Catalog
Ramsey County History – Summer 2015: “Long-Ago Snapshots: When Sitting Bull Was Photographed in St. Paul”
Leo J. HarrisLong-Ago Snapshots: When Sitting Bull Was Photographed in St. Paul Author: Leo J. Harris Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa Lakota chief, visited St. Paul in 1884 and was photographed at the studio of Alfred Palmquist and Peder Jurgens. This article concentrates on what we know about Sitting Bull’s experience of…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2014: “The RCHS Archives and Collections Since 1964”
Mollie SpillmanThe RCHS Archives and Collections Since 1964 Author: Mollie Spillman Collections form the foundation of Ramsey County Historical Society’s (RCHS) history and programs. When RCHS was organized in 1949 by Ethel Hall Stewart and others, it first acquired the Gibbs Farm Museum, which opened in 1954, and began to…
Ramsey County History: Summer 2014: “The History of the Mississippi River Boulevard”
Donald L. EmpsonThe History of the Mississippi River Boulevard Author: Donald L. Empson In 1872, the Saint Paul City Council decided to build public parks in the city, and soon, thereafter, hired landscape architect Horace W. S. Cleveland to prepare a plan for where this should be done. One park that…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2014: “‘A Banner with the Strange Device:’ Longfellow and Saint Paul”
Moira F. Harris“A Banner with the Strange Device:” Longfellow and Saint Paul Author: Moira F. Harris Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is widely known as the poet who wrote “The Song of Hiawatha,” which was inspired by reports of Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. Although he never visited Minnesota, Longfellow wrote the poem “Excelsior”…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “Neither Posters Nor Stamps: Poster Stamp Advertising in St. Paul”
Leo J. HarrisNeither Posters Nor Stamps: Poster Stamp Advertising in St. Paul Author: Leo J. Harris Poster stamps are neither posters nor stamps. They are printed in sheets of various sizes, then gummed, and perforated. In the early 1900s, “poster stamps” became a form of collectible advertising that were attached to…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair”
James LindnerThe Birth of the Ramsey County Fair Author: James Lindner The person credited with the concept of the original county fair is Elkanah Watson, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who, in 1810, started the Berkshire County Fair. Watson wanted to promote ways to improve farm productivity through education, “personal ambition,” and…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2013: “Fine Art Exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair, 1885–1914”
Leo J. HarrisFine Art Exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair, 1885–1914 Author: Leo J. Harris The first Minnesota art exhibit was held in St. Paul at the 1857 territorial fair. From that year until 1884, few art exhibits were displayed at the fair, partly because the location Fair moved to different…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2013: “A Monument to Freedom, a Monument to All: Restoring the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Memorial in Como Park”
Colin Nelson-DusekA Monument to Freedom, a Monument to All: Restoring the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Memorial in Como Park Author: Colin Nelson-Dusek Beginning in 1907, a bronze sculpture of Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller has reigned over the Gateway to Como Park. Despite its long and ubiquitous presence, little…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2012: “St. Paul’s Beaux-Arts Libraries: Philanthropic Architecture in a Local Context”
Lauren M. FreeseSt. Paul’s Beaux-Arts Libraries: Philanthropic Architecture in a Local Context Author: Lauren M. Freese In 1917, Saint Paul City Architect Charles Hausler designed three libraries in St. Paul. They are the St. Anthony Park Free Public Library; the Riverview Free Public Library (West Side); and the Arlington Hills Free…