Peter Rachleff, Immigration Then and Now: From Swede Hollow to Arlington Hills Walking Tour

History Revealed – Tour Series
June 15, 2019
Saturday, 10:00-11:30 am

Join RCHS for our presentation series, History Revealed, featuring the best local historians, authors and archeologists talking about a wide range of topics drawn from the heritage and traditions of Ramsey County.

Historian and co-founder of the East Side Freedom Library Peter Rachleff (shown in center of photo, above), will lead a 90 minute walking tour on Saint Paul’s East Side. The tour will use Payne Avenue as a spine along which to follow the experiences of such 19th century immigrants as Swedes, Irish, Germans, and Italians, to those of our contemporary neighbors, such as Hmong, Somali, Mexican, and Karen. The tour will explore the political, economic, and cultural forces which prompted emigration from homelands, on the one hand, and the patterns of settlement and organization in St. Paul, on the other.

• Reservations are required. Space is limited to 30.
• Online Tour Reservation Form is available here.
• Or call 651-222-0701 or email robyn@rchs.com for reservations.
• The tour will meet at the East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul, 55106
• Please arrive by 9:45 am.
• Tour begins promptly at 10:00 am, and will last about 90 minutes.
• Parking is available by the East Side Freedom Library.
• Participants will carpool down to Swede Hollow.
• The tour will end at the Freedom Library, and participants will be returned to their cars.​
• Tour is outside only – please wear walking shoes and dress for the weather.
• There are numerous restaurants and coffee shops available in the area for pre- or post-tour refreshment on your own.

Peter Rachleff taught U.S. History at Macalester College from 1982 to 2014, when he retired to co-found the East Side Freedom Library.  ESFL is located in an historic Carnegie Library​ which was built in 1917.  It has collected more than 20,000 books and materials focused in labor and immigration history, and it shares space with the Hmong Archives.​

Tour Cost

$5.00 RCHS Members / $8.00 General Public

Please RSVP by June 13, 5:00 pm to robyn@rchs.com or 651-222-0701, or reserve your ticket here. Link to online reservation form.
Space is limited to 30, reserve today! Tour is first-come, first served.

For more information and a list of upcoming 2019 History Revealed programs, see the 2019 History Revealed page.