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Ramsey County History – Fall 1971: “Forgotten Pioneers: George Loomis Becker”

Ramsey County Historical Society

Forgotten Pioneers: George Loomis Becker George Becker (1829–1904), like so many pioneer businessmen, was born in New York State and moved to St. Paul to seek his fortune, in his case in 1849. He was a lawyer and practiced with Edmund Rice, but he made his fortune in railroading, where he…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1971: “Social Calls without a Bonnet! Park Residents Set Their Own Rules”

Dorothy Hozza

Social Calls without a Bonnet! Park Residents Set Their Own Rules Author: Dorothy Hozza A history of the development of Irvine Park, starting in 1849. Many prominent citizens lived on or near it, including Alexander Ramsey, Henry Moss, Abram Elfelt, Horace Bigelow, Joseph Forepaugh, William Spencer, Henry Carver, Frederick…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1971: “The Letters of Samuel Pond, Jr.—Exams: ‘The Terror of the Students’”

Ramsey County Historical Society

The Letters of Samuel Pond, Jr.—Exams: ‘The Terror of the Students’ Samuel Pond Jr., attended the University of Minnesota in the 1870s and wrote many letters to his family. Those excerpted here were written in 1870. They deal with school matters, college activities, lectures and sermons, and Pond’s cross-country walks.

Ramsey County History – Fall 1970: “Smallpox, Malaria—W.R. Brown’s Civil War Diary: The War Within A War”

Virginaia Brainerd Kunz and James O Wall

Smallpox, Malaria—W.R. Brown’s Civil War Diary: The War Within A War Authors: Virginia Brainard Kunz and James O. Wall W. R. Brown enlisted in the Sixth Minnesota Infantry in 1862 at the age of 46. He served mostly in hospitals, in the field, at Fort Snelling, and in Helena,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1970: “Forgotten Pioneers: Edward Phelan”

Ramsey County Historical Society

Forgotten Pioneers: Edward Phelan Edward Phelan, discharged from the U.S. Army at Fort Snelling in April 1839, became one of St. Paul’s founding settlers. He was a contentious fellow, tried and acquitted of murder, and later indicted for perjury. He fled in 1850 and reportedly “met with a violent death in…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “St. Anthony Park: The History of a Small Town Within a City”

Fredric Steinhauser

St. Anthony Park: The History Of A Small Town Within A City Author: Fredric Steinhauser A history of the development of this St. Paul neighborhood. Gov. William Marshall and landscape architect Horace Cleveland played key roles in its early development, as did investors from Wisconsin and Virginia, the University…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “Murder Most Foul! Early “Historian” Solves Murder of Whatever Happened to “Pigs Eye” Parrant”

Edward J. Letterman

Murder Most Foul! Early “Historian” Solves Mystery of Whatever Happened to “Pigs Eye” Parrant Author: Edward J. Letterman In 1868 New York writer, publisher, and fabulist “Col.” Hankins published a history of St. Paul entitled Dakota Land; or, The Beauty of St. Paul, “an altogether charming conglomeration of local…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “Forgotten Pioneers: John R. Irvine”

Ramsey County Historical Society

Forgotten Pioneers: John R. Irvine John R. Irvine (1812–1878) came first to St. Paul in 1843 from Prairie du Chien with a sleigh full of groceries to “look over the field which had been represented to him by his old friend, Henry Jackson, as the Eldorado of the Northwest.” He liked…