This county, established March 6, 1852, commemorates Louis Hennepin, the Franciscan missionary, explorer, and author, who was born in Ath, Belgium, about 1640, and died in Holland about 1701. He entered the order of the Recollects of St. Francis, probably in his early youth; spent many years in services of that order in France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, and Germany; and was present, as a regimental chaplain, at the battle of Senef, in 1674. The next year he sailed to Canada, in the same ship with Laval, the bishop of the newly established see of Quebec, and La Salle, destined to be the greatest French explorer of the New World, arriving at Quebec in September. In 1678 Hennepin joined La Salle’s expedition for exploration of the lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Michigan, and the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

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Two hundred years after Hennepin visited and named the falls of the Mississippi at the center of the present city of Minneapolis, a great celebration was held there by the Minnesota Historical Society and the people of the Twin Cities, on the grounds of the State University, within view of the falls, on Saturday, July 3, 1880.

Soil and Vegetation.

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The principal shrubs are hazel, smooth sumac, wolf-berry, thorn, elder, honey-suckle, kinnikinnick, wild rose, prickly ash, and speckled elder. Many water-loving plants abound along the numerous lakes.

Frost grapes, wild plums, American or native crab-apples, black and red cherries, june-berries, choke-cherries, prickly and smooth wild gooseberries, high bush cranberries, high blackberries, black and red raspberries, strawberries and cranberries are the principal wild fruits.

From the middle of the county westward the soil is clay, rolling and heavily timbered. East of this is the belt containing the small, sparse timber, covering the eastern part of Maple Grove and Plymouth, the western part of Minneapolis and the central portions of Richfield and Bloomington, with occasional tracts in Minnetonka and Eden Prairie.

The soil and climate favor the production of spring-wheat. This is grown to the exclusion of winter-wheat which winter-kills [sic]. The hardness of the kernel of Minnesota spring-wheat gives a superior quality to the flour of our mills. Other small grains, of ordinary farming, are readily produced. Sorghum has recently become an important article of production. The cultivation of fruits has been proved practicable although it was long supposed impossible to mature choice varieties.

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Zoology.

On the same grounds that Minnesota has been called the sportsman’s state, this county might be called the sportsman’s county. Its lakes, prairies and forests are the natural haunts of the many varieties of game with which the state abounds. Gray and prairie wolves, bears, wild cats, raccoons, foxes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, gophers (found in such abundance throughout the state, as to cause it to be called the “Gopher State”) and wood chucks, were all found in abundance, within a few years, and many of them abound now. Some water animals, sought for their furs, are trapped. The otter, mink, beaver and muskrat furnish the most valuable pelts. Grouse (prairie-hens), partridges, and pigeons, are the principal feathered game, except in the season when ducks, brant and wild geese abound.

This county shares with the state in a multitude of small birds of brilliant plumage. Some varieties are peculiar to this vicinity. They delight the eye and ear of the tourists, who frequent the charming lakes, woods and streams. The lakes abound in the usual varieties of fish. Some interest has been shown in adding new and improved kinds.

Climate.

The climate of this county and those immediately adjoining, gave to Minnesota at an early day, its reputation for health and made it the asylum for invalids. No other county in the state is better situated or more favorably known for health. It is very beneficial to invalids suffering from pulmonary diseases. Instances where this climate does not effect a cure for such invalids; can usually be explained by the fact that the disease was allowed to progress too far before trying the remedy, or some other circumstance, peculiar to the patient and not chargeable to the climate, interfered.

Minneapolis, founded by Col. John H. Stevens, builder of the first house on the west side of the Mississippi here in 1849–50, organized as a township May 11, 1858, was transformed in 1886 to the village organizations of Golden Valley and St. Louis Park, excepting the eastern part of the township, which had been comprised in the city area. On the original site of this city, platting of village lots was begun in the spring of 1854 by Stevens, to which other plats were added in 1854–5. The state legislature, in an act approved March 1, 1856, authorized a town government with a council, which was inaugurated July 20, 1858. The city of Minneapolis was incorporated under an act of March 2, 1866, and its first election of officers was held February 19, 1867. It was enlarged, through union of the former cities of Minneapolis and St. Anthony, by a legislative act approved February 28, 1872, and the new city council was organized April 9, 1872.

The earliest announcement and recommendation of this name was brought by Charles Hoag to the editor of the St. Anthony Express, George D. Bowman, on the day of its publication, November 5, 1852. It was then published, without time for editorial comment, which was very favorably given in the next issue, on November 12. Soon this new name, compounded from Minnehaha and the Greek “polis,” city, displaced the various earlier names which had attained more or less temporary acceptance, including All Saints, proposed by James M. Goodhue of the Minnesota Pioneer, Hennepin, Lowell, Brooklyn, Albion, and others.

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It is probable, however, that Bowman had mentioned this idea [of the name Minneapolis] to this friend, Mr. Hoag, and that some days or weeks later, when Hoag had entirely forgotten this, it may have come again to his mind and been thought new and original with himself, immediately before his writing the short article by which this name was proposed in November, 1852.