Ramsey County Historical Society Presents

Paul Nelson, Rocky Roots: A Walking Tour of the Geology of Downtown Saint Paul

History Revealed – Tour Series
May 16, 2018
Wednesday, noon-1:00 pm
Downtown Saint Paul

Join RCHS for a new series, History Revealed, featuring the best of local history authors talking about a wide range of topics drawn from the heritage and traditions of Ramsey County. See our History Revealed page here for more programs, past and future.

Historian and author Paul Nelson will lead a one-hour walking tour to discover the geologic “rocky roots” of downtown Saint Paul. The tour will look at the stones that form Landmark Center, the Central Library, the former Qwest telephone building, and St. Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Courthouse. The tour will also look at formations of Platteville limestone, Morton gneiss and Lake Superior sandstone that are part of downtown structures. T

The tour will meet and will end up back at Landmark Center.

Copies of Rocky Roots: Geology & Stone Construction in Downtown St. Paul, by Sister Joan Kain and Paul Nelson, published by the Ramsey County Historical Society will be available prior and after the tour from RCHS. All tour participants may purchase Rocky Roots for the RCHS Member cost of $15.00, tax is included.

Portions of the tour will be outside  – please wear walking shoes and dress for the weather.

Note: We will also go into the St. Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Courthouse, and will be going through security. Please be aware of this, and leave items at home that may be confiscated.

Tour Cost

$5.00 RCHS Members / $8.00 General Public

Please note: Registration is currently full. To be put on the waiting list or to be notified of future tours, please contact  robyn@rchs.com or 651-222-0701.

Paul D. Nelson is an author and historian. He is the author of numerous articles for Ramsey County History magazine, and is the co-author, along with Sister Joan Kain, of Rocky Roots: Geology & Stone Construction in Downtown St. Paul, published by the Ramsey County Historical Society. He is also the author of Fredrick L. McGhee: A Life on the Color Line 1861-1912, published in 2002. Paul Nelson graduated from Macalester College and the University of Minnesota Law School.

Featured images:  Carved stone sculptures at the Saint Paul City Hall/Ramsey County Courthouse: Exterior bas relief of workers and families, and the “God of Peace” in the Concourse.

Thank you to Landmark Center for their support of this program.

History Revealed Presentations

Scheduled 2018 History Revealed Programs
Check back for updates!

Click on the titles for more information.
Please note that topics and speakers may change. Check the website and our Facebook page for updates.
Please also note presentation location and times.

March 22, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Kim Heikkila, To Bear the Mark: Unwed Motherhood at the Salvation Army’s Booth Memorial Hospital, 1913-1973 (or, History, My Mother, and Me)
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

April 18, 2018, Wednesday, noon – James Marrinan & Bonnie Lindberg, Value: It’s Not Always in the Money! A Look at YOUR Treasured Antiques
History Revealed Landmark Lunch Series
Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St W, Saint Paul MN 55102
Registration required.
More information and reservations.

April 26, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – John Diers, 1,100 Streetcars: The Rise and Fall of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

May 16, 2018, Wednesday, noon – Paul Nelson, Rocky Roots: Walking Tour of the Geology of Downtown Saint Paul
History Revealed Walking Tour
Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St W, Saint Paul MN 55102
Meet at the Landmark Center. Reservations required, limit 20.
More information and reservations.

May 24, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Terry Swanson, Elaine Goodale Eastman: Sister to the Sioux in Her Own Words
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

June 6, 2018, Wednesday, 10:30 am-noon – Mark Haidet, Walking Tour of the MN State Fair
History Revealed Walking Tour
Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1265 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55108
Meet at the History & Heritage Center. Reservations required, limit 30.
More information and reservations.

June 28, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm, Scott Carlson, Twin Cities Beer
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville, MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

July 26, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Mark Haidet, The Minnesota State Fair During World War I
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

August 23, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Grant Merritt, Iron and Water: My Life Protecting Minnesota’s Environment
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

September 12, 2018, Wednesday, noon – Denis P. Gardner, Our Minnesota State Capitol: From Groundbreaking through Restoration
History Revealed Landmark Lunch Series
Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St W, Saint Paul MN 55102. Free and open to all.
More information.

October 10, 2018, Wednesday, noon – Susan Bartlett Foote, The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Health Institutions, 1946-1954
History Revealed Landmark Lunch Series
Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St W, Saint Paul MN 55102. Free and open to all.
More information.

November 29, 2018, Thursday, 7:00 pm – Daniel Bergin, North Star Stories
History Revealed Library Series
Roseville Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N, Roseville MN 55113. Free and open to all.
More information.

December 5, 2018, Wednesday, noon – Gibbs Farm staff, Holiday Traditions on the Minnesota Prairie
History Revealed Landmark Lunch Series
Landmark Center, 75 Fifth St W, Saint Paul MN 55102. Free and open to all.
More information.