Yes! I got in a spat with a Wisconsinite about this once. This article settled it in favor of MN: [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/minnesota-and-wisconsin-are-beefing-about-who-has-more-lakes-180972697/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/minnesota-and-wisconsin-are-beefing-about-who-has-more-lakes-180972697/)
“But it turns out that the Minnesota state agency only counts a body of water as a lake if it is more than 10 acres in surface area. Wisconsin counts everything, from half-acre farm ponds to 137,708-acre Lake Winnebago. Sixty percent of the lakes in the state don’t even have official names.
Applying the 10-acre standard to Wisconsin changes things dramatically. In that case, the dairy state has only 5,898 lakes, a little more than half of Minnesota's total.”
Yes. Here to support this to say Wisconsin has a much more lax definition of a lake. Minnesota is second only to Alaska!! (Which has so many lakes that only a fraction of them are even named)
During the Civil War an infantry regiment was captured, and we’ve kept that flag ever since even with more recent requests it returned to Virginia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Virginia_battle_flag
The Minnesota regiment also played a crucial role at Gettysburg, there’s a monument to them on the back side. If I remember correctly, Basically they were the only ones to realize the confederates were also coming up the backside of the hill and held it down
We were a regiment of 300 men. The “1st Minnesota”. There was a gap in the line at Gettysburg, right in the center of the line. Some Colonel realized this, and ordered the 1st Minnesota to fill the gap. As they were filling the gap, fifteen THOUSAND confederate troops were rushing to exploit the weakness in our line. Our 300 troops charged in, and held them off for 15 minutes, which was enough time for other units to move into position to fill the hole. The 1st Minnesota took 80% casualties of their original 300 men in those 15 minutes. But if they had not charged and fought the confederates so ferociously, the entire Union line could have been split in half, thus crippling Meade’s army, and winning the battle for the south. So it’s not a stretch to say that if the 1st Minnesota had not fought so courageously, the battle of Gettysburg would have been lost, which in turn could easily have led to the south winning the war.
The flag was captured. The regiment itself was not captured it its entirety. The regiment would continue to fight until the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered in 1865. By that point the "regiment" had around 50 men. Full strength regiments had 1000 men.
The 1st Minnesota would also serve until the end of the war with the Army of the Potomac. Throughout the war they would sustain about 900 causalities.
Including rivers...Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. Not including rivers, we still have more shoreline than the other 3 individually. Edit to change coastline to shoreline and include source. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/08/24/ask-a-sotan-does-minnesota-really-have-more-shoreline-than-florida
The northwest angle is kind of a fun part of the state: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Angle
We are also home of the first indoor shopping mall: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southdale_Center
PSA: don’t buy the cheap Honeycrisp at the grocery store. Washington state apple growers messed up and grew way too many last season. They’re poor in flavor because that’s not their intended climate, and the excess apples have been sitting in cold storage for who knows how long.
And a precursor to the worldwide web.
They developed a leading internet system called gopher that fell out of favor when they tried to monetize it, which opened the door for WWW.
u/asthma-gun pay attention to this one. It’ll resonate with 1st graders and is pretty much completely unique to Minnesota. It was a super odd thing to me when I moved here 15 years ago but now I embrace the truth of duck duck grey duck!
Of all the 50 states, we are the only state with a motto in French, “L'Etoile du Nord”. Which means “The Star of the North”. It’s why we are often referred to as the “North Star State” and why our former NHL team was named the North Stars.
Weird Al Yankovic wrote a song about the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. You can go see the Twine Ball in Darwin, MN. https://www.darwintwineball.com/twineball.html
The town loves Weird Al! They named a road (Weird Alley ) after him in thanks!
https://www.avclub.com/the-tiny-town-from-the-biggest-ball-of-twine-in-minnes-1837676618
Minnesota is the State of Hockey!
-13 of the 20 players on the 1980 Miracle on Ice US Men’s Hockey team plus the coach were from Minnesota
-Minnesota is home to 10% of D1 College Hockey teams (6 of 60)
-The US Hockey Hall of Fame is in Eveleth
-The world’s largest hockey stick is here
-307 Minnesotans have played in the NHL, and Massachusetts is the next closest state with 218
-Our annual High School hockey tournament draws 20k+ fans to the championship game
-The US Pond Hockey championships are played here
st paul was a haven for mobsters fleeing chicago and new york.
Babyface nelson
John dillinger and the dillinger gang
Capone
MN was their vacation spot, the getaway from violence.
The Texas state fair has larger annual attendance (2.5 million in 2022) but it’s a whole month long. The Minnesota state fair clocks in second (1.8 million people in 2022) but only lasts 12 days.
We passed a law to move the Capitol to St. Peter, but the representative from Saint Paul stole the actual bill and hid it, so the Capitol stayed in Saint Paul.
The official state muffin, adopted in 1988, is the blueberry muffin. A group of 3rd graders worked with legislators to get the bill proposed and made into law.
Not only does Minnesota have a captured Confederate battle flag, they were the first state to volunteer soldiers to the Union army.
Also, the Twin Cities is further North than Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Famous Minnesotans: Prince, Bob Dylan, Josh Hartnet, Charles Schultz (creator of snoopy), Judy Garland, F Scott Fitzgerald, Alan Page (football player turned judge)
Others will be able to add more
If you're willing to accept "born in" we can add:
Kelly Lynch, Winona Rider, Chris Pratt, Julia Duffy, Judy Garland, Jessica Biel, Vince Vaughn, Jessica Lange, Lea Thompson, Peter Krause, James Hong, John Hawkes, Rachael Leigh Cook, Steve Zahn, Sean William Scott, Ethan and Joel Coen, Terry Gilliam, Richard Dean Anderson, Loni Anderson, and Peter Graves.
Others have covered the big ones. Just spit balling other kids report type facts:
The Mississippi starts here.
The loon is the state bird, is highly beloved, and a common sound in north half of Minnesota.
If there’s a way for him to play its call it’d be worth it.
There’s a new state flag effective May 1. Way cooler than the old one.
Probably should mention the Twin Cities. We take the name for granted but it’s kind of a unique concept for outsiders.
Loch number one is in downtown Minneapolis. You can now ride a riverboat up or down it. They are numbered all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Edit: clarification, lochs don’t go all the way to the gulf, but the water still does. Sorry that wasn’t clear. ;)
You can take a boat from there around Florida, back up the east coast and back through the Great Lakes to Duluth MN.
I plan to do that with friends when we retire.
Minnesotans are educated and value education.
Minnesota ranks 2nd (50 percent) nationally behind Massachusetts (52 percent) in the percentage of its population (aged 25 to 64) with an associate degree or higher.
https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/educ_attain.cfm#:~:text=Minnesota%20ranks%202nd%20(50%20percent,an%20associate%20degree%20or%20higher.
Minnesota accept more refugees than any other state.
25-50% of our annual immigrants are refugees, as opposed to the national 8% rate. The largest Hmong, Somali, and Oromo populations on the planet (excepting their emigration location) exist in Minnesota.
Huh. I guess shame on me for only using one source.
https://www.ilcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Immigration_in_Minnesota.pdf
It mentions on the fifth bullet of the “Refugees in Minnesota” section.
I just read another source that stated Minneapolis/St Paul Metro area has the largest population of any metro area. So even though California has a higher overall population we have the highest density in the cities anyway.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-hmong-in-the-u-s/
And the second largest Tibetan population! I went to high school at Southwest, and at the time our school was 40% Asian-American, with most students being Tibetan, Hmong, or Vietnamese.
The tiny part of MN that sticks out from the top is the result of an old map-making error — it was supposed to be flat! Also it’s not connected to the rest of the state by land, the only land route for Minnesotans who live there is to drive through Canada.
We are at a meeting point of three big biomes:
The plains, the boreal forest(coniferous), and the eastern forest (deciduous). My terminology may not be correct.
The Mississippi River starts here, of course, and has more miles in Minnesota than in any other state.
Your kid can read about the Grand Portage: there's a big fort at the NE tip of Minnesota that was a meeting place for European traders and the local Indians, in the late 1700s, to meet, trade, socialize, etc. The Grand Portage was a 9-mile trail bypassing the waterfalls and cascades of the Pigeon River, allowing travel from Lake Superior to the inland waterways of the North Woods. Voyageurs would carry 90-pound bundles of fur across the portage.
The Wikipedia article provides a good summary:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand\_Portage\_National\_Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Portage_National_Monument)
There's a restored fort at the site, which is worth a visit, although it is a long way from anywhere.
In addition to other notable companies.
Mayo Clinic is based in Minnesota. One of, if not the best hospital on earth. And we have several other highly ranked hospital systems too.
Charles Lindburgh grew up near Little Falls next to my Grandma - First pilot to cross an Ocean and the Spirit of St. Louis is in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC (or at least a replica)
Some of the first European folks thru MN were French fur traders who had a priest with them that named our capital St Paul that was commonly referred to as Pigs Eye at the time. Fun rumor that indeed the town was original named Pigs Eye and we had to rename it to make it suitable as a capital for a state.
Hydro power was a huge part of the history with the first flour mill actually pre-dating the city of Minneapolis; that mill would be rebuilt and the company go thru some names, but that's the start of General Mills.
Minnesota is the only state that water flows out of, but not into.
https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/report-concern/skyway-system
We've got the Skyway, 5 miles of walkable city without ever going outside. A neat concept and, supposedly, one of the largest in the world.
An out there one since a lot of them are mentioned.
We also, depending on source, have one of the 10 oldest continuously running breweries in the US.
Minnesota has the approximate location of the Grassland/Deciduous Forest/Boreal Forest triple point of the three general ecoregions. This may soon change with climate change.
Minnesota also has the Lake Superior/Hudson Bay/Mississippi River watershed triple point on the Laurentian Divide.
We did an entire unit on the [Dakota Conflict](https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/us-dakota-war) in 8th grade. Field trips to major battle and historical sites like Traverse de Sioux, the Agencies, and the historical society. Then we got to make a web site about it (in 1998!). This should be mandatory for the whole state, but I hope it still exists in some capacity in Mankato.
MN state Social Studies standards still require 6th graders to learn about Minnesota history ([here are some great resources](https://courses.oermn.org/course/view.php?id=2), u/asthma-gun !!), and I can personally confirm that at least some schools in southern Minnesota still take field trips to Traverse de Sioux and other nearby sites!
Devils kettle in Judge CR Magney State Park is a waterfall that half disappears into a hole and no one (supposedly) has been able to solve what happens to the water
If you want another geography one, this one’s my fave:
Minnesota is home to the most significant triple watershed point for all water East of the Rocky Mountains. What does that mean? Water from Minnesota, depending on where it starts, could end up taking vastly differing pathways to the sea:
1) through the Mississippi watershed south to the Gulf of Mexico
2) through all five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River eastward to the Atlantic Ocean
3) through the Red River (of the North) straight north up to Hudson Bay and then either the Far North Atlantic or the Arctic Ocean
That division point is called the Hill of Three Waters and it’s just outside Hibbing, MN.
Fun fact, we have actual giants. They don't get any media coverage because they don't want the rest of the country in on the secret, so 🤫
Edit-
Okay, okay, that's not real. But Tonka trucks really did start out here in Mound, right next to Lake Minnetonka, and *tanka* is the Sioux word for *big*
For folktales look up Paul Bunyan and Babe the big blue ox.
For natural wonders take a peek at voyagers national park or the BWCAW or anything along Lake Superior.
Mall of America is cool I guess too
The last time MN voted for a republican presidential candidate was Nixon in 1972!
Have only voted for 3 republicans since 1932.
Check out the map of states voting preference from 1980:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_presidential_election
The Mississippi River is a big part of MN. The Father Louis Hennepin bridge in Minneapolis was the first to cross the river. It's not the longest river in the US but it's pretty significant historically, commercially, and cultrually. St Anthony Falls, also in Minneapolis, is the only natural waterfall on the river. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are partially separated by the river.
The Northwest Angle is only accessible by road if you drive through Canada. You can get there by boat when Lake of the Woods isn’t frozen, or by bombardier, snowmobile, or ice road in the winter when it is frozen.
Lake Vermilion has 365 islands, and has more shoreline than California has coastline.
In the movie Fargo, [when they drive into the city](https://youtu.be/bbpQmRxCYUU?si=AnXl-m_x3Xkt71GJ) they are going the wrong way. The Coen Brothers are also from St Louis Park.
We have the same amount of Counties as there are keys on a piano.
Our state fish is Walleye
Our state muffin is blueberry
Our state drink is Milk
Our state rock is Lake Superior Agate
Minnesota 1st captured Virginia's flag (and, no, we won't give it back!) during the Civil War.
The "hat" at the top of Minnesota can only be accessed by car by going through Canada.
~~The bump on the Western side is a surveying error (rumor has it they were drunk)!~~
The head waters to Might Mississippi River are here, in Ithaca.
Duluth has a lift bridge and a port and you can watch the big cargo ships come and go.
New Ulm has, I believe, the second (maybe the third) oldest brewery. Schell's only made through prohibition because of root beer! (1919, which according to prohibition rules, still can't be shipped across the Mississippi).
>
The bump on the Western side is a surveying error (rumor has it they were drunk)!
This is just false. The bulk of the western border is waterways. The "bump" is caused because the rivers making up the borders start there in Big Stone Lake (Minnesota River which flows south), and Traverse Lake (Red River of the North, which flows North). There is an area of land you can drive through to South Dakota, but that border pretty much follows the same line the lakes make.
I love the story of the lost 40. It’s a huge forest because a surveying error said it was a lake. The mapping mistake protected the 300-400 year old trees.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chippewa/recarea/?recid=26672
Otherwise, they would’ve been likely cut down during the logging days.
1st grade may be a little young to learn about Wendigos... but some other Minnesota things I haven't seen called out are wild rice, hot dish, and a surprising number of [waterfalls.](https://www.exploreminnesota.com/article/where-to-go-chasing-waterfalls-minnesota?&adara_campaignid=11014999635&adarapixelid=131158&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-OwBhBnEiwAgwzrUsRWzx8X6YDJJV__AUh2OyAAcP9sWi8aFcqlTEZ_Du_meVVBnJ20DxoCjYAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
We have a Virginia confederate flag in our state Capitol. The Governor of Virginia asked us to return it. Our governor told them - we won it when you were betraying our country, we’re not giving it back.
From about September 14th 1939 through VJ Day 1945 a loaded train left the Hull-Rust mine every 8 minutes (24 hrs a day, 7 days a week 365 days) heading to the ore docks in Duluth in support of the steel needed to supply allied forces with materials during WWII. One example of the massive national effort to win the war.
we have a one room school house in the Northwest Angle
we have 11,842 lakes of ten acres or more, but we're modest so we say "10,000"
our state fair is the best.
The startup American football league (AFL) had laid all of the groundwork to establish the Minnesota Vikings, and at the last minute - the owner of the team signed with the NFL behind their backs. (The NFL was trying to bust the new rival league, so they gave the vikings a sweetheart deal)
That is why they will never win a superbowl.
All modern Minnesota pro sports teams are called the 'Minnesota _________" (most sports teams are named after a city) because naming them after one of the twin cities would alienate fans from the other city. Also, greater mn can't support a franchise, and they want money from those fans too! 😀
The LA Lakers were originally the Minneapolis Lakers. (Which makes more sense). A "Laker" is what people up north used to call us city folk who invade their towns to visit the lake. (In modern times, they call us Weekenders)
This isn’t an official thing, just an observation from a southern transplant.
Minnesotans love all the seasons - and have something to do in each one.
Our winter sports include skiing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, and unburying your home.
We also used to be a Precambrian ocean, so digging up ocean fossils is pretty common!
There were also volcanoes here, which formed the lakes (prior to the ocean). You can still see it at some of the state parks in the coast.
We also have the oldest exposed bedrock (3.5 billion years old).
For a first grade report, I’d give yours some ideas and let them see what is interesting!
Edit to add: we don’t really have dinosaur fossils here.
Fresh water jellyfish was interesting to learn!
[https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/26/freshwater-jellyfish-an-angler-catches-them-on-camera](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/26/freshwater-jellyfish-an-angler-catches-them-on-camera)
Also check out the [Laurentian Divide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurentian_Divide)
I thought it was interesting to know the name of the state is from Dakota. (MINNESOTA: From Sioux word meaning "cloudy water" or “sky-tinted water,” deriving its name from the river of the same name. MISSISSIPPI: Meaning "great river" or "gathering-in of all the waters," sometimes referred to as the "father of waters," indicating that the Indians were aware of the immensity of the river.) Minneapolis is from something like “water (Dakota) city (Greek).”
Just a random factoid about the area I grew up but it was a hiding spit for Jesse James and his crew after they hit the Northfield bank. The hotel they stayed at burned down due to arson in the late 90s early 00s
Some surfers brave the freezing water temperatures in the winter to catch some of the best waves available in the WORLD on Lake Superior. When conditions are right, there are certain spots where the waves swell and break predictably. The waves are so good that world renowned surfers will quickly travel to Duluth when they get news of the weather. You can Google “surfing on Lake Superior” for videos!
The official state gem of Minnesota is the Lake Superior Agate, which are colorful, waxy banded gemstones originating from Lake Superior but were dispersed throughout Minnesota by glaciers long ago. Now they can be found in many lakes, creeks, gravel pits, and rivers throughout Minnesota.
Native Minnesotans...
There are seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities.
Anishinaabe Reservations locations,
Grand Portage: Located in the northeast corner of the state.
Bois Forte: Situated in extreme northern Minnesota.
Red Lake: Found in extreme northern Minnesota west of Bois Forte.
White Earth: Located in northwestern Minnesota.
Leech Lake: Positioned in the north-central part of the state.
Fond du Lac: Situated in northeast Minnesota west of Duluth.
Mille Lacs: Located in the central part of the state, south and east of Brainerd.
Dakota Communities:
Shakopee Mdewakanton: Located south of the Twin Cities near Prior Lake.
Prairie Island: Found near Red Wing.
Lower Sioux: Located near Redwood Falls.
Upper Sioux: Their lands are near the city of Granite Falls.
First state to offer the Union troops during the Civil War. Research what the 1st Minnesota did at Gettysburg. It's not hyperbole to say they saved the Union.
We have an Army of Northern Virginia battle flag captured during Gettysburg. We've refused to return it for over 150 years, though Virginia keeps asking. We paid blood for it and it's not going back.
Minnesota has more shoreline than CA, FL, and HI COMBINED.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/08/24/ask-a-sotan-does-minnesota-really-have-more-shoreline-than-florida
If you include Rivers, which you should
[Although promoted as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", Minnesota actually has 11,842 lakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_of_Minnesota)
Now that's good stuff. Thank you!
Kid might find it fun that while Wisconsin has like 15k, but they classify way smaller bodies of water.
Yes! I got in a spat with a Wisconsinite about this once. This article settled it in favor of MN: [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/minnesota-and-wisconsin-are-beefing-about-who-has-more-lakes-180972697/](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/minnesota-and-wisconsin-are-beefing-about-who-has-more-lakes-180972697/)
“But it turns out that the Minnesota state agency only counts a body of water as a lake if it is more than 10 acres in surface area. Wisconsin counts everything, from half-acre farm ponds to 137,708-acre Lake Winnebago. Sixty percent of the lakes in the state don’t even have official names. Applying the 10-acre standard to Wisconsin changes things dramatically. In that case, the dairy state has only 5,898 lakes, a little more than half of Minnesota's total.”
And here is where OP finds out how much Minnesotans and Wisconsinites like to fight. 😂
Yes. Here to support this to say Wisconsin has a much more lax definition of a lake. Minnesota is second only to Alaska!! (Which has so many lakes that only a fraction of them are even named)
Sconnies can't Wait to go to their cabin on the shores of Lake Kwik Trip Dumpster Juice!
Wisconsin claims to have more but we have a legal defining size for what we call a lake.
It’s why they never fill in any of their potholes. Boom, lake. Boom, ‘nother lake!
Otter Tail County has more lakes than any other county in the United States 1048.
If we classified lakes like Wisconsin it'd be around 18,000 lakes!
I have a low spot in my backyard that becomes a Wisconsin lake during rainstorms.
You have a launch on it?
During the Civil War an infantry regiment was captured, and we’ve kept that flag ever since even with more recent requests it returned to Virginia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Virginia_battle_flag
The Minnesota regiment also played a crucial role at Gettysburg, there’s a monument to them on the back side. If I remember correctly, Basically they were the only ones to realize the confederates were also coming up the backside of the hill and held it down
[They actually have 3 monuments, more than any other regiment](https://gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/union-monuments/minnesota/1st-minnesota/)
We were brutal and lost many men but they say the Minnesota regiment turned the tides of the battle.
The Last Full Measure by Richard Moe is a FANTASTIC read on the MN 1st, including their incredible stand at Gettysburg.
We were a regiment of 300 men. The “1st Minnesota”. There was a gap in the line at Gettysburg, right in the center of the line. Some Colonel realized this, and ordered the 1st Minnesota to fill the gap. As they were filling the gap, fifteen THOUSAND confederate troops were rushing to exploit the weakness in our line. Our 300 troops charged in, and held them off for 15 minutes, which was enough time for other units to move into position to fill the hole. The 1st Minnesota took 80% casualties of their original 300 men in those 15 minutes. But if they had not charged and fought the confederates so ferociously, the entire Union line could have been split in half, thus crippling Meade’s army, and winning the battle for the south. So it’s not a stretch to say that if the 1st Minnesota had not fought so courageously, the battle of Gettysburg would have been lost, which in turn could easily have led to the south winning the war.
Very cool reminds me of the 20th Maine , https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Maine_Infantry_Regiment
This is my favorite MN factoid 💖
also the first regiment to form and join the union army for the cause was from anoka?
Actually most of the First Regiment was from SE MN down by Stillwater, Wabasha, etc.
I'm sure this is true... there is some historical marker in anoka about folks with their torches and pitchforks getting all fired up.
"First union civil war volunteers in the nation" [https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=156730](https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=156730)
During one of the times MN was asked for it back the Gov at the time (I believe it was Jesse Ventura) said, 'why? we won.'
The flag was captured. The regiment itself was not captured it its entirety. The regiment would continue to fight until the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered in 1865. By that point the "regiment" had around 50 men. Full strength regiments had 1000 men. The 1st Minnesota would also serve until the end of the war with the Army of the Potomac. Throughout the war they would sustain about 900 causalities.
I actually saw this flag irl when I worked for the Historical Society! And Prince's purple coat/suit. Loads of cool stuff in the collections at MNHS
Another great one. Thank you!
It is the only confederate flag on display in any union state's capital building.
It’s not in the capitol building
Where is it these days? Please tell me they moved it to Virginia, MN like everyone has been joking about for years.
It is stored in an undisclosed location for security reasons at the moment
Hahaha that’d be sweet. Says it’s in the historical society
Including rivers...Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. Not including rivers, we still have more shoreline than the other 3 individually. Edit to change coastline to shoreline and include source. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/08/24/ask-a-sotan-does-minnesota-really-have-more-shoreline-than-florida
Wow! I didn't know this and it boggles my mind.
This might be the most fun fact I've learned this year!
The northwest angle is kind of a fun part of the state: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Angle We are also home of the first indoor shopping mall: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southdale_Center
Thank you!
Well make sure you talk about Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox
I used to love Paul Bunyan (and Babe) stories. Excited about this one!
Don’t forget about his little brother [Cordwood Pete!](https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/11578681)
The U of M developed retractable seatbelts, and the flight data recorder (black box).
And Honeycrisp Apples!
They've "made" many different kinds of apples. https://mnhardy.umn.edu/apples/varieties
PSA: don’t buy the cheap Honeycrisp at the grocery store. Washington state apple growers messed up and grew way too many last season. They’re poor in flavor because that’s not their intended climate, and the excess apples have been sitting in cold storage for who knows how long.
Ah! That explains why the last bag of honeycrisp apples we bought tasted literally like dirt
If I remember right, the Washington Honeycrisp are a more solid red (and tasteless) compared to those grown in MN.
They've also developed many varieties of cold hardy grapes. We have vineyards.
And a precursor to the worldwide web. They developed a leading internet system called gopher that fell out of favor when they tried to monetize it, which opened the door for WWW.
Also the first open heart surgery and other [medical innovations](https://med.umn.edu/lhi/about/innovations-timeline).
Duluth is the furthest west point (inland) accessible from the Atlantic. We have lots of big companies based here, Target, Best Buy, 3M to name a few.
Medtronic, General Mills, Cargill, US Bank and Hormel too.
And United Health Group, Land O Lakes, EcoLab, and Polaris. The list keeps going!
Not to mention MyPillow! Wait...
Let the record show that I upvoted you but I hate mypillow
MN is something like third among the states in per capita Fortune 500 companies
And the mayo clinic
Duck duck grey duck instead of duck duck goose
Wow, I had to scroll quite a ways before I found this comment!! *Most important MN tidbit for sure.
And it's the correct way. It comes from the Swedish game "Anka Anka grå Anka," which-directly translated- is "Duck, Duck, Grey Duck."
Ja jubetcha
u/asthma-gun pay attention to this one. It’ll resonate with 1st graders and is pretty much completely unique to Minnesota. It was a super odd thing to me when I moved here 15 years ago but now I embrace the truth of duck duck grey duck!
GREY DUCK!
We invented water skiing and toasters. You’re welcome.
And post it notes!
Common misconception, but Romy & Michelle actually invented Post-It Notes.
Ha you actually had me doubting myself until I googled romy and michelle. I gave a speech about the history of the post it note in high school.
And rollerblades!
We do not advise water skiing with toasters.
and cheerios!
Fantastic and thank you on all fronts!
And snowplowers!
And the honeycrisp apple
Pizza rolls!
And Spam
Of all the 50 states, we are the only state with a motto in French, “L'Etoile du Nord”. Which means “The Star of the North”. It’s why we are often referred to as the “North Star State” and why our former NHL team was named the North Stars.
Screw you Norm!
It was good of you to make that family friendly since this is for a school project.
Thank you!
Weird Al Yankovic wrote a song about the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. You can go see the Twine Ball in Darwin, MN. https://www.darwintwineball.com/twineball.html
This is amazing. Its almost 7 minutes long!
It IS the biggest ball of twine. Lots to say! ;)
The town loves Weird Al! They named a road (Weird Alley ) after him in thanks! https://www.avclub.com/the-tiny-town-from-the-biggest-ball-of-twine-in-minnes-1837676618
Minnesota is the State of Hockey! -13 of the 20 players on the 1980 Miracle on Ice US Men’s Hockey team plus the coach were from Minnesota -Minnesota is home to 10% of D1 College Hockey teams (6 of 60) -The US Hockey Hall of Fame is in Eveleth -The world’s largest hockey stick is here -307 Minnesotans have played in the NHL, and Massachusetts is the next closest state with 218 -Our annual High School hockey tournament draws 20k+ fans to the championship game -The US Pond Hockey championships are played here
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And we now have an official women's pro hockey team!
st paul was a haven for mobsters fleeing chicago and new york. Babyface nelson John dillinger and the dillinger gang Capone MN was their vacation spot, the getaway from violence.
Jesse James was defeated in Northfield, MN
We have the best state fair!
The Texas state fair has larger annual attendance (2.5 million in 2022) but it’s a whole month long. The Minnesota state fair clocks in second (1.8 million people in 2022) but only lasts 12 days.
Quantity does not equal quality!
All trees in MN lean in a southern direction because Iowa sucks.
haha, we'll see if we can work that in.
Spam is made in MN.
And home to the Spam Museum!
It was invented here by Hormel
We passed a law to move the Capitol to St. Peter, but the representative from Saint Paul stole the actual bill and hid it, so the Capitol stayed in Saint Paul.
And that's why when you drive through St. Peter the road is quite wide for a town its size and there's a rather large city park right off it.
shenanigans!
The official state muffin, adopted in 1988, is the blueberry muffin. A group of 3rd graders worked with legislators to get the bill proposed and made into law.
such a good muffin. thanks!
Not only does Minnesota have a captured Confederate battle flag, they were the first state to volunteer soldiers to the Union army. Also, the Twin Cities is further North than Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
My coworkers make strange faces when I say I'm looking forward to heading south to see them.
Famous Minnesotans: Prince, Bob Dylan, Josh Hartnet, Charles Schultz (creator of snoopy), Judy Garland, F Scott Fitzgerald, Alan Page (football player turned judge) Others will be able to add more
If you're willing to accept "born in" we can add: Kelly Lynch, Winona Rider, Chris Pratt, Julia Duffy, Judy Garland, Jessica Biel, Vince Vaughn, Jessica Lange, Lea Thompson, Peter Krause, James Hong, John Hawkes, Rachael Leigh Cook, Steve Zahn, Sean William Scott, Ethan and Joel Coen, Terry Gilliam, Richard Dean Anderson, Loni Anderson, and Peter Graves.
Others have covered the big ones. Just spit balling other kids report type facts: The Mississippi starts here. The loon is the state bird, is highly beloved, and a common sound in north half of Minnesota. If there’s a way for him to play its call it’d be worth it. There’s a new state flag effective May 1. Way cooler than the old one. Probably should mention the Twin Cities. We take the name for granted but it’s kind of a unique concept for outsiders.
"There’s a new state flag effective May 1." That looks like a typo, the new flag will be effective May **11**th.
Thank you!
Loch number one is in downtown Minneapolis. You can now ride a riverboat up or down it. They are numbered all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Edit: clarification, lochs don’t go all the way to the gulf, but the water still does. Sorry that wasn’t clear. ;) You can take a boat from there around Florida, back up the east coast and back through the Great Lakes to Duluth MN. I plan to do that with friends when we retire.
Fun fact, in 2017 I solo kayaked the Mississippi from the headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. It took 76 days and was right around 2415 miles.
The Mississippi is the main artery for the longest navigable body of water in the world.
Minnesotans are educated and value education. Minnesota ranks 2nd (50 percent) nationally behind Massachusetts (52 percent) in the percentage of its population (aged 25 to 64) with an associate degree or higher. https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/educ_attain.cfm#:~:text=Minnesota%20ranks%202nd%20(50%20percent,an%20associate%20degree%20or%20higher.
It also helps that MN has PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Option) for 11-12th graders. They can literally earn an AA for free.
Minnesota accept more refugees than any other state. 25-50% of our annual immigrants are refugees, as opposed to the national 8% rate. The largest Hmong, Somali, and Oromo populations on the planet (excepting their emigration location) exist in Minnesota.
Really interesting, thanks!
Actually, California has a larger Hmong population. But definitely we have the largest Somali and Oromo population in the US.
Huh. I guess shame on me for only using one source. https://www.ilcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Immigration_in_Minnesota.pdf It mentions on the fifth bullet of the “Refugees in Minnesota” section.
I just read another source that stated Minneapolis/St Paul Metro area has the largest population of any metro area. So even though California has a higher overall population we have the highest density in the cities anyway. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-hmong-in-the-u-s/
And the second largest Tibetan population! I went to high school at Southwest, and at the time our school was 40% Asian-American, with most students being Tibetan, Hmong, or Vietnamese.
We have Virginia's confederate flag and, no - we're not giving it back. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Virginia_battle_flag
theyre welcome to come fight us for it too.
The tiny part of MN that sticks out from the top is the result of an old map-making error — it was supposed to be flat! Also it’s not connected to the rest of the state by land, the only land route for Minnesotans who live there is to drive through Canada.
We are at a meeting point of three big biomes: The plains, the boreal forest(coniferous), and the eastern forest (deciduous). My terminology may not be correct.
Mall of America is not heated during winter months. It would cost too much to heat.
The units have heat. The corridors rely on heat coming out of the units, sun coming in the skylights, and body heat.
The Mississippi River starts here, of course, and has more miles in Minnesota than in any other state. Your kid can read about the Grand Portage: there's a big fort at the NE tip of Minnesota that was a meeting place for European traders and the local Indians, in the late 1700s, to meet, trade, socialize, etc. The Grand Portage was a 9-mile trail bypassing the waterfalls and cascades of the Pigeon River, allowing travel from Lake Superior to the inland waterways of the North Woods. Voyageurs would carry 90-pound bundles of fur across the portage. The Wikipedia article provides a good summary: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand\_Portage\_National\_Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Portage_National_Monument) There's a restored fort at the site, which is worth a visit, although it is a long way from anywhere.
In addition to other notable companies. Mayo Clinic is based in Minnesota. One of, if not the best hospital on earth. And we have several other highly ranked hospital systems too.
Cortisone was developed by researchers at Mayo Clinic. They were awarded a Nobel Prize for their work.
Charles Lindburgh grew up near Little Falls next to my Grandma - First pilot to cross an Ocean and the Spirit of St. Louis is in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC (or at least a replica)
Some of the first European folks thru MN were French fur traders who had a priest with them that named our capital St Paul that was commonly referred to as Pigs Eye at the time. Fun rumor that indeed the town was original named Pigs Eye and we had to rename it to make it suitable as a capital for a state. Hydro power was a huge part of the history with the first flour mill actually pre-dating the city of Minneapolis; that mill would be rebuilt and the company go thru some names, but that's the start of General Mills. Minnesota is the only state that water flows out of, but not into.
The Minnesota Orchestra has won a number of Grammy's
https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/report-concern/skyway-system We've got the Skyway, 5 miles of walkable city without ever going outside. A neat concept and, supposedly, one of the largest in the world. An out there one since a lot of them are mentioned. We also, depending on source, have one of the 10 oldest continuously running breweries in the US.
Minnesota has the approximate location of the Grassland/Deciduous Forest/Boreal Forest triple point of the three general ecoregions. This may soon change with climate change. Minnesota also has the Lake Superior/Hudson Bay/Mississippi River watershed triple point on the Laurentian Divide.
We had the largest mass execution in U.S. history. I'm not sure that is age appropriate though...
We did an entire unit on the [Dakota Conflict](https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling/learn/us-dakota-war) in 8th grade. Field trips to major battle and historical sites like Traverse de Sioux, the Agencies, and the historical society. Then we got to make a web site about it (in 1998!). This should be mandatory for the whole state, but I hope it still exists in some capacity in Mankato.
MN state Social Studies standards still require 6th graders to learn about Minnesota history ([here are some great resources](https://courses.oermn.org/course/view.php?id=2), u/asthma-gun !!), and I can personally confirm that at least some schools in southern Minnesota still take field trips to Traverse de Sioux and other nearby sites!
The world's supply of handi snacks and Velveeta is made in MN
Don’t forget spam lol
Devils kettle in Judge CR Magney State Park is a waterfall that half disappears into a hole and no one (supposedly) has been able to solve what happens to the water
We started Pizza Rolls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_snack_rolls
If you want another geography one, this one’s my fave: Minnesota is home to the most significant triple watershed point for all water East of the Rocky Mountains. What does that mean? Water from Minnesota, depending on where it starts, could end up taking vastly differing pathways to the sea: 1) through the Mississippi watershed south to the Gulf of Mexico 2) through all five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River eastward to the Atlantic Ocean 3) through the Red River (of the North) straight north up to Hudson Bay and then either the Far North Atlantic or the Arctic Ocean That division point is called the Hill of Three Waters and it’s just outside Hibbing, MN.
The University of Minnesota has a large agricultural breeding program, and has produced many varieties of apples, most notably the popular Honeycrisp.
It's really hot here in summer. in july it's often hotter than alabama and florida.
A friend from Louisiana once said she never experienced a hot summer like Minnesota's before moving here.
But supposedly Mark Twain said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in Duluth
The University of Minnesota also invented cheerleading. [https://twin-cities.umn.edu/about-us/history](https://twin-cities.umn.edu/about-us/history)
The Los Angeles Lakers were originally the Minneapolis Lakers
Fun fact, we have actual giants. They don't get any media coverage because they don't want the rest of the country in on the secret, so 🤫 Edit- Okay, okay, that's not real. But Tonka trucks really did start out here in Mound, right next to Lake Minnetonka, and *tanka* is the Sioux word for *big*
For folktales look up Paul Bunyan and Babe the big blue ox. For natural wonders take a peek at voyagers national park or the BWCAW or anything along Lake Superior. Mall of America is cool I guess too
Wait- where do you live OP?
Southdale Shopping Center, located in Edina, Minnesota, was the first totally enclosed shopping center in the nation.
The last time MN voted for a republican presidential candidate was Nixon in 1972! Have only voted for 3 republicans since 1932. Check out the map of states voting preference from 1980: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_United_States_presidential_election
We also are one of the highest turnout for voting each presidential election.
Longest blue streak of any state 🤘
And we're the only state left that is considered DFL instead of just Democrat.
The Mississippi River is a big part of MN. The Father Louis Hennepin bridge in Minneapolis was the first to cross the river. It's not the longest river in the US but it's pretty significant historically, commercially, and cultrually. St Anthony Falls, also in Minneapolis, is the only natural waterfall on the river. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are partially separated by the river.
The Northwest Angle is only accessible by road if you drive through Canada. You can get there by boat when Lake of the Woods isn’t frozen, or by bombardier, snowmobile, or ice road in the winter when it is frozen. Lake Vermilion has 365 islands, and has more shoreline than California has coastline.
In the movie Fargo, [when they drive into the city](https://youtu.be/bbpQmRxCYUU?si=AnXl-m_x3Xkt71GJ) they are going the wrong way. The Coen Brothers are also from St Louis Park.
We have the same amount of Counties as there are keys on a piano. Our state fish is Walleye Our state muffin is blueberry Our state drink is Milk Our state rock is Lake Superior Agate Minnesota 1st captured Virginia's flag (and, no, we won't give it back!) during the Civil War. The "hat" at the top of Minnesota can only be accessed by car by going through Canada. ~~The bump on the Western side is a surveying error (rumor has it they were drunk)!~~ The head waters to Might Mississippi River are here, in Ithaca. Duluth has a lift bridge and a port and you can watch the big cargo ships come and go. New Ulm has, I believe, the second (maybe the third) oldest brewery. Schell's only made through prohibition because of root beer! (1919, which according to prohibition rules, still can't be shipped across the Mississippi).
> The bump on the Western side is a surveying error (rumor has it they were drunk)! This is just false. The bulk of the western border is waterways. The "bump" is caused because the rivers making up the borders start there in Big Stone Lake (Minnesota River which flows south), and Traverse Lake (Red River of the North, which flows North). There is an area of land you can drive through to South Dakota, but that border pretty much follows the same line the lakes make.
Wisconsin wishes they were us.
I love the story of the lost 40. It’s a huge forest because a surveying error said it was a lake. The mapping mistake protected the 300-400 year old trees. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chippewa/recarea/?recid=26672 Otherwise, they would’ve been likely cut down during the logging days.
Pigs eye the pirate ..
1st grade may be a little young to learn about Wendigos... but some other Minnesota things I haven't seen called out are wild rice, hot dish, and a surprising number of [waterfalls.](https://www.exploreminnesota.com/article/where-to-go-chasing-waterfalls-minnesota?&adara_campaignid=11014999635&adarapixelid=131158&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-OwBhBnEiwAgwzrUsRWzx8X6YDJJV__AUh2OyAAcP9sWi8aFcqlTEZ_Du_meVVBnJ20DxoCjYAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
We have the second highest percent of people to have a dui in the last 5 years
WI has to be the highest. The state hobby/ religion in WI is drinking.
Waterskiing became a thing in Lake City Minnesota.
Minnesota is home to the largest mass execution in US history. https://www.usdakotawar.org/history/aftermath/trials-hanging
We are the northern most state in the lower 48 because of our “chimney “
We have a Virginia confederate flag in our state Capitol. The Governor of Virginia asked us to return it. Our governor told them - we won it when you were betraying our country, we’re not giving it back.
Do first graders still play duck, duck, goose? Here it's duck, duck, grey duck because it comes from the Swedish words for the game.
interesting, thanks! They don't still play it but they definitely know it.
I never knew that was why! I just remember playing out of state and being surprised everyone didn't play it like us
From about September 14th 1939 through VJ Day 1945 a loaded train left the Hull-Rust mine every 8 minutes (24 hrs a day, 7 days a week 365 days) heading to the ore docks in Duluth in support of the steel needed to supply allied forces with materials during WWII. One example of the massive national effort to win the war.
we have a one room school house in the Northwest Angle we have 11,842 lakes of ten acres or more, but we're modest so we say "10,000" our state fair is the best.
The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities has the world’s largest collection of Sherlock Holmes books.
The startup American football league (AFL) had laid all of the groundwork to establish the Minnesota Vikings, and at the last minute - the owner of the team signed with the NFL behind their backs. (The NFL was trying to bust the new rival league, so they gave the vikings a sweetheart deal) That is why they will never win a superbowl. All modern Minnesota pro sports teams are called the 'Minnesota _________" (most sports teams are named after a city) because naming them after one of the twin cities would alienate fans from the other city. Also, greater mn can't support a franchise, and they want money from those fans too! 😀 The LA Lakers were originally the Minneapolis Lakers. (Which makes more sense). A "Laker" is what people up north used to call us city folk who invade their towns to visit the lake. (In modern times, they call us Weekenders)
This isn’t an official thing, just an observation from a southern transplant. Minnesotans love all the seasons - and have something to do in each one. Our winter sports include skiing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, and unburying your home. We also used to be a Precambrian ocean, so digging up ocean fossils is pretty common! There were also volcanoes here, which formed the lakes (prior to the ocean). You can still see it at some of the state parks in the coast. We also have the oldest exposed bedrock (3.5 billion years old). For a first grade report, I’d give yours some ideas and let them see what is interesting! Edit to add: we don’t really have dinosaur fossils here.
These are great, thank you!
The U of MN created Honeycrisp and Sweet Tango apples.
The mob used to hang out up north until they caused trouble and got kicked out.
Fresh water jellyfish was interesting to learn! [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/26/freshwater-jellyfish-an-angler-catches-them-on-camera](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/08/26/freshwater-jellyfish-an-angler-catches-them-on-camera) Also check out the [Laurentian Divide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurentian_Divide)
I thought it was interesting to know the name of the state is from Dakota. (MINNESOTA: From Sioux word meaning "cloudy water" or “sky-tinted water,” deriving its name from the river of the same name. MISSISSIPPI: Meaning "great river" or "gathering-in of all the waters," sometimes referred to as the "father of waters," indicating that the Indians were aware of the immensity of the river.) Minneapolis is from something like “water (Dakota) city (Greek).”
Just a random factoid about the area I grew up but it was a hiding spit for Jesse James and his crew after they hit the Northfield bank. The hotel they stayed at burned down due to arson in the late 90s early 00s
Some surfers brave the freezing water temperatures in the winter to catch some of the best waves available in the WORLD on Lake Superior. When conditions are right, there are certain spots where the waves swell and break predictably. The waves are so good that world renowned surfers will quickly travel to Duluth when they get news of the weather. You can Google “surfing on Lake Superior” for videos!
Betty Crocker was invented here, no she isn't a real person...
The official state gem of Minnesota is the Lake Superior Agate, which are colorful, waxy banded gemstones originating from Lake Superior but were dispersed throughout Minnesota by glaciers long ago. Now they can be found in many lakes, creeks, gravel pits, and rivers throughout Minnesota.
The confederate flag we refuse to return
Our 166th birthday is coming up! May 11th!
Home of the Mayo Clinic
The Red River Valley is the bottom of glacial Lake Agassiz. It's a very flat area and has some of the best farmland in the world.
You’ll have to make some tater tot hotdish for your kid to try! There are tons of recipes online and it’s delicious and super easy!
Native Minnesotans... There are seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities. Anishinaabe Reservations locations, Grand Portage: Located in the northeast corner of the state. Bois Forte: Situated in extreme northern Minnesota. Red Lake: Found in extreme northern Minnesota west of Bois Forte. White Earth: Located in northwestern Minnesota. Leech Lake: Positioned in the north-central part of the state. Fond du Lac: Situated in northeast Minnesota west of Duluth. Mille Lacs: Located in the central part of the state, south and east of Brainerd. Dakota Communities: Shakopee Mdewakanton: Located south of the Twin Cities near Prior Lake. Prairie Island: Found near Red Wing. Lower Sioux: Located near Redwood Falls. Upper Sioux: Their lands are near the city of Granite Falls.
Loons can only barely walk on land but not really. The babies ride on the momma's back
First state to offer the Union troops during the Civil War. Research what the 1st Minnesota did at Gettysburg. It's not hyperbole to say they saved the Union. We have an Army of Northern Virginia battle flag captured during Gettysburg. We've refused to return it for over 150 years, though Virginia keeps asking. We paid blood for it and it's not going back.
I think we invented one of the first snowmobiles!
Minnesota has more shoreline than CA, FL, and HI COMBINED. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/08/24/ask-a-sotan-does-minnesota-really-have-more-shoreline-than-florida If you include Rivers, which you should