To celebrate the feat, the Rock Island Railroad took a company of journalists and dignitaries on a rail and steamboat journey from the East Coast all the way to St. Paul.
The agency was established by the U.S. government to administer obligations under the 1851 treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota.
Their story is a great example of how native peoples just couldn’t win.
After winning his freedom in the 1830s James Thompson became a respected citizen of the city of St. Paul known for his accomplishments more than his skin color.
Criminals had to agree to three conditions: that they checked-in with police upon their arrival; agreed to pay bribes to city officials; and committed no major crimes in the city of St. Paul.
From their state’s admission to the Union until the mid-1860s, Minnesota’s black citizens paid taxes, fought in wars, and fostered their communities. But they could not vote, hold political office, or serve on juries.
On May 27, 1858, the last in a long series of violent conflicts between Dakota and Ojibwe people took place on the banks of the Minnesota River.
The bridge was built in 1855 to take advantage of the transport possibilities provided by the Mississippi River above St. Anthony Falls.
Public outcry over a plan to create a rail line across Minnesota Territory led to scandal and the repeal of the territory’s first land grant bill.
Founded by a real-estate developer in 1856, Nininger boomed to 1,000 residents and went bust in just 13 years.
