Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Minnesota Marquees

Photographed by McGhiever, July 22, 2026

1. Minnesota Marquees south panel

Inscription.

Minnesota's rich heritage of innovation, artistry, heroism, achievement and history.

We're just getting started.

There are many more Minnesota stories to add. Please contact us with your ideas at [email protected]. Thank you!

Clarence "Cap" Wigington
The nation's first African American municipal architect served 34 years beginning in the early 1900s as senior designer for St. Paul. Sixty of his works still stand, including the Highland Park Water Tower, Harriet Island Pavilion and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Minnesota State Symbols

The Minnesota state symbols are designated by law.

• Bee: Rusty Patch Bumble Bee
• Bird: Common Loon
• Butterfly: Monarch Butterfly
• Drink: Milk
• Fish: Walleye
• Flower: Showy Lady's Slipper
• Fruit: Honeycrisp™ Apple
• Gemstone: Lake Superior Agate
• Grain: Wild Rice
• Motto: L'Etoile du Nord, meaning "Star of the North"
• Muffin: Blueberry Muffin
• Mushroom: Morel Mushroom
• Soil: Lester Soil
• Song: "Hail! Minnesota"
• Sport: Ice Hockey
• Tree: Red Pine

Roy Wilkins
St. Paul's prominent Civil Rights activist and leader of the NAACP during times of momentous progress int he 1950s, '60s, and '70s. A central figure in many social justice reforms, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson.

Thank You, Minnesota & Beyond, for Making The Great Minnesota Get-Together GREAT!

Dr. Charles Eastman
Born near Redwood Falls, he was a Santee Dakota physician, national lecturer and reformer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was also a prolific author and preeminent authority on Dakota history and Native American affairs.

Minnesota Nice & Smart
Advances in technology
Minnesota is a leader in computing and educational software development. The world's first supercomputers were built here in the 1960s by Seymour

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Cray's team at Control Data Corporation, and the Minnesota Education Computing Company created software for Minnesota schools from the 1970s through '90s that became popular across the globe.

F. Scott Fitzgerald
One of the greatest American writers of the 20th Century, St. Paul's prolific author chronicled the 1920s Jazz Age through brilliant novels including "The Great Gatsby," plus hundreds of wildly popular short stories.

Microwave Popcorn
Golden Valley Microwave Foods invented the first non-refrigerated microwave popcorn in 1984. Today, their Act II Popcorn is among the top sellers in the world.

Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant
French Canadian fur trapper Parrant ran a notorious distillery and saloon in a cave on the Mississippi. The settlement that sprang up around the cave was called Pig's Eye, until an outraged missionary renamed it St. Paul.

Erected by the Minnesota State Fair.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 44° 59.251′ N, 93° 10.168′ W.

Minnesota Marquees middle panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 22, 2026

2. Minnesota Marquees middle panel

Marker is in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It can be reached from the intersection of Murphy Avenue and Cooper Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is on the plaza inside the fairgrounds' north entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1673 Murphy Avenue, Saint Paul MN 55108, 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 Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Minnesota Marquees (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Minnesota Marquees (within shouting distance of this marker); A Century in the Sky (approx. 0.2 miles away); Curtiss Northwest Airport and its Fliers

Minnesota Marquees north panel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 22, 2026

3. Minnesota Marquees north panel

(approx. 0.2 miles away); Curtiss Northwest Airport – Serving the Area (approx. ¼ mile away); Agricultural Experiment Station (approx. 0.6 miles away); Extending the U (approx. 0.6 miles away); Old Anatomy Building (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Falcon Heights.

More about this marker. The fairgrounds are free to visit when there are no events scheduled.

Minnesota Marquees north panel reverse, with the same text in mirror order image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 22, 2026

4. Minnesota Marquees north panel reverse, with the same text in mirror order

Minnesota Marquees Marker on the fairgrounds' north entrance plaza image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, July 22, 2026

5. Minnesota Marquees Marker on the fairgrounds' north entrance plaza

Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 27, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.