The city of Minnetrista, Minnesota is a land of hills, forests, and winding lakes. The Dakota Native Americans more than likely inhabited the wooded area long before the settlers arrived. The Dakota’s largest tribe, the Mdewakantonwan, survived off of game within the woods and lakes. After Minnesota became a state in 1851, the government pushed for what is known as the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, which was an agreement for the Native Americans to leave the land in order for the settlers to move in.

On April 10, 1858, Hennepin County Commissioners set apart a German Home Township, which was named for the large number of residents that had German heritage. In 1859, the town government was organized, and its members met in one of the local’s log cabin. The main purpose of the meeting was to chose a name for the town. After several proposals, the name “Minnetrista” was chosen. The reason for the name of the city comes from the Dakota words of “minne” and “trista”, which mean “water” and “twisting.”

As time passed, the neighboring cities of Mound and Saint Bonifacius became separate from Minnetrista and were incorporated into their own cities. Minnetrista remained a very popular tourist destination with hotels, cabins, a prominent boat landing, and summer camps. Parts of the city also developed into a beautiful, residential areas. Minnetrista became fully incorporated in 1970. The area has been sparsely populated for quite some time, but that is expected to change in the near future.