The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) was originally called the State Highway Commission, which was created in 1905. As early as 1898, Minnesota could build roads and highways, but it was not until the commission passed that they began this work. The Dunn Amendment of 1912 helped the State Highway Commission because it called for the classification of road into State, County and Township roads. The State Highway Commission ended in 1917, and the legislature created the Department of Highways to do the work that the commission did. A 1921 Amendment to the state Constitution allowed for 70 state highways to be made and the Department of Highways was in charge of getting the rights to build these roads. Mn/DOT was officially created in 1976, to take the place of former departments, and work to develop, implement, administer, consolidate, and coordinate state transportation policies, plans, and programs.

This information from the Mn/DOT website: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/information/history.html.