Member Activities & Events

Be sure to put the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers’ Log Cabin on your itinerary when you come to the Minnesota State Fair! Come step back in time with us!

• MTP's Log Cabin gives fair-goers an opportunity to take a step back in time and look at the "stuff" from the pioneer era.  Clothing, household articles and tools, toys, photos, and other interesting artifacts from territorial times are on display. Skills are demonstrated on a regular schedule each day at the fair.  And best of all - there's no charge.
• The Minnesota Territorial Pioneers have participated in the Minnesota State Fair since 1897. The original cabin was built in 1900-1901 after the fair provided us with land along with an appropriation to help cover some of the construction costs; a veranda was added in 1903. This cabin, which sat next to Institute Hall, was used until 1957. At that time the State Fire Marshall condemned it because the second floor was collapsing into the first floor.
• The Fair moved the current log cabin from the north end of the fairgrounds to Underwood Street for the 1958 Fair. At that time the original Institute Hall was replaced by the Pioneer Portrait Hall, which was built to house the MTP portrait collection. The portrait hall was reassigned and became the Ramberg Senior Center in 1971.
• State Fair Fun Fact: George H. Hazzard, who became the Secretary of the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers in 1903, was a prime mover in permanently locating the State Fair at its present location. A Ramsey County Commissioner, and member of the State Agriculture Society, Hazzard was just one of many of our organization's early leaders involved in establishing the State Fair we've all come to know and love.
• If you are a member of MTP (or even just have an interest in MN history!) and have free time you're willing to spend as a volunteer at the Pioneer Log Cabin at the Fair, please consider signing up to volunteer via this link or connect with our office!

We hold regular annual and holiday meetings, both open to the public.  Our annual meetings are held every May on the Saturday closest to May 11th.  We usually have a speaker who talks on a topic related to Minnesota, genealogy, or a local matter.  Meal tickets are available for purchase here.  If you’re interested in only attending for the presentation without a meal, tickets are $10 and can also be purchased at the link above.

Our holiday parties, on the other hand, are much more festive.  These are usually scheduled around the first weekend of December and give our members a chance to connect with other members and celebrate the season.  Meal tickets for these can also be purchased at our sales site.