Today In Minnesota History: First State Capitol Burns To The Ground

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) --  On March 1, 1881 the state's first capitol building burned to the ground.

It happened on an evening when legislators were in session.

Thankfully, no one was hurt.  Around 300 people escaped, but the building was a total loss.

Incredibly, some legislators and nearby residents were able to save many artifacts and important documents from the basement before the state capitol burned to the ground.

And in the ruins, a capitol engineer later found a key loop with sixteen keys that used to belong to the building.

A second building was put up on the same site in 1883 but was later replaced by the state capitol we have today.

Sources:

http://www.mnhs.org/
http://www.mnopedia.org/structure/minnesotas-first-state-capitol
http://www.mnopedia.org/thisday