Minnesota’s Newcomers Chapter 7

Minnesota Until about 1850, most people living in Minnesota were Indians By the 1860s, white settlers were the majority 1851: 6,000 whites 1854: 30,000 1857: 150,000 It was a popular destination for people migrating

Population Growth Prospect of land drew more people to Minnesota than California during the gold rush Minnesota’s white population grew a whopping 3,545 percent from 1849 – 1860 Ojibwe population grew from 4,800 – 7,500 Dakota population fell from 6,292 - 374

Population Growth

Transportation 1847: steamboats started making stops at the village of St. Paul Carried people and supplies Boats ran from April – November Oxcarts were also popular ways to travel

People came by foot or canoe After 1850: Transportation: Then Before 1847: People came by foot or canoe After 1850: Steamboats made regular stops at the village of St. Paul Carried people and supplies Immigrants traveled by train to Galena, Illinois Then boarded the steamboats Four steamboats arrive at the port of St. Paul The boats could run only from April to November, when the river was clear of ice.

Transportation Then and Now If you were traveling in 1850. . . A trip from Galena, Illinois to St. Paul, Minnesota would take you: 2 days by steamboat 6 days by stagecoach St. Paul Traveling by car today, this trip would take only 5 hours and 15 minutes!

An Example of Travel Conditions What a horrible morning! The wind is strong and the waves are high.The ship is rolling from side to side so much that it is impossible to stand up without getting dizzy. We are all terribly seasick. I would never have believed that a person could vomit as much as I have this morning. Conditions on the lower levels are beyond description. Since the toilets are so far away from these parts of the ship the passengers use chamber pots, which they leave on the floor. The rocking of the ship, however, has capsized many of these vessels, spreading filth in every direction. To make matters worse, people in the upper beds cannot help vomiting on their fellow suffers in the lower beds. --A German immigrant named Franz Joseph Ennemoser Excerpt from Three Immigrant Stories, Jeffrey A. Hess. A component of The Immigrant Experience: A Minnesota History Resource Unit. Copyright 1977 by the Minnesota Historical Society.

A Long Journey St. Paul People traveled far to get to their new home in Minnesota. Notice the section from Galena to St. Paul. That part alone took anywhere from 2 to 6 days. Now, think about how long it would have taken to get there from New York or Boston. Look at the water and land routes. For many, this was AFTER they’d already traveled from another country across the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes, these trips took months to complete. People traveled far to get to their new home in Minnesota. Notice the section from Galena to St. Paul. That part alone took anywhere from 2 to 6 days. Now, think about how long it would have taken to get there from New York or Boston. Look at the water and land routes. For many, this was AFTER they’d already traveled from another country across the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes, these trips took months to complete.

Immigrants An immigrants story handout and activity A person who emigrates also immigrates.

Harriet Bishop First school teacher in Minnesota Grew up in Vermont Few careers open to women at that time http://youtu.be/eJF985ArVEQ

Harriet Bishop In Harriet’s day, St. Paul was mostly log huts Streets were rutted and muddy Only a few hundred people lived there Read page 93: Start at Harriet Bishop … Today, many schools are named after Harriet Bishop http://www.isd191.org/schools/harriet-bishop-elementary

Harriet Bishop’s Achievements Goal: To help “civilize” the frontier Established St. Paul’s first Sunday school Helped organize a temperance group Raised money for community projects Read quote page 93

Becoming a Territory Must have 5000 adults living in it A convention has to elect a legislature and a non-voting representative to the U.S. Congress U.S. Congress passes a law creating the territory and authorizing its legislature to make laws Minnesota had 4,535 adults Sixty-one men met in Stillwater in 1848 to elect Henry Sibley to represent them in Congress Congress created Minnesota Territory on March 3, 1849. Alexander Ramsey became first governor of the territory

Whites Trespass 1852: White settlers were pouring into MN They were supposed to stay away until 1854 They claimed land they hoped to buy from the gov’t when it became legal to do so Showed little concern for Indians who were living there

New Arrivals Whites came with hopes of owning land and being their own boss Many came from Europe and New England Land ownership was a source of wealth and status To many, the landscape was familiar to home Swede’s, German’s, Norwegian’s, Irish Read story of The Swedish Immigrant, pages 96-97 Hans Mattson

A Community Grows Mattson wrote letters that were published in a Swedish newspaper in Chicago He described life in Minnesota and urged others to come Read quote page 98 Who else was coming to Minnesota?

Newcomers Norwegians: left because jobs were scarce Irish: escape famine Germans: fleeing wars New England and the East Whole communities that did not speak English sprung up New Ulm, New Prague, Scandia to name a few

Minnesota Statehood 32nd State: May 11, 1858 Congress must pass a law allowing a territory to become a state A group of residents must convene to write the state constitution Voters must approve the constitution and elect officials and legislators Congress must pass a law admitting the state into the Union 1857: Congress passed the law allowing Minnesota to begin the process toward statehood Minnesota’s constitution was written at a convention in Stillwater Minnesotans approved the constitution and Henry Sibley was elected governor Congress admitted Minnesota into the Union