 The territorial era of Minnesota covers the history of the land that is now the modern US state of Minnesota from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 , to its achieving statehood in 1858 . The Minnesota Territory itself was formed only in 1849 but the area had a rich history well before this . Though there was a long history of European presence in the area before 19th century , it was during the 19th century that the United States began to establish a firm presence in what would become Minnesota . 
