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Ramsey County History – Spring 2003: “Growing Up in St. Paul: ‘Homer Van Meter, a Member of the Karpis Gang, Was Shot Across the Street from Our House’”

Bernice Fisher

Growing Up in St. Paul: ‘Homer Van Meter, a Member of the Karpis Gang, Was Shot Across the Street from Our House’ Author: Bernice Fisher The author grew up at 193 West University Avenue. One of her vivid memories was when Homer Van Meter, a member of the Dillinger…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2003: “Growing Up In St Paul: Diamonds, Gravel Roads, and a Little Chevrolet—The Life and Times of a Venture Capitalist”

Alan R. (Buddy) Ruvelson

Growing Up In St Paul: Diamonds, Gravel Roads, and a Little Chevrolet—The Life and Times of a Venture Capitalist Author: Alan R. (Buddy) Ruvelson This article begins with the author’s family background and the arrival of his great grandfather in St. Paul in the 1870s, where he lived at…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2003: “I Remember the Teachers’ Strike of 1946: ‘We Rolled Down Our Windows in the Cold Air’”

Maxine Dickson

I Remember the Teachers’ Strike of 1946: “We Rolled Down Our Windows in the Cold Air’” Author: Maxine Dickson The author attended and remembered having talked with her teachers about schools and unions. Her family lived at 1718 Ross Avenue, and she attended Ames Elementary and Junior High. When St.

Ramsey County History – Spring 2002: “‘The Best School in the City,’ 1896–1916 Mechanic Arts High School: Its First Twenty Years”

John W. Larson

‘The Best School in the City,’ 1896–1916 Mechanic Arts High School: Its First Twenty Years Author: John W. Larson Mechanic Arts High School was an unusual institution that provided students with vocational training as well as an academic education. It started as a manual training program at Central High School.

Ramsey County History – Spring 2002: “A Memoir: A Temporary Shelter for Six Under 12—St. Joseph’s Catholic Orphan Home”

Janet Postlewaite Sands

A Memoir: A Temporary Shelter for Six Under 12—St. Joseph’s Catholic Orphan Home Author: Janet Postlewaite Sands The author recalls the family circumstances that brought her and her siblings to St. Joseph’s Orphanage at 1458 Randolph in 1945 and what it was like during her stay there. The six…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2002: “Donations and Their Own Pockets—An Orphanage’s Roots in 1869 St. Paul”

Paul D. Nelson

Donations and Their Own Pockets—An Orphanage’s Roots in 1869 St. Paul Author: Paul D. Nelson This article examines the St. Joseph’s Orphanage by looking at the experiences of the Postlewaite family. In the early days, it was a German institution which bought a forty-seven acre plot of land at…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2002: “Growing Up In St Paul: The War To End All Wars: A Schoolboy’s Recollections of World War II”

Ray Barton

Growing Up In St Paul: The War To End All Wars: A Schoolboy’s Recollections of World War II Author: Ray Barton The author looks back at the coming of World War II when he was a young boy. His uncle had been a hero in World War I, and…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2002: “A Memoir: Jimmy Griffin, St. Paul’s First Black Deputy Police Chief, Remembers His First Years on the Force”

Jimmy Griffin with Kwame J.C. McDonald

A Memoir: Jimmy Griffin, St. Paul’s First Black Deputy Police Chief, Remembers His First Years on the Force Author: Jimmy Griffin with Kwame J.C. McDonald In this excerpt from his autobiography, Jimmy Griffin, one of St. Paul’s best-remembered police officers, tells some of his stories. Born in 1906, Griffin grew…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1999: Book Review

Ramsey County Historical Society

Book Review Anne E. Neuberger, Jane Gibbs: “Little Bird That Was Caught,” with illustrations by Tessie Bundick (St. Paul: Ramsey County Historical Society, 1998). PDF of Book Review…