1. The name of this state came from the Minnesota River so named by the Dakota Sioux for the river's "cloudy" or "milky water." The Dakota word "mnishota" means "cloudy" or "milky water."
2. Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state.
3. The first Aerial Ferry was put into Operation on April 9, 1905, over the ship canal between Duluth to Minnesota Point. It had room enough to accommodate 6 automobiles. Round trip took 10 min.
4. Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.
5. The Mall of America in Bloomington is the size of 78 football fields - 9.5 million square feet
