history by state library

Each state in the Union has an interesting history. In this section, you can explore the history of each of the 50 states and learn about important events that took place within its borders.

Featured Article: History of Kansas

The Great Plains region was periodically inhabited by various Indian peoples as early as 10,000 years ago. See more »

Articles 21-40 of 53

History of Maine

History of Maine. John Cabot, in 1497–98, and Giovanni da Verrazano, in 1524, may have sailed along the coast of Maine.

History of Maryland

Maryland was inhabited by Indians centuries before European settlement. The major tribes were the Piscataway in the west and the Nanticoke in the east, both of the Algonquian language family.

History of Massachusetts

Massachusetts' first inhabitants were nomadic Indians who lived by fishing and hunting.

History of Michigan

Indians entered Michigan several thousand years ago. The earliest people were probably nomadic hunters.

History of Minnesota

Ancestors of the American Indian were in what is now Minnesota by the late glacial period, some 10,000 or more years ago.

History of Mississippi

Indians first entered the area several thousand years ago. These early inhabitants depended mainly on hunting, fishing, and food gathering for survival.

History of Missouri

Missouri has been inhabited since at least 8000 B.C. Its earliest known peoples were prehistoric hunters.

History of Montana

Prehistoric humans entered what is now Montana more than 10,000 years ago. The early inhabitants hunted the area's abundant big game.

History of Nebraska

The original inhabitants of Nebraska were Indians who arrived there more than 10,000 years ago and probably were part of a group known collectively as Folsom man.

History of Nevada

Prehistoric peoples entered what is now Nevada as early as 11,000 years ago, and the region was probably continuously inhabited.

History of New Hampshire

History of New Hampshire. Prehistoric hunters may have roamed what is now New Hampshire as early as 6000 B.C.

History of New Jersey

The first inhabitants of what is now New Jersey were prehistoric Indians of the Algonquian language family who arrived some 7,000 years ago.

History of New Mexico

Three of the most ancient peoples of the Americas are named for sites in New Mexico where relics of them were first found.

History of New York

In 1524 Giovanni da Verrazano, according to his own account, discovered New York Harbor.

History of North Carolina

Archeological evidence indicates that North Carolina was inhabited by prehistoric Indians at least as early as 10,000 B.C.

History of North Dakota

The first inhabitants of what is now North Dakota entered the region about 15,000 years ago.

In prehistoric times Ohio was the home of Indians known as Mound Builders. When the French first settled in Canada in the early 17th century, the Erie Indians were living south of Lake Erie, but in mid-century they were conquered and dispersed by the Iroquois.