I thought it was because of all of the Scandinavian settlers in the 19th century.  Anyway, Europeans were here much earlier than Columbus   is a must see video. Yes, the Minnesota Vikings got their name in part to reflect the state of Minnesota's Scandinavian heritage, but also because of old myths and rumors of Viking presence in Minnesota long ago. Check this out...It's interesting... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Runestone