoming a center of commerce, led by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the foundation of the Federal Reserve Bank with its ninth district in Minneapolis. Many of the businessmen who had made money in the railroad, flour milling, and logging industries lived in the Twin Cities and personified the gilded age.
In a newspaper editorial, someone suggested that Minneapolis *should* absorb St. Paul. Later, the name “Twin Cities” was coined, to give the cities their unique identities. Personally, I thought that neither of the cities really had to do anything…they could have just gotten along…
Anyway…that is how the Twin Cities came to be. Now, let me tell you a few more details about the city to help you plan your get away.
Interesting Facts
The Twin Cities is considered the capital for the arts in the Upper Midwest. This may be due to the high per-capita attendance of theatrical, musical and comedy events in the area. The large number of colleges, universities, and a strong economy provides for these cultural events. Many musicians and other stars have gotten their start in the Cities, including the Andrews Sisters, Bob Dylan, the rise of punk rockers Husker Du, Soul Asylum and the Replacements.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is also a major center for religion in the state, especially Christianity. The state headquarters of the missionary efforts of three churches are found here: The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota and the Presbyterian Synod of Lakes and Prairies find themselves in, respectively, Saint Paul and Minneapolis; Minneapolis; and Bloomington.
There are several very strong Unitarian Universalist communities such as the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, as well as several Pagan and Buddhist groups.
There is also a strong non-religious community in the Twin Cities. Since as early as 1984 it has been home to many different groups including the Minnesota Atheists, Humanists of Minnesota, Atheists for Human Rights, and the Campus Atheists and Secular Humanists at the University of Minnesota. The Twin Cities continues to become more religiously diverse each year.
Some other sports teams gained their names from being in Minnesota. The Los Angeles Lakers get their name from once being based in Minneapolis, the "City of Lakes" (Minne-"lake" or "water" in Dakota, -polis-"city" in Greek). The Dallas Stars got their name from being a Minnesota team, the Minnesota North Stars, as Minnesota is also known as "The North Star State". To avoid favoring either of the Twin Cities, most teams based in the area use only the word Minnesota in their name, rather than Minneapolis or St. Paul.
How to Get Around the Cities
There are a number of highways to use to get around the cities, if you are traveling by motor vehicle. The area incorporates a large number of traffic cameras and ramp meters to monitor and manage traffic congestion. There is some use of high-occupancy vehicle (carpool) lanes, though it is not as pervasive as in other regions. When the roads do become congested, buses are allowed to drive on road shoulders to bypass traffic jams.
Interstate 94 comes into the area from the east and heads northwest from Minneapolis. Two spur routes form the I-494/I-694 loop, and I-394 continues west when I-94 turns north. Additionally, Interstate 35 splits in Burnsville in the southern part of the Twin Cities region, bringing I-35E into St. Paul and I-35W into Minneapolis. There are some detours, however, to worry about now, since the collapse of the 35W bridge. Look for signs…plan out your trip by map to avoid that area if possible…and check current conditions from the MNDOT website. (That’s Minnesota Department of Transportation) (Wow—the Internet—such a cool invention!)
If you are traveling by air, here is some information you will need to be aware of:
The main airport in the region is Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), which is a major hub for Northwest Airlines. A number of other smaller airports are also in the area, a number of which are owned and operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (the same organization operates the main MSP airport). Some people even commute by air to the Twin Cities from the northern part of the state.
Then, should you need to get around after you land here, and you do not want to take a taxi, because you want to save money, here is some information on other means of transportation in the Cities. Metro Transit provides about 95% of the public transit rides in the region, although some suburbs have other bus services. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities operates a free bus system on its campus. This system includes the Campus Connector Bus Rapid Transit line which travels between the Minneapolis and St. Paul Campuses by a dedicated bus line, and throughout the two campuses on normal access roads.
The Hiawatha Line light rail corridor began regular operations in June 2004, and is run by Metro Transit. In many ways a return to what existed in the past, it is being used as a stepping-stone to other projects.
Sporting Events
And now—to my favorite portion of this guide—the Sports!! Now, I have always loved sports…whether it was the lion fights or the gladiator competitions…or the modern sports of today, I can’t get enough of them. That is why I have set up a resource list for you to use, should you want to take in a game while you are here.
The State of Minnesota has a team in all four major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL), and the University of Minnesota is part of the oldest major college conference still running (the Big Ten) For events and tickets during your stay, please see the resource list below.
Baseball
Football
Hockey
Basketball
College Football
Other State Resources
Now, this one—I know the owner of this business, and let me tell you, he is about the nicest guy you can find. He will do anything it takes to get you an awesome deal on tickets! Check him out!
Cultural Events
Now, supposing your significant other wants to see a show while you are here…or your offspring wants to see a concert…well, I have those resources for you too! The Twin Cities are second only to New York City in the number of theater seats per capita. Minneapolis alone is home to 30 live theaters. For events and ticket information during your stay, please visit the resource list below.
St. Paul Events
Minneapolis Events
State-Wide Events
Resource List
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Baseball
Football
Hockey
Basketball
College Football
Other State Resources
St. Paul Events
Minneapolis Events
State-Wide Events
*All historical and factual information taken from the Wikipedia website.
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