Land of 10,000 Lakes.” The name Minnesota comes from the Dakota word for “clear blue

water.” Here’s where you’ll find Lake Itasca, the primary source of the mighty Mississippi

river. Then there’s Upper Red Lake. Lower Red Lake. Mille Lacs Lake. There’s also

Lake Winnibigoshish, which is just fun to say. With all those lakes, it’s no surprise

fishing and boating are popular in Minnesota, and one water sport even got its start here.

In 1922, water skiing was invented at Lake Pepin by Ralph Samuelson who modified some

barrel boards, grabbed a clothesline, and was off at 20 mph.

Time for some celebrity sightings from American Literature! In Minneapolis, you’ll find

Minnehaha Falls. This majestic 53-foot waterfall was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s

poem “The Song of Hiawatha,” although Longfellow never visited the falls in person.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder museum is in Walnut Grove. Wilder was the author of the “Little

House” series of books about her life growing up on the Minnesota prairie. The Ingalls family

joined a number of immigrants primarily of British, Germanic, and Scandinavian heritage

who settled the area in the 1800s. Those pioneers helped establish Minnesota, which became the

32nd state on May 11, 1858.

Minnesota has certainly grown since those early homesteading days. The Minneapolis-St

Paul area, known as the Twin Cities, is now one of the largest economic centers in the

Midwest. Nearby suburb Bloomington, Minnesota is home to one of the largest shopping malls

in the US - the Mall of America. It’s more than 4.8 million square feet. If you can’t

find what you need here, maybe you just don’t like shopping. That’s okay. There’s also

a wealth of historical attractions to explore in Minnesota, including the Grand Mound - the

largest Indian burial mound in the upper midwest. The Jeffers Petroglyphs are another state

treasure - over 2000 ancient drawings carved into Red Rock Ridge by American Indian ancestors.

This is also the site of the annual “Starry Night, Prairie Night” event which draws

many amateur astronomers to the clear, dark skies - perfect for stargazing.