A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-19-03....Minnesota ~ "L'Etoile du Nord"

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Please join us as we take a cyber-tour of another great state in this Union of ours. As we discover and spotlight each of our 50 states we also salute the proud FReepers who call their state 'home'.

Over the coming months each "Finest" hostess will profile her own home state - I will be presenting all the other states in random order. Please FReepMail me if you would like to participate in spotlighting your state. I would love to have your input on what you would like to see highlighted.

These are the states that have been presented to date:

05-23-03 Alabama
06-27-03 Maryland
07-11-03 Vermont
07-25-03 Utah
08-05-03 Texas
08-22-03 Nevada
08-26-03 Washington DC
09-05-03 Tennessee
09-17-03 Florida

Today we are visiting "The North Star State", aka: the milk and blueberry muffin state. ;-)

Mama_Bear

The White-tailed Deer -
and more Minnesota state symbols...

Click on the Loon above to hear it's call.


***********************

A bit of history.....

In 1848 the Minnesota Territory was formed by the US government. Ten years later, in 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the USA as the 32nd state. The state gets its name from the Dakota word "minisota", meaning "water that reflects the sky." Minnesota's state nicknames are the "Gopher State" and the "North Star State", and is the 12th largest state in the US.

Despite the convenient access to the state, immigration was slow until the second half of the 19th century, when people in the east started to hear about Minnesota's woodlands and fertile prairie. Between 1850 and 1857, the state population skyrocketed from 6,077 to more than 150,000. Long before that, the Ojibwa (Chippewa) and Dakota (Sioux) tribes made the land their home. For them state borders were nonexistent, so their territory extended well beyond what is today Minnesota. The French claimed the territory in the mid-1600s. It became U.S. territory through the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the Louisiana Purchase (1803).

What makes this state important? For one, its waterways are vital to the state's and the nation's economies. Besides its quantity of lakes, it is the northernmost stop of the Mississippi River and the westernmost point of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which runs through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Minnesota today is a leader in farming, lumbering, and milling, as well as printing and iron production.

Click on the Capitol Building for some interior panoramic photos.
This is one of the most beautiful Capitol buildings I have seen.

Facts and Trivia
about our 32nd state...
(Yes, there will be a test.)

• Minnesotan baseball commentator Halsey Hal was the first to say 'Holy Cow' during a baseball broadcast.
   
• The Mall of America in Bloomington is the size of 78 football fields --- 9.5 million square feet.
   
  
• Minnesota Inventions: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables
   
• The original name of the settlement that became St. Paul was Pig's Eye. Named for the French-Canadian whiskey trader, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, who had led squatters to the settlement.
   
  
• Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than any other city in the country.
   
• The climate-controlled Metrodome is the only facility in the country to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship.
   
  
• Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.
   
• The first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant in the United States were done at the University of Minnesota.
   
• Rochester is home of the world famous Mayo Clinic.
   
• The stapler was invented in Spring Valley.
   
• Private Milburn Henke of Hutchinson was the first enlisted man to land with the first American Expeditionary Force in Europe in WWII on January 26, 1942.
   
• The first Automatic Pop-up toaster was marketed in June 1926 by McGraw Electric Co. in Minneapolis under the name Toastmaster. The retail price was $13.50.
   
• Tonka Trucks were developed and are continued to be manufactured in Minnetonka.
   
• Hormel Company of Austin marketed the first canned ham in 1926. Hormel introduced Spam in 1937.
   
  
  "My friend pork shoulder
  I return to you. This time
  I've brought mayonnaise."
  
  more funny "Famous Spam Haikus"
  by Michael Lubic
  Yummy Spam Recipes
  
  
• Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state.
   
• Minnesota's waters flow outward in three directions: north to Hudson Bay in Canada, east to the Atlantic Ocean, and south to the Gulf of Mexico.
   
• The first official hit in the Metrodome in Minneapolis was made by Pete Rose playing for the Cincinnati Reds in a preseason game.
   
• In 1898, the Kensington Rune stone was found on the farm of Olaf Ohman, near Alexandria. The Kensington Rune stone carvings allegedly tell of a journey of a band of Vikings in North America in 1362.
   
• Minneapolis’ famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside.
   
  

More about the Minneapolis Skyways...

Minneapolis is unique in many ways, but the skyway system is one of it's most striking, one-of-a-kind assets. When the weather turns sour, you can use the skyway system to get where you need to go.

One floor above ground, this system links buildings together with enclosed walkways. It connects most of downtown Minneapolis in climate-controlled bliss.

When the temperature plummets or the rain falls, ditch the coat in the hotel room. Explore downtown Minneapolis through more than 7 miles of glass-enclosed skyways. They provide a lively thoroughfare filled with specialty shops, restaurants and services.



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Last but not least, a link to one of my
favorite teams, the Minnesota Vikings!
Good luck this season!




Thank you to the following websites for information and graphics:

Minnesota History - A Chronology
Minnesota Facts and Trivia
THE KENSINGTON RUNE-STONE

Thank you for joining us on our cyber trip to Minnesota. I am sure I have overlooked many interesting facts and points of interest, so please help us celebrate Minnesota by joining in and posting what you know about this Fine state.

Have a nice FRiday and a great weekend!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-15-03...Military Monday 09-16-03...This One's For You T Man 09-17-03...Florida - The Sunshine State 09-18-03...John's Two Cents - JohnHuang2

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4)If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[The Thin Man]

It surely thus is one of The Thin Man's Favorite Foods!!

It is? If you say so it must be true. Thank you Lady, without you I would've never known how much I like grits. :)

[dansangel]

Span the other ahh, white er.. red ahhh red and white..... grey .... Well the other color meat?

Ugh.....it sounds so.....*delicious* - NOT!!!

[dansangel]

((((((Cal))))))

Glad all is well in your neck of the woods!

[dansangel]

((((((JH2))))))) and ((((((Meekie)))))

TGIFRiday to both of you!

[dansangel]

Just makes you want to pop open a can, huh? LOL

OMG, what a hoot!

:-)

[Mama_Bear]

Speaking of perfection, Lori, your graphics and presentation of salient facts about the states are true works of art. They never are boring, hitting the highlights with just the right visual support - - we cannot praise you enough for them, and for all you contribute, week in and week out.

Oh, how sweet of you to say. Your kind words and the pretty little violets are so appreciated (especially after TMan's "Source Checking Lesson" this morning - gentle and necessary as it was). ;-)

TMan and his 'Finest' toothed comb are becoming legendary around these parts. LOL. He's the best. ;-)

[dansangel]

The house that Spam built
with cans I can count
we won't starve
but it sure stinks.

Was that an original???? I'm *impressed!*

:-)

[Johnny Gage]

Minnesotan BUMP!

Thanks for Highlighting Minnesota today!

[Diver Dave]

You should know that we do have plenty of loons in the state and it's not just the state bird. :-)...

The loon is the state bird? I thought it was the mosquito.

Had a great time visiting Minnesota during harvest time when I was a pup.

[ArneFufkin]

Hi Maggie! Tense week in the Carolinas, I would guess?

[ArneFufkin]

Thanks, and back atcha! ;^)

[dansangel]

Ack! (((((((LadyX))))))))

I had my share of SPAM growing up. I can *still* taste it to this day - LOL!!!

I'll bet (((((Carlo))))) can appreciate this tidbit: Growing up, polenta was served with the first snowfall each year. My folks are of 100% Italian stock and this was considered "peasant food." Corn meal boiled and stirred on the stovetop until Dad's arms started getting tired. Then, it was poured into a big casserole, pieces of sausage (*that* was very high brow!) stirred in, then topped with sauce and grated parmesean. Baked until firm. Then sectioned and placed on plates via spatula. Definitely better consistency and taste the next day when re-heated.

Voila - Italian grits! :-)

The sad thing is, this is what sustained poor Italian immigrants - hearty, *cheap*, stick-to-your ribs type food - now it is considered a "delicacy" and the fancy-shmancy Italian restaurants charge a *fortune* for it. Go figure!

[dansangel]

(((((((Bee-lie)))))))

Mega-hugs back at ya!

:-)

[Diver Dave]

Great presentation of Minnesota today. Minnesota is where my Grandpa settled when he immigrated (legally) from Sweden.

A few years ago, Grandpa's brother, Axel, when he was in his early 90's, said he'd like to go back home to "the old country" to visit. My brother said, "Save some money, send him to the other Sweden - Minnesota."

[dansangel]

"Save some money, send him to the other Sweden - Minnesota."

I never knew there was such a large Swedish population there ((((((DD))))))).

See? We learn so much here!

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks for Highlighting Minnesota today!

You are welcome. I enjoyed learning more about your state, it is one of the most interesting that I have profiled so far.

I think I might just have to come for a visit and see all those lakes and leave some money at the Mall of America.....and I'd really like to see that skyway system in Minneapolis too.....I still can't get over what a brilliant idea that was.

Thanks for the big colorful bump!

[The Thin Man]

TMan and his 'Finest' toothed comb

There's not only my 'Finest' (hahaha) toothed comb but also another instrument. I don't believe for a second that the Mall of America is the size of 78 football fields. I'm going over there right now with my tape measure! :-)

[ArneFufkin]

leave some money at the Mall of America

No sales tax on clothing!

[LadyX]

Greetings, O Mighty Auctioneer of the North!

Fortunately, I am tucked way over on the western side of the state and experienced none of the ill effects.
It truly was a beautiful day here, never getting breezes more than about 10 mph, ringing the wind chimes.....

Have friends at Emerald Isle, NC, about 25 miles west of where the eye went ashore around Beaufort, a charming old seaport town with a great museum. He fed me on-the-scene reports of Miss Isabel, who came a'callin' - fared well, other than a few torn shingles on the roof.

How goes your straddling the world stage up there in Minne-haha??...:))

[The Thin Man]

The loon is the state bird? I thought it was the mosquito.

Mosquitos in Minnesota? You've been misinformed.

Hey, you stupid gnat get away from me!
 

Like I said, there are no mosquitos in Minnesota! Never have been....never will be! :-)