The coming of peace marked the beginning of a new period of rapid growth, the Federal census of 1870 showing a population of 439,706 or a gain of 155.6% in ten years. During the same decade railway construction, which had begun with a line between St. Paul and St. Anthony in 1862, reached close to I,000 miles. The period 1870-80 was one of great discontent among the farm ers, and one expression of their feeling was their opposition to certain wide-spread abuses of the railroads. A number of regu latory laws, usually called the "granger-acts" because they were sponsored by farmer organizations known as "granges," passed the legislature. Cases arising out of these acts, and carried to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided against the railroads, had far reaching results in establishing principles of public regulation of common carriers. The railways themselves suffered severely in the panic of 1873, while the farmers were troubled by severe and repeated grasshopper invasions that destroyed the crops over large areas. Despite these setbacks, Minnesota's population in creased 77.6% in the decade from 1870 to 1880; settlements spread over the prairies of the west and south-west, and down the Red river valley. Many of the newcomers were Scandinavian and German immigrants. Wheat became the great crop of the prairies.
In the north the forests were falling under the organized attack of great lumber companies. Agricultural conditions revived, rail roads again were being built, and the basis wag laid for steady growth in the following decades. In 1884 the mining of iron-ore was begun on the Vermilion range and in 1890 and 1891 the much larger deposits of the Mesabi range were discovered. Railways were built to the mines and by 1900 31 million tons of ore had been taken out. By the end of 1927, 780,323,313 tons had been shipped from the Mesabi and 53,095,923 tons from the Vermilion range. In 1911 shipments began from the Cuyuna range and by 1927 they totalled 25,106,581 tons. Scores of prosperous towns have grown up but the state has remained agrarian. Farmers diversified their crops when wheat began to exhaust the land.
The state was Republican after 186o except for three Demo cratic administrations supported by an alliance with the Populists or their successors. The Non-Partisan League and then the Farmer-Labor Party have gained influence in recent decades, elect ing Floyd B. Olson governor for three consecutive terms (from 1931 to his death in August 1936) and Elmer Benson for the term 1937-39. In the presidential contests of 1932 and 1936 Minne sota gave large popular majorities to Mr. Roosevelt.
The best history of the State is W. W. Folwell, A History of Minne sota (St. Paul, 1921— ). 'Valuable also are E. D. Neill, History of Minnesota (4th ed., Minneapolis, 1882) ; and Minnesota in Three Cen turies, by various authors (1908). For other phases of the State's his tory and life see N. H. Winchell, The Aborigines of Minnesota (St. Paul, 1911) ; D. E. Willard, The Story of the North Star State (St. Paul, 1922) ; W. H. C. Folsom, Fifty Years in the North-west (St. Paul, 1888) ; H. P. Hall, Observations (St. Paul, 1904), Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars (St. Paul, 189o) ; W. P. Shortridge, The Transition of a Typical Frontier (Menasha, 1922) ; J. G. Pyle, The Life of James J. Hill (1917); M. W. Odland, Life of Knute Nelson (Minneapolis, 1926) ; M. L. Hansen, Old Fort Snelling (Iowa City, 1918) ; J. F. Williams, A History of the City of Saint Paul (St. Paul, 1876) ; W. Van Brunt, Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota (Chi cago, 1921) ; A. N. Winchell, Handbook of Mining in the Lake Superior Region (Minneapolis, 192o) ; E. V. Robinson, Early Economic Conditions and the Development of Agriculture in Minnesota (Minne apolis, 1915) ; H. Larson, The Wheat Market and the Farmer in Min nesota (1926) ; M. Hartsough, The Twin Cities as a Metropolitan Market (Minneapolis, 1925) ; W. C. Edgar, The Medal of Gold (Min neapolis, 1925) ; W. Anderson, A History of the Constitution of Minnesota (Minneapolis, 1921) ; F. F. Holbrook, Minnesota in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection (St. Paul, 1923) ; and F. F. Holbrook and Livia Appel, Minnesota in the War with Germany (St. Paul, 1928— ). See also the 17 vols. of the Minne sota Historical Collections (St. Paul, 1872-192o) ; and Minnesota His tory, A Quarterly Magazine (formerly Minnesota History Bulletin, St. Paul, 1915 seq.), both published by the Minnesota Historical Society.
(S. J. By.)