History:

Mankato was originally called Mahkato, meaning greenish blue earth to Mankato's first inhabitants, the Dakota Indians. These native Mankatoans prefer the name Dakota meaning friend to the name Sioux meaning snake like enemy given to them by their rivals, the Ojibwe. An early spelling error was never corrected and Mahkato became Mankato.

The first Europeans came through Mankato in the 1700's looking for the Northwestern Passage to the Far East. Parsons K Johnson and Henry Jackson staked the first claims in Mankato in 1852. A General Store was opened shortly thereafter. Steamboat travel along the Minnesota River lead the way for additional settlers, but proved to be an unreliable mode of transportation in low water years. Stagecoach travel became the popular mode of transportation in 1852 when a crude military road from Mankato to St. Paul was built. In 1868, the railroads came to Mankato and named it the railroad hub for southern Minnesota. The stagecoach line and the railroads eventually eliminated the need for steamboat travel and the last boat, The Henrietta, made its final run from Mankato to St. Peter on April 27, 1897.

Mankato was named the Blue Earth County Seat in 1853 and grew rapidly in the 1850's and 60's. By 1854, U.S. Mail was delivered regularly to Mankato due to the efforts of General Store owner George Marsh. Mankato received its charter on March 6, 1868. It provided for a mayor and three city council members and remained intact until 1952, when the council/manager form of government was approved.

Mankato sits on land purchased in an 1851 treaty between the U.S. government and the Dakota Nation. Following the treaty signing, the U.S. Government delayed and skipped several land payments to the Dakota Nation. The actions of the U. S. Government sparked the U.S. - Dakota Conflict (or Sioux Uprising) of 1862. The conflict launched a series of Indian wars tha did not end until the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. For their involvement in the U.S. - Dakota Conflict, 307 Dakota Indians were sentenced to death. Final authority for the sentences was passed to President Lincoln who reduced the total to 38. In the largest mass execution in American history, 38 Dakota Indians were hanged in Mankato on December 26, 1862.

In 1868, Mankato became the site of the second Normal School in Minnesota. The facility became a teacher's college in 1922. The building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1924. To accommodate the large numbers of students after World War II, the curriculum expanded to include science and fine arts courses. The Mankato Teacher's College became Mankato State College and, later, Mankato State University. In 1999, it was renamed Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Mankato has experienced high water many times due to its location along the Minnesota River. The first flood was in 1881 and affected small portions of Mankato. Notable flooding did not occur again until 1951 when the banks of the Blue Earth and Minnesota Rivers overflowed into North Mankato. Mankato received little damage. Congress passed a flood control bill in 1958, but no local action was taken. In 1965, the banks of the Blue Earth River overflowed into Mankato. West Mankato was hit the hardest. The lower levels of West High School were flooded with four feet of water. The water spared downtown Mankato. New floodwalls and dikes have since been installed to protect Mankato from the river's fury.