Minnesota History Magazine Fall 2026 (70.3)

Articles

England’s “Most Distant” Allies: How Native American Diplomacy, Trade, and Resilience Shaped Mni Sota Makoce in the Revolutionary Era
William Convery and Hayden L. Nelson

While war between the British and the American colonies was looming on the eastern seaboard, Indigenous nations navigated the events unfolding in the Upper Midwest. Dakota and Ojibwe leaders of the Revolutionary era contended with British imperial ambitions, continental trade rivalries, and a devastating smallpox epidemic that reshaped the region’s power dynamics.

Small Town, Big Vision: Fertile’s Bicentennial Success Story
Thomas Saylor

The northwestern Minnesota community of Fertile harnessed the “Spirit of ’76” to become a Model Bicentennial City. With dedicated local leadership and broad citizen participation, the town organized ambitious projects—ranging from historical publications to community beautification—proving that organized, grassroots dedication can create a lasting civic legacy that extends far beyond an anniversary.

Bound Together
Paul Nelson

Twenty-five years ago, three Minneapolis nonprofits—a literary center, a small press, and a center for book arts—formed a risky joint venture to create a shared permanent home. This collaborative experiment, known as Open Book, grew into a community-focused gathering place for literary and book arts that has inspired similar endeavors nationwide.

Departments

Editor’s Note
Amy L. Boxrud

Curator’s Choice
Arielle Fields
Portrait of Amelia Ullmann

EyeWitness
Annette Atkins
Diane Cummisford: Breaking Barriers at General Mills

LandMark
Marsha Neff and Greg Gaut
Ranier Community Building, Koochiching County

Book Review
Michael J. Lansing
Making Mill City: Flour and Fortune in Minneapolis by Robert M. Frame III

Take Three/News & Notes/Letters

Highlighting MNopedia
Karl Nycklemoe
Quatrefoil Library

Preserving > Sharing > Connecting
Kurt Klotzbeucher: Building Understanding