Minnesota: The North Star State
Capital City: St. Paul
Location: 44.83945 N, 092.99496 W
Border States: Iowa - North Dakota - South Dakota - Wisconsin Constitution: 32nd State
Economy:
Agriculture: Dairy products, corn, cattle, soybeans, hogs, wheat, turkeys.
Industry: Machinery, food processing, printing and publishing, fabricated metal products,
electric equipment, mining, tourism.
Geology:
Land Area; 79,548 sq.mi.; 12th
Highest Point: Eagle Mountain; 2301 feet Eagle Mountain
Inland water: 4854 sq.mi.
Largest City: Minneapolis
Lowest Point: Shore of Lake Superior; 602 feet
Motto: L'Etoile du nord - The star of the north
Nickname: North Star State - Gopher State - Bread and Butter State
Origin of state's name:
Based on the Dakota Sioux Indian word for "sky-tinted water," referring to the
Minnesota River or the state's many lakes
Population: 4,685,549; 20th - 7-97
Statehood: May 11, 1858
State Song "Hail!
Minnesota"
Written by two students at the University of Minnesota in 1904 and 1905. It was the
official University song until 1945, when it became the state song.
| Minnesota, hail to thee! Hail to thee our state so dear! Thy light shall ever be A beacon bright and clear. Thy sons and daughters true Will proclaim thee near and far. They shall guard thy fame And adore thy name; Thou shalt be their Northern Star. |
Like the stream that bends to sea, Like the pine that seeks the blue, Minnesota, still for thee, Thy sons are strong and true. From thy woods and waters fair, From thy prairies waving far, At thy call they throng, With their shout and song, Hailing thee their Northern Star. |
State Seal
The official seal shows a barefoot farmer plowing a field near St. Anthony Falls on the
Mississippi River. The farmer's axe, gun, and powderhorn rest on a near by stump, as he
looks at an Indian riding a horse. Minnesota's state motto "L'Etoile du Nord,"
French for "star of the north," also appears on the seal.
State Bird Common Loon (gavia immer)
Dating back 60 million years, the common loon is one of the earth's oldest living bird
species. Its name comes from a Norwegian word that means "wild, sad cry."
Approximately 12,000 make their homes in Minnesota. Loons are large black-and-white birds
with long black bills. Clumsy on land, they are excellent divers, underwater swimmers, and
high-speed flyers.
State Tree Norway Pine (pinus resinosa)
The Norway pine, also called the red pine because of its reddish brown bark, stands 60 to
100 feet tall, with a trunk three to five feet wide. Its needles are four to six inches
long and grow in pairs. The tallest Norway pine in Minnesota is in Itasca State Park. It
is over 300 years old and stands 120 feet high.
State Flower Pink and White Lady Slipper (cypripedium reginae)
The pink and white lady slipper is one of Minnesota's rarest wildflowers. Thriving in
swamps, bogs, and damp woods, they grow slowly, taking 4 to 16 years to produce their
first flower. Sometimes they live for 50 years and grow four feet tall. They bloom in late
June or early July. It is illegal to pick the lady slipper.
Flower:
Thriving in swamps, bogs, and damp woods, they grow slowly, taking 4 to 16 years to
produce their first flower. Sometimes they live for 50 years and grow four feet tall. They
bloom in late June or early July.
State Fish Walleye (stizostedion v. vitreum)
Walleye, a favorite fishing catch, inhabit waters in all parts of the state, but mainly
the large, cool lakes in northern Minnesota. Their eyes are sensitive to light, so they go
to deep dark waters during the day and move to shallow lake areas at night. Minnesota's
record walleye weighed 17 pounds 8 ounces.
State Mushroom Morel (morchella esculenta)
These tasty brown, spongy-topped mushrooms pop up in fields and forests in spring time,
and are considered a rare delicacy by mushroom hunters.
State Grain Wild Rice (zizania aquatica)
Wild rice grows naturally in the shallow waters of lakes in central and northern
Minnesota. For many years, all the wild rice produced in the world came from Minnesota. It
is harvested from lakes in the traditional Anishinabe (Native American) way, from canoes.
It is also planted as a farm crop.
State Muffin Blueberry
Wild blueberries are native to northeastern Minnesota, growing in bogs, on hillsides, and
in cut over forested areas.
State Drink Milk
Minnesota produces 9.7 billion pounds of milk a year and ranks fifth in dairy production
among the states.
State Gemstone Lake Superior Agate
These unusually beautiful quartz stones are banded with rich red and orange colors derived
from iron ore in the soil. Found in northeastern and north central Minnesota, they are
often polished to make jewelry.
State Flag
Minnesota's state flag is royal blue bordered with gold fringe. Around the state seal in
the center is a wreath of lady slippers. Nineteen stars ring the wreath. The largest star
represents Minnesota, the 19th state to join the union after the original 13.
Three dates are woven into the wreath:1858, the year Minnesota became a state; 1819, the year Fort Snelling was established; and 1893, the year the official flag was adopted. Nineteen stars ring the wreath. The largest star represents Minnesota.
Summer and fall, Minnesotans love the water and the thousands of lakes and rivers that dot our land. Boating is one of the most popular outdoor activities, whether it be in a canoe, sailboat, or motorboat. Waterskiing was invented in Minnesota in 1922, by a young man eager to zoom across Lake Pepin, a three-mile-wide part of the Mississippi River. Minnesota lakes and rivers are filled with fine fish to catch, from walleye to northern to trout and bass. Everyone seems to go out to try for the big one- more than 1.6 million fishing licenses were sold in Minnesota in 1990, more per capita than any other state.
Minnesotans love fishing too much to give it up in winter; hence, ice-fishing. Fishermen set up heated "fish houses" on frozen lakes each winter, cutting a hole in the ice floor for fishing lines. Fishing towns sring up each year on frozen lakes, lasting until the end of February. One fish house community even elects a mayor!
Other winter sports include cross-country skiing and ice-skating. Minnesota is known for its excellent network of cross-country trails, totaling more than 4000 kilometers. Minnesota has strong representaion among professional ice-hockey players, many of whom learned to skate on local Minnesota ice rinks.
The first commercial snowmobiles were manufactured in northern Minnesota in 1953 and have become standard winter recreational equipment in northern areas. One in 20 Minnesotans now owns a snowmobile.
Minnesola offers dozens of theaters across the state, as well as the nationally-known Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. There are fine art and history museums to visit as well as top zoos, including the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, with its dolphin-breeding program and dramatic bird shows.
Whether your thing is canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness in northeast Minnesota, biking in one of Minnesota's 66 state parks, browsing the sculptures at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or exploring interactive exhibits at the Minnesota Historical Society's History Center, it's easy to have fun in Minnesota!
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Playing is the State Song