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Stillwater in Washington County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Birthplace of Minnesota

1848 • 1948

 
 
Birthplace of Minnesota Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 7, 2014
1. Birthplace of Minnesota Marker
Inscription.
On this site, in the frontier river settlement of Stillwater, sixty-one delegates from the vast unorganized wilderness west of the St. Croix assembled on August 26, 1848 to hold the Minnesota Territorial Convention. In this convention the name Minnesota was selected and the spelling agreed upon, a petition was drawn, memorializing Congress to set up a territorial government, and H.H. Sibley was dispatched to Washington as the delegate of the convention bearing the petition.

This tablet erected by the
Stillwater Territorial Centennial Committee
August 26, 1948

 
Erected 1948 by Stillwater Territorial Centennial Committee.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & PoliticsSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.
 
Location. 45° 3.386′ N, 92° 48.371′ W. Marker is in Stillwater, Minnesota, in Washington County. It is at the intersection of Main Street (State Highway 95) and Myrtle Street, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102-106 South Main Street, Stillwater MN 55082,
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United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1884 Upper St. Croix River Log Jam (a few steps from this marker); 226 East Myrtle Street (within shouting distance of this marker); John Karst Block (within shouting distance of this marker); 114 North Main Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Lumbermen's Exchange Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Connolly Shoe Company Building (about 400 feet away); 1965 Easter Sunday Floodwater Crest (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stillwater.
 
More about this marker. The Joseph Wolf
Birthplace of Minnesota Marker image. Click for more information.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., October 7, 2014
2. Birthplace of Minnesota Marker
On the Joseph Wolf Company building
Part of the Stillwell Commerical Historic District
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Click for more information.
Company building (1911) contributes to the Stillwater Commercial Historic District (no marker stating such).
 
Also see . . .
1. History of the Minnesota Territory. Minnesota Territorial Pioneers website entry (Submitted on November 6, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.) 

2. 1858 Minnesota Statehood Constitutional Convention Proceedings. Internet Archive website entry (Submitted on November 6, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,347 times since then and 102 times this year. Last updated on July 15, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on November 6, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 10, 2026