History Revealed: Winter Carnival

St. Paul’s Winter Carnival: 135 Years of Fun…And Counting!
Kate Roberts

History Revealed Series
Program Date: January 21, 2021
Video on YouTube

In partnership with the Roseville Library

Kate Roberts, Senior Exhibit Designer from the Minnesota Historical Society, shared some of the history, stories and trivia of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.

Celebrating 135 years in 2021, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival was founded by city leaders to combat the notion that St. Paul was, in the words of a New York correspondent, “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” Known for its parades, Vulcans, Klondike Kates and Ice Palaces, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival has a history that includes contributions by architects, performers, bouncing girls, and prominent citizens. Kate Roberts shares these stories and some little-known history of the Winter Carnival on its 135th Anniversary.

Image: 1941 Winter Carnival Ice Palace.