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Minneapolis –
A city of lakes!
M
inneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota, and with
its twin city St. Paul, the state’s capital, the area makes
up the 16th largest metro area in the nation. The Mississippi
River is crucial to the area and the city borders both sides of
the river. In the early years, St. Anthony Falls, formerly the
highest waterfall on the river, was used for powering sawmills
for the burgeoning lumber industry. By 1871, the west river
bank had several new businesses including flour mills, woolen
mills, paper mills, iron works, and a railroad machine shop.
The city is known for its many lakes, Mississippi River, creeks
and waterfalls, connecting to the Chain of Lakes and the Grand
Rounds National Scenic Byway.
The name Minneapolis (Sioux word for water and Greek word
for city) is attributed to the city’s first school teacher, Charles
Hoag. Dakota Sioux were the region’s sole residents until
French explorers arrived around 1680. Fort Snelling was built
nearby in 1819 by the U.S. Army, and that spurred growth. A
band of the Dakota, the Mdewakanton, were “persuaded“ by
the U.S. government to cede their land to settlers from the East
beginning around 1837.
Minneapolis became a town in 1856 and was incorporated
as a city in 1867, which was the year that rail service between Chicago and Minneapolis began. St. Anthony Falls spurred many
flour mills around the turn of the century, including the father of modern milling. Cadwallader C. Washburn, founder of General
Mills. His revolutionary milling technology included gradual reduction processing by steel and porcelain roller mills which could
quickly produce pure white flour from grain. Charles A. Pillsbury was not far behind across the river and the flour production in
the area became known as the best in the world. The millers worked with scientists at the University of Minnesota. By 1900,
14.1 percent of America’s grain was milled in Minneapolis.
In 1934 a violent Teamsters strike led to laws protecting workers’ rights. Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey, a union sup-
porter and civil rights activist, helped the city set up fair-employment practices and in 1946 set up a human relations council that
interceded on behalf of minorities.
Education
The largest institution of higher
education is The University of Min-
nesota, home of the Golden Gophers.
Also in the city are: Augsburg Col-
lege, Minneapolis College of Art and
Design, North Central University,
Minneapolis Community and Tech-
nical College, Dunwoody College of
Technology, Globe University/Min-
nesota School of Business, and Art
Institutes International Minnesota.
St. Mary’s University of Minnesota
has a Twin Cities campus for its
graduate and professional programs.
Capella University, Minnesota School
of Professional Psychology, and
Walden University are headquartered
in Minneapolis.
Referenced: Wikipedia
