The Dakota people, the original inhabitants
of the area where Minneapolis now stands, believed in the Great Spirit and were
surprised that not all European settlers were religious. Over fifty
denominations and religions and some well known churches have since been
established in Minneapolis. Those who arrived from New England were for the
most part Christian Protestants, Quakers, and Universalists. The oldest
continuously used church in the city, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in
the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood was built in 1856 by Universalists
and soon afterward was acquired by a
