 Like other U.S. States , Minnesota made its contributions to the effort of World War II in wartime manufacturing and other areas . The United States Navy contracted with Cargill to build ships after seeing their success in building ships and barges used to haul grain . Cargill built facilities in Savage , Minnesota on the south bank of the Minnesota River and turned out 18 refueling ships and four towboats in four years . After the war , the Cargill facilities became a major grain shipping terminal . Honeywell built airplane control systems and periscope sights for submarines , and also developed a proximity fuse for anti @-@ aircraft shells . The United States government built the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant to produce munitions . The plant employed 8 @,@ 500 workers in 1941 , and since there was a shortage of male workers during the war , more than half of the workers at the munitions plant were women . The plant also employed nearly 1000 African American workers , as President Roosevelt had issued an executive order forbidding racial discrimination in defense industries . Native American workers also found opportunities due to workforce shortages in wartime . 
