History

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The Shoreview City Council approved the below land acknowledgement statement at their October 16, 2023 meeting.

The identity of any community is forged by the generations who have lived there in the past and present, bringing with them their cultures, beliefs, energy, and dreams. Many travel to new places in the hope of a better life, others arrive against their will, and some have been there for thousands of years.

The City of Shoreview acknowledges that our community stands on the ancestral, traditional, and current homelands of the Dakota. We also want to acknowledge the Ojibwe and other nations of people who called this place home. The U.S. government seized Dakota and Ojibwe land in Minnesota, allowing pioneers to settle in what is now Shoreview. This land was acquired unfairly through land cession treaties. The city acknowledges the history of violence, displacement, migration, and forced resettlement of Indigenous Peoples.

The city is aware that this land has a complex and layered history, and offers this statement as a step toward healing. Our goal is to better understand the history of the land on which Shoreview is built and the convergence of legacies that bring us to where we are today.

Since October, the human rights commission has identified an action plan that focuses on:

Educating the community
Hosting events or discussion series to learn about and celebrate Indigenous culture
Supporting Indigenous communities and businesses

We invite you to join us in learning more about Indigenous culture, history, and communities.

Minnesota and Shoreview history

Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota) is known as the land of sky-tinted waters. It is home to 11 tribes, four Dakota (Sioux) communities and seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa and Ojibwe) reservations.

During the 1800’s, the federal government created treaties that stripped Dakota and Ojibwe people of their homelands. The two that included the land that is now Shoreview are the 1837 and 1851 treaties.

The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 had profound impacts in shaping Minnesota as we know it today. As a result of the war, President Lincoln ordered the mass execution of 38 Dakota men in Mankato. Additionally, Minnesota exiled Dakota people. Although some were able to stay, many were forced out of the state.

At the end of the 1800’s, the Ojibwe were left with a small portion of their original homelands due to the collapse of the fur trade economy, treaties, and creation of reservations.

Today, our closest Dakota neighbors are part of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and our closest Ojibwe neighbors are part of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

In early 1850, Socrates A. Thompson was the first non-Indigenous person to settle in what is now Shoreview. Soon, people from Switzerland, England, Ireland, Germany, Vermont, Virginia, Illinois and New York began farming here.

Mounds View Township was founded in 1858, four years before the U.S. - Dakota War. The township included areas now known as Arden Hills, Mounds View, New Brighton, Shoreview, and parts of St. Anthony and North Oaks. Below are key dates that shaped Shoreview’s history:

1957
- March 4 - group of citizens filed a petition with the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners to incorporate the Village of Shoreview. This was approved by a vote of 853 to 748.
- April 23 - Shoreview incorporated with a population of 5,231.
- May 23 - Kenneth Hanold was elected the first mayor.
1963
- November - residents voted to shift to a “Plan A” form of government to better deal with the growing population.
- December - Interstate 694 opened through Shoreview.
1974
- January 1 - Shoreview became a city through an act of the State legislature.
- November - residents voted to adopt the current “Plan B” council-manager form of government.

Learn

The Minnesota Historical Society shares a variety of information and resources about Native Americans
- Learn more about Bdote and Fort Snelling
- Learn more about the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862
The Minnesota Department of Education lists a variety of resources vetted by the Office of American Indian Education. Three of these resources are below:
The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council was created to protect the sovereignty of the 11 Minnesota Tribes and to ensure the well-being of American Indian citizens throughout the state.
The State of Minnesota is transferring land at Upper Sioux Agency State Park to the Upper Sioux Community in 2024. Read more about the transfer.
Hoċokata Ti is the recently built cultural center in Shakopee, MN. Visitors can learn from exhibits and tours. Their website also has educational videos about Dakota culture.

Support

There are so many great Indigenous owned businesses and organizations to learn about, connect to, volunteer with, and donate to. Please note that the below is not a complete list.

Local businesses

Makwa Coffee is an Ojibwe and Queer-owned community centered coffee shop in Roseville.
Roots Cafe is a youth led program created by the International Indigenous Youth Council - Twin Cities Chapter and Indigenous Roots, a St. Paul-based organization.
Pow Wow Grounds has been caffeinating and feeding the American Indian community in Minneapolis since 2010.
Owamni is a full-service Indigenous restaurant created by The Sioux Chef in 2021. They prioritize purchasing food from Indigenous food producers and remove colonial ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, wheat flour, cane sugar, and dairy.
Trickster Tacos Food Truck serves urban Native cuisine with fusions from across Turtle Island.
Gatherings Cafe is a community-embraced cafe that encourages living healthy, eating healthy, and education through ancestral knowledge. They are located at the Minneapolis American Indian Center.
NATIFS is an Indigenous non-profit restaurant found at the Midtown Global Market. Their mission is to teach native foodways and establish a new Indigenous food system that reintegrates Native Foods and Indigenous-focused education into tribal communities across the nation.
Native Roots Trading Post provides physical space for almost a dozen local and national Native entrepreneurs and artists as well as providing visibility of Native owned businesses for shoppers in the city.

Non-profit organizations

Indigenous Roots is a St. Paul-based organization centered on promoting holistic well being through Indigenous arts, traditions and culture.
The Minneapolis American Indian Center provides educational and social services to more than 10,000 members every year.
Wakan Tipi Awanyankapi is a Native-led, East Side environmental conservation nonprofit. Their mission is to engage people to honor and care for our natural places and the sacred sites and cultural value within them.
Ain Dah Yung Center, meaning "Our Home" in Ojibwe, provides a healing place within the community for American Indian youth and families to thrive in safety and wholeness. They offer programming, resources, and emergency housing.
MIGIZI works to support the educational, social, economic, and cultural development of American Indian youth.
Native American Community Development Institute partners with a wide network of Native and non-Native individuals and organizations to create a vibrant, healthy, and balanced community with economic opportunities for Native people.
Dream of Wild Health wishes to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.
American Indian Family Center serves approximately 700 American Indian families each year with mental health, recovery, employment, housing, family, and youth services.
Native American Community Clinic provides a full range of healthcare services to Native American families.

Questions

City of Shoreview

Events

Events

History

Local businesses

Non-profit organizations

Land acknowledgement statement and city efforts

Shoreview history