Catalog
Ramsey County History – Winter 2013: “Helping the Sun Shine Brighter for Farmers: Robert Freeman on Mount Ramsey”
Harlan StoehrHelping the Sun Shine Brighter for Farmers: Robert Freeman on Mount Ramsey Author: Harlan Stoehr The year 2013 marks the centennial of extension work in Ramsey County, beginning with Harry G. Krum’s appointment as county agricultural agent. At the time of Krum’s hiring, Ramsey County was home to over…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2012: “Hands-On Historian: Ethel Hall Stewart and Preserving the Gibbs Farm”
Steven C. TrimbleHands-On Historian: Ethel Hall Stewart and Preserving the Gibbs Farm Author: Steven C. Trimble On an October day in 1954, the Gibbs Farm Museum opened to the public, thanks to the efforts of Ethel Hall Stewart. Stewart’s love of history and belief in hands-on education was the impetus for…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2012: “Louis Hill to Henry Ford: “No Deal!” Henry Ford and the William Crooks”
Brian McMahonLouis Hill to Henry Ford: “No Deal!” Henry Ford and the William Crooks Author: Brian McMahon Henry Ford was born and raised on a farm and always preached the value of the rural life and character. Ironically, his Model T automobile (first produced in 1908), more than anything, was…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2009: “Pith, Heart, and Nerve, Truman M. Smith: Horticulture as the Way Back”
Barry L. & Joan Miller CotterPith, Heart, and Nerve, Truman M. Smith: Horticulture as the Way Back Authors: Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter This is the second article on Truman Smith—the first was in the Fall 2008 issue. This article reports how, after financial difficulties and the economic crash of the 1850s, Smith…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2009: “A 4-H Trail Blazer: Clara Oberg and the Ramsey County 4-H”
Harlan Stoehr and Helen HammerstenA 4-H Trail Blazer: Clara Oberg and the Ramsey County 4-H Authors: Harlan Stoehr and Helen Hammersten When Clara Oberg, who had lost her family farm, was hired by the 4-H in March 1928, there were only sixteen clubs in Ramsey County with around 200 members, but under her…
Pearl and the Howling Hound Farm
Pearl Marea SchenkBorn in 1911, Pearl Marea Schenk grew up on a farm in rural Anoka County, Minnesota, and received her early education in a one-room schoolhouse similar to the one that Ramsey County Historical Society has preserved at Gibbs Farm. She became a classroom teacher in several Minnesota districts and later,…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2005: “Ramsey County’s Distinguished Agriculturist: Willet M. Hayes, the Scientist Who Saw ‘Shakespeares’ among His Plants”
Harlan Stoehr and Forrest TroyerRamsey County’s Distinguished Agriculturist: Willet M. Hayes, the Scientist Who Saw ‘Shakespeares’ among His Plants Authors: Harlan Stoehr and Forrest Troyer Willet M. Hays (1859–1928), the first head of agronomic research at the University of Minnesota, is arguably the greatest all-time contributor to the advancement of agriculture in Minnesota.
Ramsey County History – Summer 2004: “Spring Wagons and No Roads: A Gibbs Daughter Remembers a Pioneer Family’s Sunday as a ‘Serious Undertaking’”
Lillie Gibbs LeVesconteSpring Wagons and No Roads: A Gibbs Daughter Remembers a Pioneer Family’s Sunday as a ‘Serious Undertaking’ Author: Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte This is a reminiscence of the youngest daughter of Heman and Jane Gibbs. She recalls that getting to church services was no easy task in the 1870s. It…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2003: “St. Paul Underground: The University Farm Experimental Cave and How St. Paul Became the Blue Cheese Capital of the World”
Greg A. BrickSt. Paul Underground: The University Farm Experimental Cave and How St. Paul Became the Blue Cheese Capital of the World Author: Greg A. Brick Willes Combs, a professor of Dairy Industry at the University of Minnesota, was buying mushrooms at a West Side cave and saw that the humidity…