Title: How did Minnesota become the Gopher State? - StarTribune.com
Headings: How did Minnesota become the Gopher State?
StarTribune
How did Minnesota become the Gopher State?

Content: Instead, it’s likely a thirteen-lined ground squirrel. But before we get to the nitty-gritty of that, let’s back up a bit. We stumbled onto the gopher-squirrel debate after a reader asked Curious Minnesota how Minnesota became the Gopher State. The question was a top vote-getter at the State Fair, and we decided to nail down the answer as part of our community-driven reporting project fueled by questions from inquisitive readers. Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune
The tail of State Fair mascot Fairchild is striped, a telltale sign that what you're seeing is not a gopher. Lori Williamson of the Minnesota Historical Society figures a political cartoon from 1858 likely inspired the moniker. Legislators in the newly formed state wanted to amend the constitution to enable them to issue credit and loan $5 million to railroad interests, Williamson said. Minnesotans overwhelmingly agreed, voting 25,023 in favor to 6,733 against. St. Paul artist R.O. Sweeny apparently wasn’t a fan of the plan and drew a cartoon depicting nine legislators as striped rodents with human heads pulling a railroad car full of bond holders, Williamson said. The detailed image includes a devil as the pied piper.