[.uk] Making Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858 (ISBN 0873513738)

From wilderness to territory to state:
In the nine territorial years, the Minnesota European-American population exploded from 5,000 to 150,000. It is hard to comprehend what such a dramatic change meant for the environment, the Native American population and the old fur trading culture. This book goes some way in trying to make real for the modern reader what the shift from one way of life to another was like for the people living it. On the back cover is a quote excerpted from Rhoda Gilman's essay that I particularly liked for the way it opened up my thinking: "With the signing of the Indian treaties a subtle but profound change had already taken place. Prairie and oak openings had become acres; forests had become timber stands; tumbling rivers had become water rights. A world of natural features once invested with mystery and power of their own had become resources for human manipulation." The maps, photographs, and illustrations are excellent.