Ramsey County History Magazine Winter 2024

Welcome to 2024! A new year presents opportunities to share new and corrective histories in our Winter issue of Ramsey County History magazine, which you should receiving soon. We’ve attached a link to this most recent issue here, where you will find bonus supplements that are not in the magazine itself.

This issue highlights the history of St. Paul’s built environment. Architectural Historian Nicole Foss grew curious about some of the architecture she passed on daily walks in her neighborhood. Curiosity led to research, which evolved into our cover story “Architect of St. Paul’s West Side: H. Emil Strassburger.” Very little has been published on Strassburger—until now. Most of the business blocks he designed in the late-nineteenth century are long gone, but several residences still stand tall along the West Side bluff. Strassburger’s architectural contributions to this neighborhood are significant.

Our second feature corrects a bit of history related to public efforts in the late 1960s to save the Old Federal Courts Building—today’s Landmark Center. See Linda Kohl’s article on page 10.

Finally, Krista Finstad Hanson who, with her husband, raised their family in an ordinary, everyday  neighborhood in St. Paul, focuses specifically on the history of a small portion of Englewood Avenue (once Capitol Avenue). The author shares unique insights into early homeowners and their determination to create and maintain a special community. One family—the Diebels—have lived on this particular street for nearly a century.

We encourage you to access any of our articles—from the most recent to the original issues dating to 1964—online here.

We greatly appreciate your continued support as a member of Ramsey County Historical Society. If you would like more information on how to donate to our organization, click here.

Link to download PDF of full issue of RCHS Winter 2024 Magazine

Articles in this Issue:

Architect of St. Paul’s West Side: H. Emil Strassburger
Author: Nicole Foss

Setting the Record Straight: The Scoop that Helped Save a St. Paul Landmark
Author: Linda Kohl

It Takes a Village: Building Community in the Hamline Midway Neighborhood
Author: Krista Finstad Hanson

Book Reviews
Prairie Imperialists: The Indian Country Origins of American Empire
Author: Katharine Bjork
Reviewed by Renoir Gaither

The Heart of the Heartland: Norwegian American Community in the Twin Cities
Author: David C. Mauk
Reviewed by Mary Lethert Wingerd