During the 1700s, Europeans established a fur tradefur-trading post near the rivers and traded with Native Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the area. Later, Montevideo became an agricultureagricultural center. On the edge of Montevideo, just off Highway 212, stands the Camp Release State Monument. The Minnesota River Valley and Montevideo played an integral part in the United States - Dakota Conflict of 1862. At this site, in the fall of 1862, the Dakota tribes surrendered and released 269 captives to Colonel Henry Sibley. The Camp Release Monument was dedicated on July 4, 1894. Today, the region faces the challenges resulting from declining population and dramatic changes in the rural economy. In response, the city applied for and was named Minnesota's first Star City -- a state program that provides the framework and encouragement local governments need to play a stronger role in economic development. In 2004, the city was honored with the presentation of the National Civic League's All-America City Award, which is given to only ten cities a year. The award is the oldest and most respected community recognition program in the nation and recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results. The city is also home to a burgeoning artists community, and serves as a hub to the annual http://www.artsmeander.com/pages/about/ Meander -- Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl. Montevideo’s sister city is MontevideoMontevideo, Uruguay. In 1949 a statue of José Artigas, UruguayUruguay's leader of independence, was given to the Minnesota community by Uruguayan citizens. Each year Montevideo marks Fiesta Days in honor of its association with its sister city. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montevideo%2C_Minnesota