Minnesota Territory [related links]
John Wesley Bond, Minnesota and its Resources (1853) -- reprinted many times since its appearance, Bond's book contains some of the best descriptions of Minnesota territory just when its population was beginning to grow rapidly.
Nancy and Robert Goodman, Joseph R. Brown: Adventurer on the Minnesota Frontier (1996) -- the first of a planned two-volume study of Brown, this has a host of information on the territorial period.
Anne Kaplan and Marilyn Ziebarth, eds., Making Minnesota Territory, 1849-1858 (1999) -- excellent compilation of articles on the territorial years.
William Lass, "Minnesota's Separation From Wisconsin: Boundary Making on the Upper Mississippi Frontier" in Minnesota History, vol. 50 (1987) -- fine article that covers the separation of the Minnesota lands from Wisconsin territory just before the latter became a state.
Frank B. Mayer, With Pencil and Ink on the Frontier in 1851 (1986) -- reprint of traveling artist's journal with his observations of life in Minnesota territory.
William Lass, "Minnesota's Quest for Salt," in Minnesota History, vol. 52 (1990) -- important article on the crucial importance of salt deposits to the growth of Minnesota settlement.