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| 1849 map of Territory of Minnesota |
Maps provide wonderful information and
great appreciation for the early history of Minnesota. An early map of the Minnesota Territory,
dated 1849, holds significant information about the settlement of Minnesota and
the creation of Sherburne County. One of
the original counties of the Minnesota Territory, Benton County, along with the
two other counties, Washington and Ramsey, covered large areas of land. In 1856 the Minnesota Territorial legislature
created Sherburne County out of a small, southernmost section of Benton County.
Sherburne
County, we all know, was named after Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice
Moses Sherburne. Senator Thomas Hart
Benton, of Missouri, served as the namesake for Benton County. The other original counties also held
political significance in their names.
Washington County, obviously named in honor of President George Washington. Ramsey County honored the first Territorial
Governor, Alexander Ramsey.
The
politics of the times guided the naming of a multitude of counties and communities
in Minnesota. Sherburne County serves as
an example of these political honors. The geography provides more insight into
the settlement of Minnesota. And, the
changing borders and county lines raises some speculation about the development
of the territory and State.
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