Do you know anyone who doesn’t like to read? I do. I often wonder how they make it through life without the escape that reading gives. But this article is about Minnesota, so let’s go there. I needed to research some history of Minnesota for this article. I was amazed and thrilled to find that Google has a searchable library of books. Some of them are in the public domain, so are free to download and read.

The book I found that delighted me so is called “Old Rail Fence Corners”. It was written in 1914 by a group of ladies hoping to preserve history where none had been recorded. Lucy Leavenworth Wilder Morris was the moving force behind this group. Her introduction and explanation of the book are enough to capture your interest, and the stories themselves are truly fabulous. The writing style is simple and difficult to follow at times, but the stories are genuine and easy to follow. If you would like to read the book, search for it on Google. For now, let me tell you a story I read there.

One day on her way to school, a young lady heard her classmates yelling a warning to her. She didn’t see anything when she looked around, but finally saw an Indian in the grass. She ran to the school to get in, but the teacher had been so afraid that she had locked the door. The young girl was not afraid as the Indian approached her. She wasn’t sure what he would do, but he only patted her on the head and said “brave papoose” then turned and left.

Another story tells about a family who was told that an Indian attack was imminent. They put necessities of life – food, clothing, etc., - in a safe place then hid themselves around the farm. None of the men were home, so the women and children armed themselves and hid as best they could. Some time later, they learned that it was just a rumor and returned to their home.

Following are some interesting bits of facts and trivia about Minnesota. See if you learn something as you read.

Capital: St Paul

State bird: Loon

Twin Cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul

Date of statehood: May 11th 1858

State nickname: Gopher State

State flower: Lady slipper

3 M is one of the state largest and oldest employers in the state. According to their website, their inventions include: first waterproof sandpaper; masking tape; Scotch cellophane tape; and videotape.

According to the Minnesota state tourism site, Mall of America has more daily visitors than Disney World.

Minnesota is the starting point of the Mississippi River.

Famous people from Minnesota: Judy Garland, Roger Maris, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Schultz, Prince and Bob Dylan

Famous Sioux Indian chief Little Crow lived in Minnesota.