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Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things that Shape Our State

Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things that Shape Our State
By Kate Roberts

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Product Description

The people have spoken. Minnesota wouldn’t be Minnesota without Bob Dylan. Or the BWCA. Immigrant farmers. The American Indian Movement. Thousands of citizens nominated their favorite topics for inclusion in Minnesota 150. With short essays, eye-catching illustrations, and text from the winning nominations, Kate Roberts reveals the many ways in which our past becomes our collective history.
 
Read stories from people like former Iron Ranger Brian Weber, who wrote about watching the 1980 Olympic hockey team as a young boy: “It makes me think of our neighbor, a miner with a very Finnish last name, who watched all the games with us. Thinking about it now, after the taconite expansion of the early to mid-1970s, this was the beginning of the end for the mines up there. And I think they knew it. But they felt they had a hockey team and a coach that was fighting for us. And hockey mattered.” Learn about the genesis of such iconic businesses as the Greyhound Bus Company, which got its start when Hibbing natives Carl Wickman and Andrew Anderson bought a used Hupmobile, hoping to sell it at a profit.
 
Through surprising, little-known stories, Minnesota 150 explores how such intangibles as personal judgment, political climate, and popular taste can shape our view of the past.
Kate Roberts holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota, is a senior exhibits developer for the Minnesota Historical Society, and directed the exhibit development for the popular Mill City Museum. She lives in Minneapolis.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #99489 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-10-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 224 pages

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Customer Reviews

Minnesota's 150 people ,events & things5
When the public was asked to enter suggestions for 150 significant people, things, etc that shaped Minnesota's history and then a committee finalized the selection it is absolutely amazing what a broad spectrum of these choices turned out to be. The entire State was represented. The book captures the exhibit at the Minnesota History Center and provides snapshots of what was important during the past 150 years. Amazing how it was put together in a fun and informative mode. A great gift book for those who care about Minnesota and history buffs.

Absolutely marvelous!5
This book is a "must" for anyone who is proud to be a Minnesotan or is interested in Minnesota's history. You do not have to read it cover to cover right away -- just pick and choose. And then read some more.

MUST READ! A Great Way to Read About Minnesota History5
For Minnesota's Sesquicentennial, the Minnesota History Center created the acclaimed MN150 exhibit of 150 people, places and things that shaped Minnesota, chosen from over 2,700 citizen nominations. They put much time and money into developing the exhibit. (Check out the website for more interesting reading.) This enjoyable and very readable book presents brief profiles of those 150 entries. The 150 entries cover a wide range of topics covering all aspects of Minnesota history.

I believe that learning the interesting stories of people is a great way to learn about history, since history is the story of people. By reading these 150 brief profiles, you'll gain a solid overview of Minnesota in way that's interesting and actually enjoyable to read. This provides terrific snapshots of moments in Minnesota history.

You'll briefly learn about people like Hubert H. Humphrey, Charles Lindbergh, Ann Bancroft, James J. Hill, Dan Patch, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Norman Borlaug, Fredrick McGhee, Prince, Bob Dylan, American Indian Movement, Republican governors Elmer Andersen and Harold Stassen, golfer Patty Berg, baseball legend Charles Bender, GPS inventor Bradford Parkinson, Wanda Gag, heart surgery pioneer Owen Wangensteen, suffragette Clara Ueland, 3M, the first mall, Guthrie Theater, John Thomas, John Ireland, Mayo Clinic, First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Garrison Keillor, Itasca State Park, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sister Kenny, US-Dakota War, space program pioneer Robert Gilruth, and many, many more facinating people. This is a fascinating read for your bedside table.

Everyone will enjoy most of the entries, love some of the profiles, and dislike a few, depending on your biases. From giants of business to radicals on the Iron Range, this is the history of Minnesota. It's all here.

I do wish that part of the winning nominations by the nominators were included. Some were excellent to read. You can read them at the MN150 website. This exhibit was supposed to be "the people have spoken." Also, I felt that Peanuts creator Charles Schultz should have been included and a couple other entries maybe should not have made it. None-the-less, these are minor quibbles.

One great thing about this book is that it's interactive. You can think of what you would include, and after you read this book, you may find yourself realizing the importance of a few things you previously would not have considered or learn about different times and the people who lived back then. In some ways, America is like a hologram, with different appearances depending your distance and perspective, or like the many facets of a diamond.

This book is extremely well written, and I highly doubt that anyone else could have done such an excellent job. Bravo to Kate Roberts. This is a great book for a great exhibit.

Highest recommendation!