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Ramsey County History – Fall 2017: “Emma F. Brunson: The First Woman Registered as an Architect in Minnesota”

Diane Trout-Oertel

Emma F. Brunson: The First Woman Registered as an Architect in Minnesota Author: Diane Trout-Oertel   Shortly after the Minnesota Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors was organized in 1921, Emma F. Gruetzke Brunson registered and thereby became Minnesota’s first woman to hold this professional credential.

Ramsey County History – Summer 2017: “William Nettleton, John G. Wardell, and the Highland Spring Water Company in St. Paul”

Donald L. Empson

William Nettleton, John G. Wardell, and the Highland Spring Water Company in St. Paul Author: Donald L. Empson William Nettleton (1822–1905) was born in Ohio, relocated to northern Minnesota in the early 1850s, and was one of the founders of Duluth. Around 1871, he moved again, this…

Our Minnesota State Capitol: From Groundbreaking through Restoration

Reviewer: Alan K. Lathrop

Our Minnesota State Capitol: From Groundbreaking through Restoration Author: Denis P. Gardner Foreword by Former Governor Mark Dayton St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2017 104 pages; softcover; 70 color and b&w illustrations; $19.95 With the brilliant restoration of the State Capitol building in St.

60 Stories of Maplewood History

Reviewer: John M. Lindley

60 Stories of Maplewood History Bob Jensen, editor, with Pete Boulay, Nicole DeGuzman, Elaine Ekstedt, Virginia Gaynor, Frank Gilbertson, Brenda Rudberg, Chris Soutter, and Mike Steinmetz Maplewood, MN: Maplewood Area Historical Society, 2017 125 pages; Softcover; photos and maps; $15.00; order at www.Maplewood Historical Society.org Over the years, Ramsey County History has tried…

Ramsey County History Podcast #7 – Winter 2016: The Ford Motor Company in St. Paul

Paul Nelson and Brian McMahon

The Ford Motor Company in St. Paul For almost a century, the Ford Motor Company built vehicles in St. Paul, first on University Avenue, and, from 1925 onward, in Highland Park. Architect and historian Brian McMahon has now published a book telling the…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2016: “John Anderson’s Fall from the High Bridge”

John T. Sielaff

John Anderson’s Fall from the High Bridge Author: John T. Sielaff On May 2, 1902, John Anderson, a painter working as part of a crew repainting the St. Paul High Bridge, fell 125 feet into the Mississippi River and survived. Although injured when he hit the footing of the…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2016: “‘Production for Victory:’ The Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant in World War II”

Brian McMahon

‘Production for Victory:’ The Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant in World War II Author: Brian McMahon Henry Ford was actively antiwar and anti-union in the 1930s. Thus, when war came to the United States in late 1941, the Ford Motor Company was barred from bidding on defense-related contracts. Eventually,…

Ramsey County History Podcast #6 – Fall 2016: Who Was Harriet Bishop?

Paul Nelson and Mary Lethert Wingerd

Who Was Harriet Bishop? Harriet Bishop is the only well-known woman among St. Paul’s early settlers. In fact, she may be the best-known of all. She was Minnesota’s first schoolteacher, yes, but what else do we know about her? Minnesota’s leading historian, Professor Emeritus Mary Lethert Wingerd,…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2016: “Helen Marks, Dressmaker, the 1903 Summer Carnival, and the Unions”

David Riehle

Helen Marks, Dressmaker, the 1903 Summer Carnival, and the Unions Author: David Riehle In late July and early August of 1903, St. Paul held its only Summer Carnival. One of the principal events in this festival that lasted nearly two weeks was the popular election of a queen. Men…