This is mostly taken from my first ever #TBT way back in August of 2014. Enjoy.
It all begins in 1857. This is your classic tale: corrupt politicians getting compared to rodents, and everyone's ignorance about which rodents look like Gophers and which don't. Check out the entire story in the 2003 Minnesota Daily article.
I'm a company man (shoutout to the Minnesota Historical Society letting me do this for a living), so I should mention that the original R.O. Sweeney satirical cartoon is currently on display at the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul.