DOCSLIB.ORG

A History of the Constitution of Minnesota (1921)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY TRANSFERRED FROM THE BUREAU FOR RESEARCH IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA These publications contain the results of research work from various depart ments of the University and are offered for exchange with universities, scientific societies, and other institutions. Papers will be published as separate monographs numbered in several series. There is no stated interval of publication. Application for any of these publications should be made to the University Librarian. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SERIES 1. Jambs Thayer Gebould, Sources of English History of the Seventeenth Century, 1603-1689, in the University of Minnesota Library, with a Selection of Secondary Material. 1921. $4.00. STUDIES IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES 1. Thompson and Warber, Social and Economic Survey of a Rural Township in Southern Minnesota. 1913. $0.50. 2. Matthias Nordbbrg Orfield, Federal Land Grants to the States, with Special Reference to Minnesota. 1915. $1.00. 3. Edward Van Dyke Robinson, Early Economic Conditions and the Develop ment of Agriculture in Minnesota. 1915. $1.50. 4. L. D. H. Weld and Others, Studies in the Marketing of Farm Products. 1915. $0.50. 5. Ben Palmer, Swamp Land Drainage, with Special Reference to Minnesota. 1915. $0.50. 6. Albert Ernest Jenks, Indian-White Amalgamation: An Anthropometric Study. 1916. $0.50. 7. C. D. Allin, A History of the Tariff Relations of the Australian Colonies. 1918. $0.75. 8. Frances H. Relf, The Petition of Right. 1917. $0.75. 9. Gilbert L. Wilson, Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Inter pretation. 1917. $0.75. 10. Notestein and Relf, Editors, Commons Debates for 1629. In press. 11. Raymond A. Kent, A Study of State Aid to Public Schools in Minnesota. 1918. $1.00. 12. Rupert C. Lodge, The Meaning and Function of Simple Modes in the Philosophy of John Locke. 1918. $0.75. 13. Florence R. Curtis, The Libraries of the American State and National Institutions for Defectives, Dependents, and Delinquents. 1918. $0.50. 14. Louis A. Boettiger, Armenian Legends and Festivals. 1920. $0.75. 15. Willia1 Anderson, A History of the Constitution of Minnesota, with the First Verified Text. 1921. $1.75. STUDIES IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 1. Frankforter and Frary, Equilibria in Systems Containing Alcohols, Salts, and Water. 1912. $0.50. 2. Frankforter and Kritchevsky, A New Phase of Catalysis. 1914. $0.50. STUDIES IN ENGINEERING 1. George Alfred Maney, Secondary Stresses and Other Problems in Rigid Frames: A New Method of Solution. 1915. $0.25. 2. Charles Franklin Shoop, An Investigation of the Concrete Road-Making Properties of Minnesota Stone and Gravel. 1915. $0.25. 3. Franklin R. McMillan, Shrinkage and Time Effect* in Reinforced Con crete. 1915. $0.25. (Continued inside back cover) Research Publications of the Un1vers1ty of M1nnesota Stud les 1n the Soc1al Sc1ence* Number 15 f A HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTION OF MINNESOTA WITH THE FIRST VERIFIED TEXT BY WILLIAM ANDERSON, Ph.D. Ass1stant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Bureau for Research in Government of the University of Minnesota IN COLLABORATION WITH ALBERT J. LOBB, Ph.B., L.L.B. Comptroller of the University, formerly Assistant Professor of Political Science Price: $1.75 Published by the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, March, 1921 MKVAM COLLMf lHRm MCEIVFD THR6U5H THE 1UKUU rt'R RESEARCH IN MIIMICIPAL GOVERNMENT Copyright 1921 BY THE University of Minnesota . PREFACE The primary aim in the preparation of this volume has been to put be tween two covers for the use of students and teachers the more essential facts in the history of the constitution of the state. At the same time an attempt has been made to cover the subject with sufficient completeness to make the work useful as a reference book for lawyers, judges, legislators, and public officials generally. The limited scope of the work must, however, be made clear. It is essentially a history of a public document, the written constitution of Minnesota. It explains when and how the original constitu tion was drawn up and adopted, how it happened to include this and that original provision, and what amendments have been introduced into its text and for what reasons ; but it does not, except incidentally, explain how the various clauses have worked in practice, nor does it attempt to discuss fully the interpretation which the courts have given to its several provisions. It is neither a history of the government and politics of the state, nor a treatise on its constitutional law, though it includes some of the elements of both and furnishes the foundation upon which they may be erected. The manner of treatment combines both the chronological and the topical, and as a result a certain amount of repetition has been unavoidable. The author has looked upon the work primarily as a reference book, how ever, and has consequently tried to make the discussion under each head fairly complete in itself. In addition there will be found in the footnotes frequent cross-references to other passages. The general policy with regard to footnotes has been to put in too many rather than too few, in order to facilitate further research by the readers of this volume. For this purpose there has been added, also, a bibliography and a somewhat elaborate ana lytical index, to both of which the attention of the research student is called. According to the original plan, Mr. Lobb was to have taken the con stitution as it was in 1857 and to have traced its history down to the present, showing how the processes of amendment have operated and explaining all the amendments. He had gathered the materials for his chapters and had already prepared rough drafts of them when he was called out of the fields of teaching and research first to become assistant to the president and later comptroller of the University. His new duties prevented his completing the work he had so well begun, and it devolved upon the undersigned to pre pare the entire manuscript. While the latter assumes full responsibility for the arrangement, the style, and the substance of all the chapters, he wishes to express his gratitude to Mr. Lobb for his invaluable assistance and for his sustained interest in the work after he was compelled to give it up. The author is also under obligations to his colleagues Dean Guy Stanton Ford, Professor Cephas D. Allin, Dr. Solon J. Buck, and Dr. Lester B. Shippee, all of whom have read the manuscript and made valuable sugges tions. Mention must also be made of the kindly assistance received by the author in the offices of the Secretary of State, the State Librarian, and the Minnesota Historical Society. The collection of newspapers, books, and manuscripts of the Minnesota Historical Society is indispensable for the success of any such work as was here attempted. This volume is in a sense the first substantial result of the work of the Bureau for Research in Government of the Department of Political Science. The maps were prepared by Miss Sophia Hall, secretary of the Bureau, who also gave worthy assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. It is the plan of the Bureau to prepare a series of monographs, of which this is the first, dealing with various phases and problems of the state and local govern ment of Minnesota. William Anderson CONTENTS Pages Preface iii-iv Introduction 1-3 Chapter I. The pre-territorial period 4-28 i. Introduction 4-5' 2. International boundary settlements affecting Minnesota.... 5-9 3. The Northwest Ordinance 9-1 1 4. Carving out new states in the northwest 12-14 5. The northern boundary of Iowa 14-17 6. The western boundary of Wisconsin 17-21 7. Minnesota as unorganized territory 21-28 Chapter II. The territory of Minnesota 29-41 i. The passage of the organic act 29-30 2. The territory of Minnesota, 1849-1858 31-35 3. Territorial politics 35-41 Chapter III. Preliminaries of statehood 42-68 1 . Plans and counterplans 42_47 2. The legislative assembly of 1856 47-5° 3. The summer of 1856 50-51 4. Mr. Rice plans the future state 52-55 5. The legislative assembly of 1857 55-59 6. The passage of the enabling act 59-^3 7. The substance of the enabling act 63-65 8. Special session of the legislature, April-May, 1857 65-68 Chapter IV. Electing and organizing the constitutional convention 69-86 i. The apportionment of delegates 69-71 2. The campaign, and the election of June 1 71-75 3. The attempt to organize the convention 75-86 Chapter V. The conventions and the compromise 87-114 i. The membership of the conventions 87-88 2. The procedure of the Republican convention 88-90 3. The procedure of the Democratic convention 90-92 4. The movement for a compromise 92-98 vi CONTENTS Pages 5. The work of the conference committee 98-104 6. The compromise constitution in the conventions 104-6 7. Closing the work of the conventions 106-9 8. The two originals of the constitution 109-10 9. The convention debates 1 10-14 Chapter VI. The compromise constitution H5-32 i. General nature of this chapter ^I5-I7 2. Preamble 117 3. Article 1. Bill of rights 1 17-18 4. Article 2. On name and boundaries 1 18-19 5. Article 3. Distribution of the powers of government 119 6. Article 4.
Recommended publications
  • Ecological Regions of Minnesota: Level III and IV Maps and Descriptions Denis White March 2020

    Ecological Regions of Minnesota: Level III and IV Maps and Descriptions Denis White March 2020

    Ecological Regions of Minnesota: Level III and IV maps and descriptions Denis White March 2020 (Image NOAA, Landsat, Copernicus; Presentation Google Earth) A contribution to the corpus of materials created by James Omernik and colleagues on the Ecological Regions of the United States, North America, and South America The page size for this document is 9 inches horizontal by 12 inches vertical. Table of Contents Content Page 1. Introduction 1 2. Geographic patterns in Minnesota 1 Geographic location and notable features 1 Climate 1 Elevation and topographic form, and physiography 2 Geology 2 Soils 3 Presettlement vegetation 3 Land use and land cover 4 Lakes, rivers, and watersheds; water quality 4 Flora and fauna 4 3. Methods of geographic regionalization 5 4. Development of Level IV ecoregions 6 5. Descriptions of Level III and Level IV ecoregions 7 46. Northern Glaciated Plains 8 46e. Tewaukon/BigStone Stagnation Moraine 8 46k. Prairie Coteau 8 46l. Prairie Coteau Escarpment 8 46m. Big Sioux Basin 8 46o. Minnesota River Prairie 9 47. Western Corn Belt Plains 9 47a. Loess Prairies 9 47b. Des Moines Lobe 9 47c. Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Drift Plains 9 47g. Lower St. Croix and Vermillion Valleys 10 48. Lake Agassiz Plain 10 48a. Glacial Lake Agassiz Basin 10 48b. Beach Ridges and Sand Deltas 10 48d. Lake Agassiz Plains 10 49. Northern Minnesota Wetlands 11 49a. Peatlands 11 49b. Forested Lake Plains 11 50. Northern Lakes and Forests 11 50a. Lake Superior Clay Plain 12 50b. Minnesota/Wisconsin Upland Till Plain 12 50m. Mesabi Range 12 50n. Boundary Lakes and Hills 12 50o.
  • Education Clauses in State Constitutions Across the United States∗

    Education Clauses in State Constitutions Across the United States∗

    Education Clauses in State Constitutions Across the United States∗ Scott Dallman Anusha Nath January 8, 2020 Executive Summary This article documents the variation in strength of education clauses in state constitu- tions across the United States. The U.S. Constitution is silent on the subject of education, but every state constitution includes language that mandates the establishment of a public education system. Some state constitutions include clauses that only stipulate that the state provide public education, while other states have taken more significant measures to ensure the provision of a high-quality public education system. Florida’s constitutional education clause is currently the strongest in the country – it recognizes education as a fundamen- tal value, requires the state to provide high-quality education, and makes the provision of education a paramount duty of the state. Minnesota can learn from the experience of other states. Most states have amended the education clause of their state constitutions over time to reflect the changing preferences of their citizens. Between 1990 and 2018, there were 312 proposed amendments on ballots across the country, and 193 passed. These amendments spanned various issues. Policymakers and voters in each state adopted the changes they deemed necessary for their education system. Minnesota has not amended its constitutional education clause since it was first established in 1857. Constitutional language matters. We use Florida and Louisiana as case studies to illus- trate that constitutional amendments can be drivers of change. Institutional changes to the education system that citizens of Florida and Louisiana helped create ultimately led to im- proved outcomes for their children.
  • The Law, Courts and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: an Informal Legal History of the Years 1835 to 1865 Robert J

    The Law, Courts and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: an Informal Legal History of the Years 1835 to 1865 Robert J

    William Mitchell Law Review Volume 2 | Issue 1 Article 1 1976 The Law, Courts and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: An Informal Legal History of the Years 1835 to 1865 Robert J. Sheran Timothy J. Baland Follow this and additional works at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr Recommended Citation Sheran, Robert J. and Baland, Timothy J. (1976) "The Law, Courts and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: An Informal Legal History of the Years 1835 to 1865," William Mitchell Law Review: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol2/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted for inclusion in William Mitchell Law Review by an authorized administrator of Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Mitchell Hamline School of Law Sheran and Baland: The Law, Courts and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: An THE LAW, COURTS, AND LAWYERS IN THE FRONTIER DAYS OF MINNESOTA: AN INFORMAL LEGAL HISTORY OF THE YEARS 1835 TO 1865* By ROBERT J. SHERANt Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court and Timothy J. Balandtt In this article Chief Justice Sheran and Mr. Baland trace the early history of the legal system in Minnesota. The formative years of the Minnesota court system and the individuals and events which shaped them are discussed with an eye towards the lasting contributionswhich they made to the system of today in this, our Bicentennialyear.
  • Veto Power of the Governor of Minnesota

    Veto Power of the Governor of Minnesota

    Veto Power of the Governor of Minnesota Peter S. Wattson Senate Counsel State of Minnesota September 12, 1995 Contents Table of Authorities ........................................................... iii Minnesota Constitution .................................................. iii Minnesota Statutes and Laws .............................................. iii Minnesota Cases ....................................................... iii Cases from Other States .................................................. iii Other Authorities ....................................................... iv I. Veto of a Bill ...........................................................1 A. The Minnesota Constitution ........................................1 B. Constitutional Issues ..............................................1 1. How Much Time Does the Governor Have to Make Up His Mind? ..1 2. How are the Three Days Computed? ...........................2 3. Where and To Whom Must the Return be Made? ................2 4. Must the Return be Made When the House of Origin is in Actual Session? ...................................................2 5. Does an Adjournment at the End of the First Year of a Biennial Session Prevent the Return of a Vetoed Bill? ....................3 C. Seventy-seventh Minnesota State Senate v. Carlson ......................3 II. Item Vetoes ............................................................5 A. The Minnesota Constitution ........................................5 B. Constitutional Issues ..............................................6
  • What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County?

    What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County?

    What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County? Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County? The Aftermath of the U.S. - Dakota War Janet R. Clasen Klein - Joyce A. Clasen Kloncz Volume II 2014 What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County? “With our going, the horrors of August, 1862 will cease to be a memory. Soon it will just be history – history classed with the many hardships of frontier life out of which have grown our beautiful, thriving state and its good, sturdy people. .” Minnie Mathews, daughter of Werner Boesch From the Marshall Daily Messenger, 1939 Front cover, ‘People Escaping the Indian Massacre. Dinner on the Prairie. Thursday, August 21st, 1862’, by Adrian Ebell and Edwin Lawton, photographers. Joel E. Whitney Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota, publisher. Ebell photographed the large group of settlers, missionaries, Yellow Medicine Indian Agency employees and Dakota escaping with him and Mr. Lawton. This image is thought to be the only image photographed during the war. The photograph was probably taken in the general vicinity of Morton in Renville County but up on the highlands. We are grateful to Corinne L. Marz for the use of this photograph from the Monjeau-Marz Collection. What Happened to the Settlers in Renville County? Our group Family and Friends of Dakota Uprising Victims was founded in 2011 to recognize our settler ancestors and honor their sacrifice and place in Minnesota history. On August 18, 1862, many settlers lost their lives, their homes, their property and peace of heart and mind.
  • Around a Geologic Clock in Minnesota

    Around a Geologic Clock in Minnesota

    MINNESOTA HISTORY A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE VOLUME 15 JUNE, 1934 NUMBER 2 AROUND A GEOLOGIC CLOCK IN MINNESOTA^ Before anyone can understand the geological history of a region, two fundamental geological concepts must be thoroughly comprehended. These are the magnitude of geological time and the enormous gaps in the geological record of any one region. To quickly gain an appreciation of the enormous number of years Involved in reviewing the events of the past that have been recorded In the rocks of Minnesota, let us imag­ ine that all the events in the geologic history of our state since the formation of the earliest known rocks are to be portrayed before our eyes on an enormous motion picture screen during one revolution of the hour hand on a clock. Twelve hours on our imaginary clock will then represent at least five hundred million years In the geologic history of our state. Each hour will represent over forty million years; each minute, seven hundred thousand years; each second, as it ticks by, will see eleven thousand, six hundred years in the geologic history of Minnesota move past us in review. On this clock of ours, the entire history of man on the earth will occupy less than a minute, and one-fifth of a second will serve for all the period recorded in the history of civilized man. On our earth, mountains have been born where once the 'A radio talk presented over the University of Minnesota station WLB under the auspices of the Minnesota Historical Society on April 3. Ed. 141 142 LOUIS H.
  • Inside the Minnesota Senate

    Inside the Minnesota Senate

    Inside the Minnesota Senate Frequently Asked Questions This booklet was prepared by the staff of the Secretary of the Senate as a response to the many questions from Senate staff and from the public regarding internal operations of the Minnesota Senate. We hope that it will be a valuable source of information for those who wish to have a better understanding of how the laws of Minnesota are made. Your suggestions for making this booklet more useful and complete are welcome. Cal R. Ludeman Secretary of the Senate Updated February 2019 This document can be made available in alternative formats. To make a request, please call (voice) 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112. 1 1. What is the state Legislature and what is its purpose? There are three branches of state government: the executive, the judicial and the legislative. In Minnesota, the legislative branch consists of two bodies with members elected by the citizens of the state. These two bodies are called the Senate and the House of Representatives. Upon election, each Senator and Representative must take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of this state, and to discharge faithfully the duties of the office to the best of the member’s judgment and ability. These duties include the consideration and passage of laws that affect all of us. Among other things, laws passed by the Legislature provide for education, protect our individual freedoms, regulate commerce, provide for the welfare of those in need, establish and maintain our system of highways, and attempt to create a system of taxation that is fair and equitable.
  • Geologic History of Minnesota Rivers

    Geologic History of Minnesota Rivers

    GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF MINNESOTA RIVERS Minnesota Geological Survey Ed ucational Series - 7 Minnesota Geological Survey Priscilla C. Grew, Director Educational Series 7 GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF MINNESOTA RIVERS by H.E. Wright, Jr. Regents' Professor of Geology, Ecology, and Botany (Emeritus), University of Minnesota 'r J: \ I' , U " 1. L I!"> t) J' T II I ~ !oo J', t ' I' " I \ . University of Minnesota St. Paul, 1990 Cover: An early ponrayal of St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River In Minneapolis. The engraving of a drawing by Captain E. Eastman of Fan Snelling was first published In 1853; It Is here reproduced from the Second Final Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota, 1888. Several other early views of Minnesota rivers reproduced In this volume are from David Dale Owen's Report of a Geological Survey of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota; and Incidentally of a portion of Nebraska Territory, which was published In 1852 by Lippincott, Grambo & Company of Philadelphia. ISSN 0544-3083 1 The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, handicap, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation. 1-' \ J. I,."l n 1 ~ r 1'11.1: I: I \ 1"" CONTENTS 1 .... INTRODUCTION 1. PREGLACIAL RIVERS 5 .... GLACIAL RIVERS 17 ... POSTGLACIAL RIVERS 19 . RIVER HISTORY AND FUTURE 20 . ... REFERENCES CITED iii GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF MINNESOTA RIVERS H.E. Wright, Jr. A GLANCE at a glacial map of the Great Lakes region (Fig. 1) reveals that all of Minnesota was glaciated at some time, and all but the southeastern and southwestern corners were covered by the last ice sheet, which culminated about 20,000 years ago.
  • Constitution of Minnesota William Anderson

    Constitution of Minnesota William Anderson

    University of Minnesota Law School Scholarship Repository Minnesota Law Review 1921 Constitution of Minnesota William Anderson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mlr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Anderson, William, "Constitution of Minnesota" (1921). Minnesota Law Review. 2509. https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mlr/2509 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Minnesota Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Minnesota Law Review collection by an authorized administrator of the Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MINNESOTA LAW REVIEW VOL. V MAY, 1921 No. 6 THE CONSTITUTION OF MINNESOTA' By WILLIAM ANDERSON* 1. THE MOVEMENT FOR STATEHOOD THE organized territory of Minnesota existed from 1849 to 1858. Included within its areas was not only the present state of Minnesota but also those portions of the present states of North and South Dakota which lie east of the Missouri and White Earth rivers. In this extensive region, double the area of the present state, there were at the beginning of the territorial period a scant five thousand people of the white race. The population increased slowly at the outset. The lands west of the Mississippi were not opened to settlement until after the conclusion of the Indian treaties of 1851 and 1852. In 1854, with the opening of the first railroad from Chicago to the Mississippi, the inrush began, thousands of settlers coming each year from New Eng- land, New York, and the states north of the Ohio. By 1857 there were 150,000 people in the territory.
  • Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis

    Snelling Avenue, Minneapolis

    SNELLING AVENUE, MINNEAPOLIS: RESEARCH ON THE HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMUNITY WORKS MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 2009 SNELLING AVENUE, MINNEAPOLIS: RESEARCH ON THE HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY Prepared for Hennepin County Community Works and the Minnehaha-Hiawatha Community Works Strategic Development Framework Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Minnesota by Carole S. Zellie Landscape Research LLC St. Paul, Minnesota 2009 Typical houses and their grain-elevator backdrop: the 3900 block of Snelling Avenue, 2008. Minneapolis’ late 19th-century African American population was small in number; the 1870 census recorded only 160 individuals.1 By 1900, the number rose to 2,592, reached 4,176 by 1930, and 4,646 in 1940. During this period “black people resided in every ward in the city, but the majority were . concentrated in the area of Nicollet Avenue and 10th Street.”2 The Seven Corners area near Washington and Cedar Avenues (much of which is now covered by I-35W and other development) comprised another settlement. The settlement concentration subsequently shifted toward north Minneapolis, into areas being vacated by Jews.3 African American families were among the first to settle in the neighborhood that grew south of E. Lake Street along the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul (CM&StP) rail corridor. Snelling Avenue, with adjacent portions of Minnehaha and Hiawatha Avenues, became one of relatively few areas of early 20th-century Minneapolis where African Americans established a long-term community with a high rate of home ownership. Snelling Avenue, today a small part of the Longfellow neighborhood, developed with tall elevators and mills as its noisy neighborhood backdrop; small factories were also placed between houses at the northern edge of the area.
  • The Birth of Minnesota / William E. Lass

    The Birth of Minnesota / William E. Lass

    pages 256-266 8/20/07 11:39 AM Page 267 TheThe BBIRTHIRTH ofof MMINNESOTAINNESOTA tillwater is known as the WILLIAM E. LASS birthplace of Minnesota, primarily because on August 26, 1848, invited Sdelegates to the Stillwater Conven- tion chose veteran fur trader Henry Hastings Sibley to press Minnesota’s case for territorial status in Con- gress. About a week and a half after the convention, however, many of its members were converted to the novel premise that their area was not really Minnesota but was instead still Wisconsin Territory, existing in residual form after the State of Wisconsin had been admitted to the union in May. In a classic case of desperate times provoking bizarre ideas, they concluded that John Catlin of Madison, the last secretary of the territory, had succeeded to the vacant territorial governorship and had the authority to call for the Dr. Lass is a professor of history at Mankato State University. A second edi- tion of his book Minnesota: A History will be published soon by W. W. Norton. SUMMER 1997 267 MH 55-6 Summer 97.pdf 37 8/20/07 12:28:09 PM pages 256-266 8/20/07 11:39 AM Page 268 election of a delegate to Congress. As a willing, Stillwater–St. Paul area. The politics of 1848–49 if not eager, participant in the scheme, Catlin related to the earlier dispute over Wisconsin’s journeyed to Stillwater and issued an election northwestern boundary. Minnesota had sought proclamation. Then, on October 30, the so- an identity distinct from Wisconsin beginning called Wisconsin Territory voters, who really with the formation of St.
  • Snively's Road

    Snively's Road

    MN History Text 54/4 8/20/07 9:17 AM Page 146 MH 54-4 Winter 94-95.pdf 4 8/20/07 12:11:24 PM MN History Text 54/4 8/20/07 9:17 AM Page 147 In the late summer of 1929, dignitaries gathered to dedicate Duluth’s recently completed Skyline Parkway, a picturesque drive winding high above Lake SNIVELY’S Superior along the crest of the city’s hills. Among those present was Mayor Samuel F. Snively, the man chiefly responsible for the construction and development of the unique boulevard system. ROAD Through personal determination ROAD and a remarkable talent for rais- ing donations, Snively brought MARK RYAN more than three-quarters of the parkway to fruition, helping establish one of Duluth’s most noted landmarks. Terrace Parkway, as the initial portion of the road was first called, was the brainchild of William K. Rogers, a native of Ohio who became president of the State Bank of Duluth and the city’s first park board. In 1888 Rogers had presented a plan for a hilltop boulevard that would follow the ancient gravel shore- line left by glacial Lake Namadji, a larger ancestor of present-day Lake Superior. A companion park stretching along Lake Superior’s shore from Seventh Avenue East to Fortieth Avenue East would be connected by per- pendicular links following several rivers and creeks that plunged from the crest of the hills toward the lake. In the late 1880s Mr. Ryan is a writer and film maker who Winding Mission Creek Road, native-stone resides in Minneapolis.