Talk:History of Minnesota

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Contents

[edit] Geological history

Overkill. Why not start with the Big Bang? As far as I can tell, it's the convention with this type of article to go back only to the earliest human habitation (see History of California, History of Texas and Utah#History). Maybe the geological history - cleaned up, as a deal of it's a bit amateur ("thunder lizards" have a proper name, y'know) - could be put under a separate article called Minnesota regional geology or similar? Tearlach 02:51, 19 August 2005 (UTC)

Geological history and early life

2.7 billion years ago, the first pieces of land that would later form the U.S. state of Minnesota began to rise up out of an ancient ocean as a chain of volcanic islands. Much of the underlying gneiss rock of today's state had already been formed nearly a billion years earlier, but still laid underneath the sea. Except for the region where the islands appeared in what is now the northern part of the state, most of the region remained underwater. About two billion years ago, much of the water had drained away. Heavy mineral deposits containing iron collected on the shores of a receding sea to form the Mesabi, Cuyuna, Vermilion, and Gunflint iron ranges from the center of the state up into what is now Canada. These regions also showed the first signs of life as algae grew in the shallow waters.

1.1 billion years ago, a rift valley began to pull the state apart. Lava emerged from cracks along the edges. The rift extended from the current Lake Superior area through the state and down into what is now Kansas. However, the separation stopped before the land could become two separate continents. About 100 million years later, the last volcano in the area went quiet.

550 million years ago, the area found itself repeatedly inundated with water of a shallow sea that grew and receded through several cycles. At this point, the land mass of what is now North America ran along the equator. At that time, Minnesota had a tropical climate. Small marine creatures such as trilobites, coral, and snails float through the sea. The shells of the tiny animals sink to the bottom of the sea, eventually forming limestone and sandstone. When dinosaurs roamed the planet, Minnesota didn't have a remarkable population of thunder lizards. The region remained coastline for a long period, with creatures resembling crocodiles and sharks sliding through the nearby seas.

Other land animals followed as the dinosaurs disappeared, but much of the historical record of this time was etched away as glaciers expanded and retreated across the region through several cycles starting about 2 million years ago. Ice ages come and go as humans develop in other parts of the world. The ice continued to retreat for the last time about 12,500 years before the present time. Melting glaciers filled the lakes and rivers of the state. Minnesota was on the southern edge of Lake Agassiz at this time, a massive lake with a volume rivaling that of the Great Lakes combined together. The River Warren was the southern outlet of the lake, and had an immense flow through the valleys now used by the Minnesota River and Mississippi River. Falls on the river were precursors to the Saint Anthony Falls.

At this time, a number of giant animals roamed the area. Beavers were the size of bears, and mammoths were 14 feet (4.3m) high at the shoulder and weighed 10 tons. Even buffalo were much larger than they are today. Glaciers continued to retreat and the climate became warmer in the next few millennia. The giant creatures eventually died out about 9,000 years ago.

[edit] Topics that should be covered

The Minnesota Historical Society list of history topics would be a good place to start expanding this article. (And it needs expanding -- the article doesn't even cover major historical figures like Hubert Humphrey or Walter Mondale.) If nothing else, the topic areas on the page could cover some of the topic division of this article. --Elkman 19:48, 31 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] NWA

Good idea, Elkman to write about historical significance of NWA.

[edit] Auto Peer Review

The following suggestions were generated by a semi-automatic javascript program, and may or may not be accurate for the article in question.

  • Please expand the lead to conform with guidelines at WP:LEAD. The article should have an appropriate number of paragraphs as is shown on WP:LEAD, and should adequately summarize the article.[1]
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    • apparently
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    • might be weasel words, and should be provided with proper citations (if they already do, or are not weasel terms, please strike this comment).[5]
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You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas. Ravedave (help name my baby) 01:34, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GA passed

1. Well written? Pass
2. Factually accurate? Pass
3. Broad in coverage? Pass
4. Neutral point of view? Pass
5. Article stability? Pass
6. Images? Pass

It thus passes all the GA criteria with success and is thoroughly well written. It is broad enough and as expected it is neutral. Some pictures really help the reader in situating the context and in picturing the areas. Lincher 02:17, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Some Revert Needed

Tutmosis has begun copyediting the article. IMO, some of what he has done improves the clarity and mission of the article, however, in some cases he has changed meanings or facts, most likely inadvertently, such as changing 1600s and 1700s to 16th century and 17th century. In order to avoid massive simultaneous editing, I'll wait a few days to see if he is done before correcting mistakes he has introduced. If it gets too screwed up, we can revert to Jonathunder's 11 October version. Appraiser 02:26, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Politics

I don't think "Contemporary Politics" describes the content. e.g. The first paragraph starts with the 1948 convention. Perhaps the section should try to do an overview of politics from 1840 to present, in keeping with the history of the state. I'd also like to see the

See also: Politics of Minnesota put back in to direct the reader there for more detail. Appraiser 14:47, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
  • My idea there was to keep the "Modern Minnesota" section together as a post-World War II collection of topics. The Great Depression section covers some of the prewar politics, such as the Farmer-Labor party's attempts to bring the state out of the depression in the 1930s. The postwar politics section definitely needs some expansion, and I'm hoping to get to it soon. (Of course, anyone is welcome to help.) In particular, I want to cover how Hubert Humphrey became mayor of Minneapolis and pushed for civil rights reform years before it became a national issue (with his help), how he united the Farmer-Labor Party with the Democratic Party, his election and career in the Senate, and his election as Vice President. Then, I want to cover Senator Walter Mondale, Wendell Anderson, Rudy Perpich, possibly Al Quie, and possibly some others. Paul Wellstone isn't even mentioned, and I think he should be. Let me know what you think about the organization I'm looking into. --Elkman - (Elkspeak) 16:58, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
  • That makes sense to me now. How about ===Post-war politics=== as a header? --Appraiser 17:13, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hotbed of medical care and research

Under this section, I think it would be more complete if someone could add a blurb about the University of Minnesota. They have a number of world medical "firsts", especially in the transplant field. A couple of big events could probably be picked out of this list and referenced to the following link: U of M page ....... Another possible ref Gopher backer 21:20, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What's left?

What's left before nominating for FA? -Ravedave (Adopt a State) 22:53, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

I wanted to mention a little bit about Paul Wellstone in the "Postwar Politics" section, at least from a historical perspective as one of Minnesota's influential state senators. Also, if anyone wants to review the intro section to make sure it's concise, that would help. After that, I think it's ready for the FA nomination. I'm on vacation right now (in warm, sunny Miami), and I didn't want to nominate the article before I got back. I'll be back early next week. --Elkman - (Elkspeak) 16:34, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

The first reference is a dead link. Even though it was gathered on 1/12/07, I think the Star Tribune pulls a lot of their general news articles off the web about three weeks after they're published. Gopher backer 16:29, 8 February 2007 (UTC)
Yes, the reference is a dead link, and they pull their articles after about three weeks or so. I'll pull the URL from that reference, but since they published the article in the paper on that date, I think it's still valid to cite the article in the first place. --Elkman - (Elkspeak) 22:36, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Introduction

Comments on the Featured Article candidacy indicate the introduction may be too long. Here is my suggested revision (text only):

The history of Minnesota is the human history of the U.S. state of Minnesota from the earliest human settlement to the present day. It tells the story of a land shaped by the influences of both its original Native American settlers and more recent European immigrants. In the past several centuries the state’s economy has transitioned from one based on extractive industries such as fur trading, logging, agriculture, and mining all made possible by abundant natural resources, to today’s diverse economy with particular emphases on banking, computers, and health care, while logging, farming, and mining remain prominent.
The first people came to the region during the last Ice Age, following herds of game. The Anishinaabe, the Sioux, and the other Native American inhabitants of the region represent the descendants of these first early settlers. European presence began with the arrival of French fur traders in the 1600s. During the 1800s most of the Native American population was driven out as American settlers moved westward. Fort Snelling was built between 1819 and 1825 as a frontier outpost to protect the United States' territorial interests. The fort guarded Saint Anthony Falls which attracted early settlers seeking power for sawmills; it also protected the downriver settlement which became Saint Paul. Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849, and on May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd US state.
Shortly after statehood came the American Civil War and the Sioux Uprising. Following these disruptions the state entered into an era of intense growth, with immigrants attracted by opportunities in logging and agriculture. The construction of railroads in the late 19th century helped to attract immigrants, establish the farm economy, and bring goods to market. Minneapolis grew up next to Saint Anthony Falls and the water power from the falls, coupled with innovations in milling methods, enabled the city to become the “milling capital of the world”.
The discovery of huge deposits of high-grade iron ore in northern Minnesota at the end of the 19th century led to the development of an industry which included open-pit mining of th ore and its and shipment to Great Lakes steel mills via ports at Duluth and Two Harbors. The development of the flour milling and mining industries along with other changes in the economy resulted in population shifts from rural areas into central cities. Economic development and social changes led to a more prominent role for the state government.
The Great Depression was felt with layoffs in the iron mining industry and with trouble in labor relations, but New Deal programs brought relief to the state. After World War II, Minnesota companies such Sperry Rand, Honeywell and Control Data started the high-tech sector. The Twin Cities also became a regional center for arts and culture with several cultural institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Walker Art Center.

I think it squeezes a couple of lines out of the present text. If the authors of this article feel it it useful, please use it. Kablammo 20:14, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Kablammo, good idea. I took yours and went farther. For an article this size people might expect or be used to something like four paragraphs. -Susanlesch 22:03, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

The history of Minnesota is the story of a state shaped by its original Native American residents, European exploration and settlement, and the emergence of industries made possible by the state's natural resources. Minnesota achieved prominence through fur trading, logging, and farming, and later, railroads, flour milling and iron mining. Today, the state is a center for banking, computers and health care, while logging, farming and mining are still important.

The first settlers followed herds of large game to the region during the last Ice Age, and from them descended the Anishinaabe, the Sioux, and the other Native American inhabitants. Fur traders from France arrived during the 1600s and by the 1800s as they moved west, Europeans drove out most of the Native Americans. Built to protect United States territorial interests, Fort Snelling brought early settlers to Saint Anthony Falls, who used the waterfall for powering sawmills, and to the downriver settlement that became Saint Paul.

Minnesota became a part of the United States as the Minnesota Territory in 1849, and became the 32nd US state on May 11, 1858. Following the American Civil War and the Sioux Uprising, the state's natural resources were tapped for logging and farming. Railroads attracted immigrants, established the farm economy and brought goods to market. Minneapolis grew from the waterfall's power, and by innovating milling methods, became the "milling capital of the world."

New industry came from iron ore, discovered in the north, mined relatively easily from open pits, and shipped to Great Lakes steel mills from the ports at Duluth and Two Harbors. Economic development and social changes led to a more prominent state government and a population shift from rural areas to cities. The Great Depression brought layoffs in mining and trouble in labor relations but New Deal programs helped the state. After World War II, Minnesota became known for technology, fueled by early computer companies Sperry Rand, Control Data and Cray. The Twin Cities also became a regional center for the arts with cultural institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Walker Art Center.

I like it. I may suggest some minor tweaks, but I'll let others weigh in first. Kablammo 22:32, 17 February 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, Susanlesch. I used the introduction you provided, but with a few minor tweaks. The shorter format looks better -- I have to admit that the introduction was too long. Anyone else is welcome to revise it. --Elkman - (Elkspeak) 01:32, 18 February 2007 (UTC)
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