Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward leased a tiny isle on Lake of the Woods as a publicity stunt and took a silly bid for statehood all the way to the White House.
![GLEN STUBBE � gstubbe@startribune.com -- Tuesaday, July 13, 2010 -- St. Cloud, Minn. -- ] Arctic Cat's St. Cloud plant. The company recently announced plans to produce snowmobile engines there making them more vertically-integrated. ORG XMIT: MIN2012091320223569 ORG XMIT: MIN1304051542286038](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/EIPHX4JD3ZG252WMI7S4SPEDQI.jpg?&w=80&ar=1:1&fit=crop)
More from Curious Minnesota
Curious Minnesota
Who deals with animals that meet their untimely demise on the road in Minnesota?
Roadkill typically ends up in one of three places: a shallow grave in the ditch, a special compost heap or on someone’s dinner table.
November 29, 2024
Curious Minnesota
What happened to Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America?
Some Minnesotans are still nostalgic for the Mall of America’s original, Peanuts-themed amusement park. Here’s why it became Nickelodeon Universe.
November 22, 2024
Curious Minnesota
How was the giant Canada goose rediscovered in Rochester after being declared extinct?
A Mayo brother’s private flock led to a rediscovery of these big birds. Decades later, the geese nearly took over town.
November 16, 2024
Curious Minnesota
What are Lake Superior’s most famous shipwrecks?
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank nearly half a century ago in “the gales of November.” But the lake has taken hundreds of other ships, too.
November 8, 2024
Curious Minnesota
What are Minnesota’s weirdest laws?
Statutes about collecting gopher bounties and chasing greased pigs are on the books. But some of our most oft-repeated loony laws are simply tall tales.
November 1, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Minnesota’s ghost towns are a relic of grand visions gone awry
Many of the state’s abandoned places vanished without a trace. But some still attract visitors.
October 25, 2024
Curious Minnesota![A major threat to the goblin fern is the invasive earthworms destroying the forest floor that are being spread by anglers improperly dumping bait and movement from ATV tires. ] Brian Peterson ¥ brian.peterson@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/IOZS3EQGUTRADS3QMGWYSQOWXU.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
How did earthworms invade Minnesota?
They aren’t native to the state. And the toothless, wriggly creatures are destroying our forest floors.
October 18, 2024
Curious Minnesota
What’s behind the stereotype that Minnesotans don’t like spicy food?
Conventional wisdom holds that many of the state’s residents just can’t handle the heat.
October 11, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Why are Minnesota’s roadside rest areas so nice?
The state was ‘ahead of the curve’ installing these facilities, which serve an important safety function.
October 4, 2024
Curious Minnesota
Why is Minnesota the top state for pulltab gambling?
Most states allow pulltabs. But the game has become a unique part of our bar culture.
September 27, 2024
Curious Minnesota
A 1940 inferno remains the deadliest fire in Minneapolis history. Why was it so lethal?
The Marlborough Hotel blaze on a freezing morning in 1940 left 19 people dead.
September 20, 2024
Curious Minnesota
What does Aquatennial have to do with Minneapolis’ bloody 1934 Teamsters strike?
The summertime celebration aimed to unite the city and restore its image.
September 13, 2024