Catalog
March of the Governors, Governor #8, John Pillsbury
Paul Nelson and Tom O'ConnellJohn Pillsbury, a Republican, served three terms as governor of Minnesota from January 1876 to January 1882. An immigrant from New Hampshire, Pillsbury made a fortune in the grain milling business in the company that still carries his name. He also had a strong commitment to public…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2021: “Closing the Book: The James Jerome Hill Reference Library, 1921-2021”
Eileen McCormackClosing the Book: The James Jerome Hill Reference Library, 1921-2021 Author: Eileen McCormack James J. Hill, was a creator of businesses, railroads, banks, trusts, and mansions. In 1912, he set to work on one more creation—a gift to the people of St. Paul. Hill died in 1916 before his dream—the James…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2021: “How It Started; How It’s Going: Land O’Lakes Celebrates Ten Decades of Innovation”
Karen Mellott-FosierHow It Started; How It’s Going: Land O’Lakes Celebrates Ten Decades of Innovation Author: Karen Mellott-Fosier Arden Hills-based Land O’Lakes, Inc. celebrates a milestone birthday in 2021. A century ago on June 7, 1921, representatives from 320 of the state’s co-op creameries gathered in the old state capitol…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2021: “How’d They Do That? Bringing Ramsey County History Tours Right to Your Home”
Jeremy NienowHow’d They Do That? Bringing Ramsey County History Tours Right to Your Home Author: Jeremy L. Nienow The COVID-19 pandemic significantly limited our abilities to get out and about and explore the many interesting and unique museums, historic homes, and other local venues in Ramsey County. But don’t…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2019: “Creating Communities of Interest: James J. Hill and the Minnesota Transfer”
Brian McMahonCreating Communities of Interest: James J. Hill and the Minnesota Transfer Author: Brian McMahon Railroad magnate James J. Hill was a busy man with little patience for inefficiencies. So he initiated a partnership that some might consider counterintuitive. Hill met with other railroad directors—intense competitors—to collaborate, coordinate, and…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2019: “Where the Grass is Always Green: The Founding of Midland Hills a Century Ago”
John HamburgerWhere the Grass is Always Green: The Founding of Midland Hills a Century Ago Author: John Hamburger Golf was growing in popularity in 1915 when a group of University of Minnesota professors built a nine-hole golf course on the edge of the Farm Campus. Four years later, the…
A Life on the Middle West’s Never-Ending Frontier
Reviewer: Meredith CummingsA Life on the Middle West’s Never-Ending Frontier Willard L. “Sandy” Boyd Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2019 394 pages; hard cover; 22 b&w photos; $35 A Life on the Middle West’s Never Ending Frontier is a well-written and sometimes humorous and self-deprecating memoir by St. Paul native…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2019: “Remembering One of Our Community Legends – Jimmy Lee”
Frank M. WhiteRemembering One of Our Community Legends – Jimmy Lee Author: Frank M. White Jimmy Lee was a prominent leader within St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood, St. Paul itself, and the state of Minnesota. He was well known and respected at the First National Bank Building, where he served…
Metropolitan Dreams: The Scandalous Rise and Stunning Fall of a Minneapolis Masterpiece
Reviewer: Alan K. LathropMetropolitan Dreams: The Scandalous Rise and Stunning Fall of a Minneapolis Masterpiece Author: Larry Millett Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2018 248 pages; hardcover/cloth jacket; 140 b&w photos; $29.95 Larry Millett, author of Metropolitan Dreams: The Scandalous Rise and Stunning Fall of a Minneapolis Masterpiece, has done an…