Minnesota History Center

Our resident sixth-grader was delighted to learn recently that he is eligible for admission to all Minnesota Historical Society sites for FREE this academic year. The 6th Grade Minnesota History Pass gives all sixth-graders free admission to more than 15 historic sites across the state. To kick off this season of soaking up Minnesota history, we ventured to the Minnesota History Center.

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A replica of Charles Lindberg’s airplane, the JN-4, “Jenny,” welcomes you to the History Center. Learning about the plane was a delightful and stunning way to start our visit. From there, we continued on the the Then Now Wow exhibit, where we spent the bulk of our time.

Then Now Wow Exhibit

At the Then Now Wow exhibit, we learned about the pivotal role bison played in the lives of native peoples. One of the exhibit’s fun features was a pull apart bison. The boys were able to pull out the parts of the bison, scan their QR code and learn about the many uses of this majestic animal. A tipi in the center of this exhibit featured a hologram of a Native American sharing cultural stories of the Dakota people. All of the exhibits at the Minnesota History Center are hands-on and interactive. Perfect for young people.

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The exhibit also houses displays on life for European settlers in a sod house and a fur trading post. However, the boys thought the tour of the Coal Mine was the best. They donned hard hats and set off for a days work in the mine; drilling and even placing explosives as they blasted for iron ore. Click here to see their explosive video. Our boys loved all the experiential displays. The museum does an excellent job of incorporating sound, video and print materials into their collection.

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My favorite display was the 35W Bridge Collapse relics. Our boys were not born when the bridge collapsed in 2007, so it was not as impactful for them. For those of us who were living in Minnesota at that time, the bridge collapse is one of those moments in your life where you can recall just where you were and what you were doing when you heard the devastating news. The museum has the emergency exit door from the school bus that was on the bridge the day of the collapse. The door is signed by the students on the bus that day. Some of them sharing heart warming asn heart breaking drawing and quotes from that day. It’s a very touching artifact.

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Weather Permitting

Another emotional exhibit at the Minnesota History Center is the Weather Permitting wing. Here we were able to go into a mock basement to “ride out” the 1965 Fridley tornadoes. The immersive experience uses light, sound and recorded interviews to tell the story of several tornado survivors. I would not recommend this experience for very young children or those with sensory issues. It’s very life like and could be scary for some small kids.

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Art Speaks

Our final stop at the Minnesota History Center was the Art Speaks Exhibit. I was nervous that the boys would find this wind boring. I was very wrong. They loved it. Mostly because the Art Speaks curator offered us a guidebook that took the boys to specific pieces and asked them targeted questions about the artists choice of medium, to find specific features of the art and what they thought the art meant. The guidebook was a great tool to build the boys’ interest in art.

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Our favorite art piece was the painting shown below by Robert Two Bulls (2008) titled’ “38 Tears of Bishop Whipple.” The 38 tear drop shaped nooses resonated with our oldest son because he had recently learned of the mass hanging of 38 Dakota men near present day Mankato after the US Dakota War of 1862. He had learned in class that Reverend Henry Whipple played a role in President Lincoln pardoning all but 38 of the 303 Dakota men convicted of crimes during the war.

On our recent camper van trip to Joshua Tree National Park we made a quick stop at Reconciliation Park in Mankato to bare witness to the site of the hanging, which still stands as the largest mass execution in American history.

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Overall, we were very impressed with the Minnesota History Center and would certainly recommend it. Our experience was even better because our 6th grader was able to see the connections between his classroom learning and the stories and displays featured at the museum. For more details on how to obtain a 6th Grade Minnesota History Pass click here. Follow along this summer as we explore much of Minnesota’s storied history at Jeffers Petroglyphs, Mill City Museum, James J. Hill House, Snake River Fur Post, Oliver Kelley Farm, Lower Sioux Agency, Historic Fort Snelling and many more.

Happy Adventuring, Rochelle