Martin McLeod and the Minnesota Valley

This article recounts the experiences of Martin McLeod, fur trader and politician, in the Minnesota Valley in the nineteenth century. Beginning with the 1837 trip during which McLeod almost died trying to follow the explorer Long's map, the author goes on to report McLeod's fur trading at Traverse des Sioux, Big Stone Lake, and Lac Qui Parle. Additional discussion covers McLeod's political experiences, including several terms in the territorial legislature where he sponsored the bill to change the name of the St. Peter's River back to "Minnesota."