The Minnesota State Fair has seen a lot of changes over the years

Since the 1800s, the Minnesota State Fair has undergone many changes throughout its time as the “Great Minnesota Get-Together.”

Origins of the fair

It shouldn’t surprise you that the Minnesota State Fair’s history begins with the state’s founding. According to the Minnesota State Fair, the celebration began before Minnesota was even a state, but a territory.

The Minnesota Agricultural Society was founded in 1854 to promote agriculture by presenting an annual fair in the Minnesota Territory. The first fair was held in 1855 with the Agricultural Society when Minnesota was still a territory.

The first proper state fair wouldn’t take place until 1859, one year after Minnesota became the 32nd state.

In the early years, the State Fair traveled to a different location each year, with stops in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Red Wing, Winona an...