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Here is a sampling of Minnesota counties and how they received their names:
Chippewa. Named for Chippewa River. River so named by the Dakotas because of heavy use by Ojibway war parties to access the Minnesota River valley.
Chisago. Named for Chisago Lake. Chisago is an anglicized version of the Ojibway words kichi and saga which mean "large" and "lovely", respectively.
Clay. Named for Henry Clay, American statesman. U.S. Senator and Congressman from Kentucky variously during the period 1806-52; U.S. Secretary of State, 1825-29; three times Speaker of the House, and three times a candidate for president.
Clearwater. Named after Clearwater river and lake. Clearwater is a translation of the Ojibway word Ga-wakomitigweia, describing the appearance of the water.
Cook. Named for Major Michael Cook of Faribault. Served in the territorial legislature and elected to the state senate, 1857-62; killed in the Civil War at Battle of Nashville.
Cottonwood. Named after the Cottonwood River. Cottonwood is a translation of Waraju, the Dakota name for the river, reflecting the abundance of the tree on its banks.
Crow Wing. Named after the Crow Wing River. Crow Wing is loose translation of Kagiwigwan, the Ojibway name for the river. A more accurate translation of this name may be "raven feather".
Dakota. Named for the Dakota people, meaning an alliance or league.
Dodge. Named for Henry Dodge and his son Augustus. Henry Dodge, was territorial governor, delegate in Congress and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, 1836-57. Augustus Dodge was delegate to Congress for Iowa Territory, 1840-47 and U.S. Senator from Iowa, 1848-55.
Douglas. Named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, member of Congress from Illinois 1843-47, U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1847-61; candidate for president in 1860; advocated Minnesota statehood as chairman of Senate Committee on Territories.
Faribault. Named for Jean Baptiste Faribault, first white settler to farm in Minnesota. Major figure in trade with the Dakotas, 1803-60.
Information from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State
JUNE 3, 1839 : Liquor was a constant plague to the officers at Fort Snelling: forty-seven soldiers are confined to the guardhouse for violating orders about visiting the saloon of Henry Menk, near modern Fort Road and Munster Avenue in St. Paul.
AUGUST 4, 1854: Congress approves legislation guaranteeing preemption for Minnesota settlers squatting on lands that have not been surveyed. Technically, the land could be sold only after being surveyed, but settlers had poured into lands purchased from the Indians, sometimes making substantial improvements before the surveyors completed their work. This act, sponsored by delegate Henry H. Sibley, allows the settlers to purchase their land after the settlement.
NOVEMBER 16, 1865: The preparatory (or high school) department of what is now Hamline University opens for business in Red Wing. Named for Leonidas L. Hamline, a Methodist bishop, the school suspends operations in 1869 and reopens in St. Paul in 1880, but its original founding date makes it the oldest college in the state.
Find out what happened
"On this Day in Minnesota History"
Taken from: ”The Minnesota Books of Days” compiled by Tony Greiner
DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS ABOUT MINNESOTA?
The longest distance from north to south is 411 miles.
The widest distance from east to west is 357 miles.
The geographic center of Minnesota is 10 miles SW of Brainerd.
Minnesota is the 12th largest state in area and the 21st largest state in population.
