In the 1800s, agents from Minnesota were sent to Europe to attract new settlers. They described a land of sparkling lakes, deep pine forests, and rich prairies—a land of opportunity. As a result, thousands of German, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish settlers came to the region. Few were disappointed. Minnesota, "the land of 10,000 lakes," was as beautiful and fertile as the agents had promised.
Ojibwa and Dakota Sioux Indians were the region's first people. French fur traders came in the 1600s. In 1803, the United States acquired most of Minnesota from France in the Louisiana Purchase, and settlers poured in during the mid-1800s. Then came fierce conflicts with the Indians, who were eventually forced to give up their land. Today, most Minnesotans are descended from the Northern European immigrants who arrived in the 19th century.
Minnesota's farms produce livestock, dairy products, corn for grain, soybeans, and wheat; its mines yield iron ore; and its factories manufacture machinery, electronic equipment, paper, and other products. Many of the state's vast forests have been cut down. But those that remain, along with the state's many lakes and rivers, draw millions of vacationers to Minnesota each year.
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