Excerpt from A Half Century of Minnesota as Territory and State: A Concise Account of the Principal Events in the Period of Discovery, Exploration, and Settlement, and During the Half Century of Territorial and State Government Minnesota. Nine of these years were passed under the territorial administration and forty -one in statehood, but the distinction matters little. In 1849 Minnesota assumed her name and her position among the geographical and political divisions of the United States. In 1849 Minnesota became an entity. Since that time she. Has had a distinct place in this great country; for fifty years her history has been making and her character and position developing. And that half century of Minnesota history is well worth preserva tion. It is worth the while of every person living in the state to be in formed as to the main facts in the story of Minnesota. For few if any of the states of the Union have made greater progress in the first fifty years of their organized existence. This progress has been not alone in increased population and material wealth; Minnesota has, in these five decades, looked well to the higher things of life. An educational system has been established which, while not yet perfect, is recognized as ad mirable in plan and detail and quite wonderful for a state which a half century ago was largely inhabited by Indians. At the head of this sys tem is the University of Minnesota, which is now recognized as ranking among the best institutions of its kind in the country. Supplementing the educational system is a group of excellent libraries which under the stimulating influence of sympathetic legislation and enthusiastic pro motion will, it is believed. Increase rapidly in the immediate future. Not less significant has been the progress of the religious life of the state. The leading denominations have found a fertile field among a people whose antecedents and traditions make church affiliations and loyalties most natural. It is noteworthy that in several of the foremost denomina tions in Minnesota there are individual churches which compare favor ably in membership, charities and general efficiency with any in the country. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.