University of Minnesota - Gopher Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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MINNESOTA'S ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF PROGRESS The start of an adventurous, thrilling and glamorous history began 300 years ago when Pierre Esprit Radisson first set foot on the land which is now the state of Minnesota. It has been only dur- ing the past century that white men have been in control of this area. ln this short period the state has grown from a fur trading, lumber milling land into the iron ore, farming and recreation- al area of the world that it is today. Its growth has some- me S b C C H S10 W a 1 - One of the earliest automobiles in Minneapolis though its progress has usually been typi- fied by large population spurts. At the time the area was a territory, 1848-1857, there was a tremendous increase. But during the Sioux massacre of 1862, prog- ress was slowed down considerably. Minnesota's history can be identified by many notable events. The discovery of the source of the great Mississippi River, establishment of the public school system and the first press were milestones along the path to greatness. The state of ten thou- sand lakes is the proud claim echoed by Min- nesotans. They boast these lakes as ia form of recreation, beauty and revenue. Forming them were four huge glaciers that engulfed this area when the only humans inhab- iting this vast territory were Eskimos. These ice sheets swallowed up the land, and on receding after many years, formed crevices in the earth, lakes, and deposited large mounds of dirt, which are the odd shaped hills seen in many parts of Minnesota and Wis- consin today. The area in the southern part of the state escaped the devastating onslaught, so that today it is a Hat plain.

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HAT does the year 1949 mean to you? The events of the year may have affected you in any number of ways. But there definitely were some happenings that stood out above the others. On the world-wide front, the Russian-Western power stalemate meant increasing tension each day. The North Atlantic Pact and the Palestine issue affected millions of people all over the world. One of the greatest political upsets of all time occurred in November when Harry Truman defeated his Republican opponent, Thomas Dewey. All the public opinion polls had forecast a Dewey victory. - In Minnesota, the Territorial Centennial was the big event. Every com- munity in the state turned out to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the territory of Minnesota. Harold Stassen's bid for the Republican Presiden- tial nomination had the Middle West echoing his name during the spring and summer. Again in 1949 the University expanded its facilities. It started the con- struction of two buildings for the Institute of Technology at a cost of approxi- mately S4,500,000. The Centennial year also brought better student representa- tion in campus affairs with the formation of the new All-University Congress. The headlines carried the news of the discrimination policy debates which proved to be the big campus news items of the year. To us 1949 meant the production of a book that would carry the Centen- nial theme and that also would bring out the personality of the University. An extensive Student Life section has been added to show part of the stu- dent'stnon-academic life. A Queen section appears for the Hrst time to honor those who annually reign over campus social events. We hope that these additions and the other features will help make the '49 Gopher as much a part of this year to you as the above well-known events.

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Washington Avenue in l857, loo Occupying the land following the re- cession of the glaciers were the Indians. The red man was actually the first ex- plorer and discoverer of Minnesota. But he lost the title of discoverer when he failed to record his findings for future historians. In 1898 an ancient stone, called the Kensington Rune Stone, was uncovered in Dakota County. Fifteen inches wide by three feet high, it had the date 1362 inscribed upon it. But according to all available signs, no other white men came to this area for almost 300 years after that. France established a claim in North America when jacques Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence River as far as the present site of Montreal. Samuel de Champlain and Jean Nicolet further established the French name in the New king east from Second Avenue Souih World in 1634-when they explored part of the land northeast of Minnesota. Fourteen years later Radisson became the hrst person, excluding the Rune people, to set foot on the land that is now a part of Minnesota. Father Louis Hennepin followed close on the heels of Radisson as his ven- tures carried him up the Mississippi. His word story of his travels up the great river are still accurate. The Priest con- tinued to Mille Lacs where he and two of his companions were adopted by an Indian tribe. After he was freed by Sieur Du Luth, he proceeded to name the Falls of St. Anthony, which, with his weakness for exaggeration, Hennepin later stated to be forty or fifty feet in height. From this time until 1727 the French had more than their share of trouble in