M Is for Minnesota

M is for

Minnesota

In memory of my grandparents, Maurice and HazelHillestad —DHB

For Tony

-JLP

M is for

Minnesota By Dori Hillestad Butler

Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter

University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis ^1 London

is for Agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota's economy. Almost half of the State's total land area is farmland. Minnesota's primary agricultural products include corn, oybeans, wheat, sugar beets, beef cattle, hogs, turkeys, and dairy products. The average Minnesota farmer griws enough food to feed 127 people each year.

is for Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Paul Bunyan is a mythical lumberjack and Babe is his aper ox. According to one legend, Paul cut down entire forests with one swing of his ax to clear land for farmers. Another legend says that many of Minnesota's lakes were formed by Babe's footprints. There are statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe in Bemidji and in Brainerd.

is for Charles Lindbergh. On May 20, 1927, charles A. Lindbergh Jr. began the first successful nonstop solo fight across the Atlantic Ocean. His airplane, the Spirit of St. Louis,was 9 feet 10 inches high and 27 feet 8 inches long. It didn't have a parachute or any night flying equipment because Lindbergh eliminated all the "extras" so that he could carry more gasoline. The 3,600-mile flight from New York to Paris took 33 hours. Lindbergh, who grew up in Little Falls, became famous all over the world for his daring feat.

is for Duluth. The city of Duluth was named for the French explorer Daniel Greysolon du Lhut, who was there in 1679 while searching for a water passage to the Pacific. Duluth's most famous landmark is the 230-foot-tall, 510-foot-long Aerial Lift Bridge, the biggest bridge of its kind in the world. The 900-ton center span can rise 120 feet in 55 seconds. The Duluth-Superior port is the largest freshwater port in the world, visited each year by more than 1,000 ships from over 20 different countries.

is for Eagle. Two species of eagles are found in Minnesota, the golden eagle and the more common bald eagle, our national bird. The Chippewa National Forest in nothern Minnesota is home to the largest breeding population of blad eagles in the united States outside of Alaska. Adult bald eagles weigh between 8 and 14 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 8 feet. Bald cagles build stick nests about 6 feet wide that can weigh over 2,000 pounds. They nest in tall trees near the lakes and streams of northern Minnesota and along the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, where they catch fish, their favourite food.

is for Fort Snelling. Fort Snelling sits on a high bluff overlooking the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. It was built in 1819 to help the United Sates take control of the fur trade from the British and to encourage settlement in the Upper Midwest. Fort Snelling remained a military outpost until 1946, and in 1960 it became Minnesota's first National Historic Landmark. today the fort is managed by the Minnesota Historical Society.

is for "Gopher State." Minnesota's nickname can be traced to a political cartoon from 1859 that showed grophers in top hats pulling a train across the prairie. IN the late 1880s, the University of Minnesota's athletic teams became known as the Gophers. Sportswriter Halsey Hall referred to coach BernieBierman's golduniformed football team as the Golden Gophers in 1934.

is for Hinckley Fire. On September 1, 1894, one of the worst forest fires in Minnesota history swept through east-central Minnesota. Fueled by the dried limbs and the tops of trees left behind when the area was logged, this fire burned over 400 square miles and devastated the towns of Hinckley,Sandstone, Mission Creek, and Brook Park. Although two freight trains carried hundreds of people to safety, more than six hundred people died in this fire.

is for Iron Range. Minnesota is the nation's top iron-mining state. Iron ore was discovered in the Vermilion Range in 1884, then in the Mesabi Range in the 1890s, and finally in the Cuyuna Range in 1911. The Hull Rust Mahoning Mine, near Hibbing, was once the largest open-pit mine in the world. It was 3 miles long, up to 2 miles wide, and 535 feet deep. In 1918, the entire village of Hibbing had to be moved to make room for it. Today the mine is filled with water.

is for Jeffers Petroglyphs. More than 2,000 figures of perople, animals, and weapons are carved into the red quartzite rock near Jeffers,Minnesota. Some of theses figures are estimated to be up to 5,000 years old. Archaeologists believe that this area was a campsite along a major hunting trail and that the figures were carved to ensure hunting success.

is for Kensington Runestone. In 1898, a Swedish immigrant farmer named Olaf Ohman dug up a huge stone on his farm near Alexandria The writing (known as runes) carved into the stone suggests tha Vikings may have explored the area in 1362. Although sime people still believe the story, many others think the stone was a hoax. The stone is on display at the Runestone Museum in Alexandria.

often at dusk or when a strom is approaching. their wild, mournful cries that can be heard across quiet Minnesota lakes most swim the length of a city block in less than a minute. They are also known for 60 million years. They are excellent swimmwers and divers and can of the earth's oldest living bird species. Loons have been around for is for Loon. The common loon is Minnesota's state bird as well as one

river's journey from LAke ITasca to the river's journey from LAke ITasca to the then east before finally turning south. The trickles out of Lake Itasca, it heads north, young childred can wade across it. As it is so narrow and so shallow here that oldest state park. The Mississippi PArk, which is Minnesota's begins in Itasca State river in the world. It is the world. It The Mississippi River Mississippi River. is for

is for Northwest Angle. Minnesota's

Northwest Angle is the northernmost

point in the United States except for Alaska, Lake of the Woods separates it

from the rest of Minnesota. To get there by land, you must drive through Canada. Minnesota acquired this land from Canada as a result of a surveyor's error on a map made in 1775.

is for Open-Heart Surgery.The first successful open-heart surgery was performed at the University of Minnesota hospitals on September 2, 1952. It saved the life of a 5-year-old girl and paved the way for future lifesaving heart surgeries. The University of Minnesota hospitals and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester are leaders in this medical field.

is for Open-Heart Surgery.The first successful open-heart surgery was

is for Pipestone. Pipestone (also called carlinite in honor of artist George Catlin, whose paintings made these quarries famous) is a thin layer of red siltstone found in the quartzite rock near Pipestone, Minnesota. These quarries are sacred to many Native American tribes. People once traveled 1,000 miles by foot to get the soft red stone, which is still used today to carve ceremonial pipes. Pipestone National Mounment

was established in 1937.

is for Open-Heart Surgery.The first successful open-heart surgery was

extends from northern Minnesota into Canada and includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Winlderness, the most visited wilderness area in hte United States. Motorized vehicles may not be used in most of this region. People travel by canoe on the 1,000 lakes and 1,500 miles of water routes throughout the BWCAW. Footpaths connective the lakes are known as portages because they are used to

"portage" canoes from one lake to another. The BWCAW contains more moose, bears, and timber wolves than people.

is for Red River Valley. The Red River Valley in western Minnesota was the bed of Glacial Lake Agassiz, which once covered an area 700 by 200 miles across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada. As the last of the glaciers melted and receded to the north, the lake slowly drained, leaving behind the Red River Valley. The Red River of the North, which flows north to Lake Winipeg, forms the border between Minnesota and North Dakota. The flat ptairie land along the river contains some of the richest soil in the world. Flax, potatoes, sugar beet, sunflowers, and wheat are grown hear.

is for Split Rock

Lighthouse. Split Rock Lighthouse sits on a cliff 168 feet above Lake Superior. I was build because the magentic interference from underground metal deposits threw 'ships compasses off, causing many

shipwrecks. From 1910 until 1969, a lantern (which could be seen 22 miles away) flashed at 10- second intervals and a toghorn (which could be heard 5 miles away) sounded at 20-seconds intervals. In 1970, the lighthouse was turned over to the state and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park was estabilshed. Today the lighthouse is managed by

the Minnesota Historical Soceity.

is for Timber Wolf. Minnesota has more timber wolves than any other state except Alaska.The average adult female wolf in Minnesota weighs 60-80 pounds and the average adult male wolf weighs 70-110 pounds. Wolves prey on deer, moose, beavers, and rabbits. The research and education provided by the International Wolf Center in Ely have led to the reintroduction of wolves in other parts of the country. They are still classified as "endangered" in other states besides Minnesota and Alaska.

is for University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesotat is one of the largest and most respected universities in the nation. It was established as a preapratory school in 1851 and became an institution of hgher learning in 1869. There were 18 students that year. Today nearly 70,000 students attend classes at one of the university's four compuses (Twin Cities, Duluth, Crookston, and Morris). The flight recorder (black box),heart pacemaker, retractable seat belt, and the Haralson apple are just a few of the inventions brought about by reasearch at the U of M.

is for Voyageurs. During the 1700s and 1800s, French-Canadian traders, known as voyageurs, traveled by birch bark canoe along a 3,000-mile network of waterways totrade with Native Americans for beaver furs.They often traveled 60-80 mils per day by canoe and 15-20 mils per day on foot while carrying two 90-pound bales of beaver pelts. Every summer, voyageurs from Montreal and as far away as northewestern Canada held a rendezvous at Grand Portage along the north shore of Lake Superior. Grand Portage National Mounment was established in 1951, and Voyageurs National Park,Minnesota's only national park, was established in 1975.

is for Wild Rice. Wild rice is the Minnesota state grain.It is an aquatic grass that grows along the edges of rivers and in large shallow lakes called rice beds. Wild

rice is an important food for the Ojibwe people and also has spiritual meaning for them. To harvest wild rice the traditional way, one PERSON PISHES A CANOE through the water with a long, forked pole while another person uses a pair of long, forked pole while called rice knockers to pull the rice plant over and beat the ripe kernels into the bottom of the canoe. TOday wild rice is also grown commercially in rice paddies.

is

for

X-Country Skiing. Crosscountry skiing is a popular pastime in Minnesota. It was brought to Minnesota by immigrants from Norway, Sweden, and Finaland, where people have been skiing for 4,500 years. Minnesota receives an average of 20 inches of snow per year in the southwestern part of the state and up to 70 inches in the northeastern part, where the crosscountry ski season can last until April. Minnesota skiers enjoy approximately 2,500 mils of cross-country ski trails.

is for Yellow Lady-Slipper. The yellow lady-slipper is a relatively common wild orchid. It is closely related to the rare pink and white showy lady-slipper, which is Minnesota's state flower. Lady-slippers grow in forests, swamps, meadows, prairies, and thickers; they are very delicate, slow-growing plants. Some varieties more than 10 years to produce their first flower. You should never pick or transplant a lady-slipper or any other wild orchid.

is for Zoos. The three major zoos in Minnesota are the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Como Park Zoo in St.Paul, and the Lake Superior Zoological Garden in Duluth. The Lake Superior Zoo houses approximately 500 animals, including poilar bears, penguins, and many other nothernclimate animals, Como Park Zoo has several hundered African hoofed animals, primates, large cats, and aquatic animals. At the Minnesota Zoo there are approximately 2,300 animals, including 15 species that are endangered. The zoo is involved in breeding and preserving these species.

Dori Hillestad Butler grew up in Fairmont, Minnesota, and attended Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota. She is a full-time writer and book reviewer and has published eleven books for children, as well as many magazine stories. She lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with her husband and two sons. Janice Lee Porter is a painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. She has illustrated thirteen books for children. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, author A. P. Porter, and their three sons. Text copyright 1998 by Dori Hillestad Butler Illustrations copyright 1998 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press i 1 1 Third Avenue South, Suite 290 Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520 http://www.upress.umn.edu Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Butler, Dori Hillestad. M is for Minnesota / Dori Hillestad Butler; illustrated by Janice Lee Porter, p. cm. Summary: Illustrated entries for each letter of the alphabet present information about the history, geography, natural resources, and important sights of Minnesota. ISBN 0-8166-3041 -0 (hardcover: alk. paper) I. Minnesota—Juvenile literature. [ I. Minnesota. 2. Alphabet.] I. Porter, Janice Lee, ill. II.Title. F606.3.B88 1998 977.6—dc21 [E] 98-13074 AC The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer.

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