On This Date in Minnesota History: August 23

August 23, 2007 – “University of Minnesota astronomers announced that they have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. The 1 billion light years across of nothing represented an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness.”
http://timelines.ws/states/MINNESOTA.HTML

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 22

August 22, 1956 - Paul Molitor was born in St Paul, Minn. He “is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–92), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–95), and Minnesota Twins (1996–98). In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. [Molitor] was known for his exceptional hitting and speed.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Molitor

Paul Molitor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Molitor_white_house.jpg

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 21

August 21, 1899 - Oscar R. Burkard “received the [Congressional] Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Sugar Point,”¹ often referred to as “the Battle of Leech Lake, [which] was fought on October 5, 1898, between the 3rd U.S. Infantry and members of the Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians”² on the Leech Lake Reservation in Cass County, Minnesota. A private in the Hospital Corps, he rescued several soldiers while under heavy fire from the Pillagers and continued to do so throughout the battle.
Burkard was awarded the Medal of Honor "’for distinguished bravery in action against hostile Indians.’  Aside from being the only non-combatant to be decorated from that engagement, Burkard was also the last man to receive the medal during the Indian Wars.”^1
1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Burkard
²http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sugar_Point

Oscar R. Burkard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oscar_Burkard.jpg

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 20

August 20, 1802 - George Bonga, a fur trader of African American and Native American descent, was born on this date in what is now Minnesota [near Duluth]. “He was famous in Minnesota for being, as his brother Stephen claimed, ‘One of the first two black children born in the state.’ [Bonga] was also recognized for tracking down a suspected murderer in 1837, an Ojibwe named Che-Ga Wa Skung, [and] bringing the perpetrator back to justice at Fort Snelling. The ensuing criminal trial was reputedly the first in Minnesota.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bonga

George Bonga


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bonga

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 19

August 19, 2005 – “Some 4,430 mechanics at Northwest Airlines, based in Eagan, Minnesota, went on strike at midnight as a 30-day cooling off period expired. The airline called for $176 million in concessions including 2,000 job cuts.”

http://timelines.ws/states/MINNESOTA.HTML

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Northwest.arp.750pix.jpg

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 18

August 18, 1929 – Attracted by the smells coming from the back of a fish delivery truck, a black bear followed the truck into downtown Duluth. The bear then turned his attention to the smells coming from the Hotel Duluth Coffee Shop.  [H]e “rose up on his hind feet and looked around as if greatly confused. He then walked over to the coffee shop and with one mighty blow of its paw, it smashed a fifteen foot tall plate glass window. Glass flew in every direction. The bear dropped to all fours and rushed through the window to the center of the coffee shop.”

After causing a ruckus in the coffee shop, the bear was eventually shot by a Duluth police officer.  “The magnificent animal was later sent to a local taxidermist and for many years was displayed in the front window of the 'Black Bear Lounge' in the hotel. Presently it is on display in the main dining room of the original Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in Canal Park, Duluth.”

http://www.cityhistory.us/duluth/architecture/hotelduluth.htm

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 17

August 17, 1862 – “The Sioux Uprising, which resulted in more than 800 white settlers dead and 38 Sioux Indians condemned and hanged, took place in Minnesota. The Sioux, or Minnesota Uprising began when four young Sioux murdered five white settlers at Acton. The Santee Sioux, who lived on a long, narrow reservation on the south side of the Minnesota River, were reacting to broken government promises and corrupt Indian agents. A military court sentenced 303 Sioux to die, but President Abraham Lincoln reduced the list [to 38].”

http://timelines.ws/states/MINNESOTA.HTML

Ness Memorial Cemetery
Meeker County
Minnesota

In memory of the first five victims of the great Indian massacre of August 1862, and buried here in one grave.

Howard Baker, Robinson Jones, Viranus Webster, Ann Baker, and 15 year old Clara Wilson were killed by Sioux Indians August 17, 1862. This marked the beginning of the Sioux Uprising of 1862 (Dakota War of 1862).

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=32820828&PIpi=20187778