Today marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War.
I recalled from my sixth-grade Minnesota History class that Minnesota was first to send volunteer troops to aid the Union during the Civil War, and sure enough, the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was organized at Fort Snelling on April 29, according to Wikipedia.
They are most remembered for the horrific casualty rate (82 percent) at Gettysburg, and also took heavy casualties in other battles, though they seemed to have acquitted themselves well.
Several men from the 1st Minnesota seem to have settled in the area.
Here’s a portrait; a much larger version of that above.