We had a few hours free and the need to show our Canadian visitor Uncle Sean a little Minnesota history… what better place than the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul? HERE
We have our teacher’s membership (totally an awesome deal… you get a discount on the year and access to so many great educational venues) renewed so we were good to go. The drive wasn’t overly long and the weather absolutely beautiful! 
There was so much to see (and photograph) so I indulged. Right in the center of a rather impressive set of staircase is the replica of an old wooden flyer – a Jennie.
This model took 10 yrs to create.
Then there were the different sections of the museum itself to enjoy. We did not visit all of them but managed to take in quite a bit. Sean was especially interested in the war era section complete with videos, a malt shop and more.
Behind the counter
Do my kids even truly understand what this is???
A very simple pinball game.
What songs were popular back then?
Of course we checked out the weather area so that Sean could see the tornado video that freaked out the twins a year or two ago.
How dare I interrupt their reading???
Learning about how to ready wild rice eat.
And we ran through the grainery, the section on settler life and the area on the native american roots.
Finally tall enough to play in the whole area!
I was absolutely thrilled that we managed to not miss the very impressive Hmong exhibit. This is a special exhibit that is only in place for a limited time and I was rather concerned we would miss it. I absolutely loved the colours in the traditional clothing… I am absolutely committed to covering the Hmong people and their history and reasons for coming to Minnesota next year. I think it will be a great experience for all of us. 
Cherished items brought to Minnesota.
I think we wore out Uncle Sean!
So sit back and enjoy the rest of the images. All in all a GREAT outing… I think we all learned something new.
Part of “The Greatest Generation” display.
I used to collect Betty Boop items myself!
Echo was pro at assembling artillery shells.
I found this an interesting artifact… a medal for a large family…
Retro… but yet… popular recently too!
Waving good-bye before she “boards the plane”.
Victory undergarments… these made me giggle. They were designed the year BEFORE the USA went to war.
Can you lift a pack half the weight of what someone could carry in one pack on a hunting expedition? Echo can’t … it weighed more than her!
Creating a pattern.
Learning about the fur trade.
We listened to part of the video about the schools the native children were sent to… such a weird image… our kids who have their right to whatever education I chose for them and the children who had no choice.
Airport seating hasn’t changed much has it?
And now for the rest of my Hmong images:
Such a wonderful day!
Where were you in 2007? This bridge collapse in Minnesota will always stick in our minds… Ken’s folks drove that bridge the morning it fell and dear friends would have been on it at the time of collapse if not for a dr’s appointment! HERE