 This era was also as a period of cultural transition . At the time the U.S. took possession of the region , Native Americans were by far the largest ethnic groups . Their role in the fur trade gave them a steady stream of income and significant political influence even as the French , British , and Americans asserted territorial claims on the area . French and British traders had mixed with native society in the area for many decades peacefully contributing to the society and creating new ethnic groups consisting of mixed @-@ race peoples . As the Americans established outposts in the area and the fur trade declined , the dynamics changed dramatically . The economic influence of the Native Americans diminished and American territorial ideology increasingly sought to limit their influence . Large waves of immigration in the 1850s very suddenly changed the demographics so that within a few years the population shifted from predominantly native to predominantly people of European descent . The native and mixed @-@ race populations continued to influence the territory 's culture and politics , even at the end of the territorial era , though by the time statehood was achieved that influence was in steep decline . Heavy immigration from New England and New York led to Minnesota 's being labeled the " New England of the West " . 
