Minnesota Reflections
February 9, 2012
When I stepped into Minnesota History class for the first time, my assumption was that I was going to learn history. So you can imagine my surprise when in our last class period we talked about how fashion influenced the discovering of Minnesota. Now being a guy, I had not thought in my wildest dreams that I would be subject to listening about fashion in History class!
February 9, 2012
As a “true Minnesotan” I never realized how wrong I was about my own history. I remember thinking I was so smart telling little facts about our beautiful state, only now I’m I really starting to learn the real facts that no other history class has taught me before.
February 9, 2012
When I signed up for this class, I thought to myself “is there really that much to learn about Minnesota, besides all of the lakes we have all over the place?” I was proven very wrong on the first day of class. One of my favorite and most interesting things I have learned so far is about the Kensington Rune Stone hoax. I find it fascinating because on the mystery. No one knows if it’s really true or if it is a hoax...
May 10, 2011
What emerged through the student’s writing was a sense of gratefulness to be living in Winona, Minnesota and the region
As class draws to a close, I have asked students to reflect on their time in Minnesota history and how it has changed their view toward our community and state. Some of the comments that were most intriguing were on how students have a new found appreciation for the things that make Minnesota unique. Whether it be our unique geography and varied natural resources; or whether it is our unique political tradition that has produced many...
May 4, 2011
This week in Minnesota History we talked about the modernization of Minnesota’s economy during the early 1900’s. During the early 1920’s, there was a distinct change in agricultural diversity. But in Minnesota, there was not only corn and wheat but also potatoes, sunflowers, flax and vegetables. But the story that fascinated me the most was the rise of the Green Giant. In 1920, in Le Sueur, Minnesota, the Minnesota Valley...
May 4, 2011
In class this week, we traveled through the history of prohibition and into the Great Depression. It is neat to imagine life in Winona and our surrounding area. Winona is said to have been the middle spot between Chicago and the Twin Cities; an ideal town for any would-be booze runners or ‘gangsters’ like Al Capone to spend a night partying until the next day when they would continue north. Winona is known to have had a vast amount...
May 4, 2011
The semester is nearly done as we move toward the end of our Minnesota history lessons. Last week we talked about Women’s Suffrage in the 1800s. But not until 1919, Minnesota approved Women’s Suffrage. What right did women have back in the 1800s? Well, I can tell (and from experience within my culture) that we were viewed as inferior due to our lack of education and knowledge.
April 28, 2011
This week in Minnesota History, we talked about the life of the Lumbermen back in the early 1900’s and what fascinated me the most was the creation of the lumberjack stories. The lumberjacks lived in log houses, 25 of them in one house at times, for a timespan of up to nine months. The life at lumber-camp could be very long and boring. So, the lumberjacks not only drank and played cards, but they also told stories.
April 28, 2011
Over the past week in Minnesota History, we were taught about the economic expansion that took place from the mid 1800s until shortly after the turn of the century. The lumber, farming and mining industries were the big three for Minnesota. These industries made our state wealthy which helped to further develop it, and that was an advantage that a lot of other states didn’t have.
April 28, 2011
You thought getting a job in today’s market was bad, try getting a job as a miner once your name was put on the black list. It would have been impossible.
What was the black list?
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