Minnesota

• Capital: St. Paul, MN
• Largest City: Minneapolis, MN
• Area: 87,014 sq mi
  • Rank: 11
• Population (2010): 5,303,925
  • Rank: 21
• Admission to Union: May 11, 1858
• Time Zone: Central

Minnesota is a state in the midwestern United States, west of the Great Lakes (Lake Superior forms part of the state's eastern border) and south of Canada. It is agricultural in the south, but most of its area is covered by forests and lakes, hence its nickname - the land of ten thousand lakes.

The state's capital is St. Paul, MN, located on the Mississippi River as is its twin city, the slightly larger Minneapolis, MN. The two cities were long-time rivals in the American Association, until the original Washington Senators relocated to Bloomington, MN in 1961 and became the Minnesota Twins - representing both cities as depicted in the team's logo. The Twins are now based in Minneapolis, but their top farm team is in St. Paul. There are few other large cities outside the Twin Cities area, although Duluth, MN on Lake Superior, Rochester, MN, in the south, and Moorhead, MN, across from Fargo, ND, have hosted minor league teams at various times. The Northern League and Minnesota-Wisconsin League have been centered on the state at various times.

Minnesota is known for its vibrant tradition of "town ball" - amateur and semi-pro baseball staged in various small towns dotted around the state, leading to a state championship that has been held continuously since 1924.

Further Reading

• Anne Aronson: "Dames in the Dirt: Women's Baseball Before 1945", in Daniel R. Levitt, ed.: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State, The National Pastime, Volume 42 (2012), pp. 111-116.
• Rich Arpie: "Professional Base Ball Debuts in Minnesota: The St. Paul Red Caps, Minneapolis Brown Stockings and Winona Clippers of 1875-1877", in Daniel R. Levitt, ed.: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State, The National Pastime, Volume 42 (2012), pp. 14-18.
• Michael J. Haupert, ed.: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, The National Pastime, 2024 Edition.
• Steven R. Hoffbeck and Peter Gorton: "John Donaldson and Black Baseball in Minnesota", in Daniel R. Levitt, ed.: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State, The National Pastime, Volume 42 (2012), pp. 117-122.
• Larry D. Mansch: Hometown: Growing Up and Playing Ball in Slayton, Minnesota, Barnes and Noble Press, 2023. ISBN 9798855611526
• Cecil O. Monroe: "The Rise of Baseball in Minnesota", in Daniel R. Levitt, ed.: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State, The National Pastime, Volume 42 (2012), pp. 9-13 (reprint of an article originally published in 1938).
• Armand Peterson and Brian Larson: "Old-Fashioned Town Ball Is Flourishing in Minnesota", in Michael J. Haupert, ed.: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, The National Pastime, 2024 Edition, pp. 51-56.
• Todd Peterson: Early Black Baseball in Minnesota: The St. Paul Gophers, Minneapolis Keystones and Other Barnstorming Teams of the Deadball Era, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2010.
• Stew Thornley: Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History, Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, MN, 2006. ISBN 9780873515511
• Stew Thornley, ed.: Minnesotans in Baseball, Nodin Press, Cambridge, MN, 2009.
• Stew Thornley: Historic Ballparks of the Twin Cities, The History Press, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2021. ISBN 9781467146340
• Frank M. White: They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, MN, 2016. ISBN 9781681340043