Minnesota (river)

Minnesota river, 332 mi (534 km) long, rising in Big Stone Lake at the W boundary of Minnesota and flowing SE to Mankato, then NE to the Mississippi S of Minneapolis. Earlier called the St. Peter or St. Pierre, it was an important route of explorers and fur traders. The river follows the valley of the prehistoric River Warren, the outlet of Lake Agassiz.

Bibliography: See E. Jones, The Minnesota: Forgotten River (1962).

Minnesota, USA A state and a river with a name meaning ‘Sky‐Coloured Water’ or ‘Waters that reflect the Sky’ from the Dakota (Sioux) minne ‘water’ and sota which probably did not represent ‘blue’, but ‘cloudy’. With that part of Minnesota east of the Mississippi River in US hands by 1787, the part west of the river was acquired by means of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Minnesota, including parts of modern North and South Dakota, became a territory in 1849 and joined the Union as the 32nd state in 1858 with its present borders.

St Paul US state capital and port of entry, on the e bank of the Mississippi River, e Minnesota. In 1849, St Paul was made capital of Minnesota territory. When Minnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858, it became the state capital, developing rapidly as a river port and transportation centre. Today, it is a major manufacturing and distribution centre. Industries: computers, electronics, printing, automobiles. Pop. (2000) 287,151.