Catalog
Ramsey County History – Fall 1987: “Cattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton”
Gene F. SkibaCattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton Author: Gene F. Skiba The article covers the founding of the city of New Brighton and memories from early settlers. Minneapolis businessmen created the city hoping to be in the cattle business. They chose a location on Long Lake, set up…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1987: “The Great Horse Market Years at Prior and University”
John S. SonnenThe Great Horse Market Years at Prior and University Author: John S. Sonnen In the late nineteenth century, horsepower moved the city. In the early 1890s the street railway alone employed 800 equines. Where did the horses come from? The Minnesota Transfer Railway. Located in the Midway, it hauled…
Ramsey County History – Spring/Summer 1977: “The Plowing of America: Early Farming Around St. Paul”
Rodney C. LoehrThe Plowing of America: Early Farming Around St. Paul Author: Rodney C. Loehr An anecdotal piece: a quick summary of early settlement in St. Paul and how people acquired farmland (and the money to buy it.); a description of typical frontier dwellings; the crops grown; dealing with the chronic…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1969: “Student, Protests, Marches: 100 Years Ago at the University”
Edward J. LettermannStudent, Protests, Marches: 100 Years Ago at the University Author: Edward J. Lettermann The first years of the University of Minnesota were hard, debt-ridden, and tumultuous. A territorial university had begun in 1852, but closed in 1858. Undergraduate classes at the state university began in 1869 with…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1969: “Kellogg Boulevard: The Story of Old Third Street”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyKellogg Boulevard: The Story of Old Third Street A very short history of Third Street in downtown St. Paul from roughly 1857 to its renaming as Kellogg Boulevard in 1929. It went from being the city’s prime retail street to a wholesale business street (“this stage probably was…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1969: “Norman Kittson and the Fur Trade”
Clarence W. Rife and Holly WaltersNorman Kittson and the Fur Trade Authors: Clarence W. Rife and Holly Walters Few Minnesota pioneers painted on a bigger canvas than Norman Kittson (1814–1888). He traded furs around Fort Snelling in the 1830s, then he moved farther and farther north and west, to Pembina. He battled…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1969: “Summer Evenings, a Smudge Kettle, Tallow Candles—And Farm Life Recalled”
Lillie Gibbs LeVesconteSummer Evenings, a Smudge Kettle, Tallow Candles—And Farm Life Recalled Author: Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte A short memoir written by the youngest daughter of Jane and Heman Gibbs about her years in the 1870s during summer evenings after all the chores were done and family members gathered in…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1968: “Forgotten Pioneers: Stephen Desnoyer”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyForgotten Pioneers: Stephen Desnoyer Stephen Desnoyer (1805–1877) operated a saloon and hotel on the old ox cart trail from Pembina to St. Paul. The site was later occupied by the Shriners Children’s Hospital. He came to St. Paul in 1845 and died there in 1877. The Desnoyer Park neighborhood…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1968: “From A Pioneer Farmer: Memories of Those Early Years Make ‘A Chill Run Up My Back’”
John D. SchofieldFrom A Pioneer Farmer: Memories of Those Early Years Make ‘A Chill Run Up My Back’ Author: John D. Schofield “The days were too short for the work that must be done, the nights too short for the needed rest.” John Schofield came to St. Paul in…