Catalog
Ramsey County History – Fall 1974: “The Necessities of Life, Available Early on the Frontier”
Kevin GalvinThe Necessities of Life, Available Early on the Frontier Author: Kevin Galvin Six businesses operating downtown in 1859 were still in actively running in 1974. The author traces their histories. Philip Fabel began selling handmade shoes in 1856. His descendants still run the store. Albrecht Furs began in 1855,…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1974: “Minnesota’s Wandering State Fair and How It Settled in St. Paul”
Gordon HayesMinnesota’s Wandering State Fair and How It Settled in St. Paul Author: Gordon Hayes People connived and schemed to get and keep the Minnesota State Fair for over 30 years from 1854 to 1885. The outcome represented a rare win for St. Paul in its rivalry with Minneapolis. The…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1974: “Explorers, Traders, Farmers: The Early History of St. Paul”
Anne CowieExplorers, Traders, Farmers: The Early History of St. Paul Author: Anne Cowie The basic geology of the river gorge, the early explorers, Pike’s purchase, Fort Snelling, the Selkirk refugees, Pig’s Eye and the expulsions from Fort Snelling, Vetal Guerin, Abraham Perry, Louis Robert, Norman Kittson, Henry Jackson, Lucien Galtier,…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1973: “Highland–Groveland–Macalester Park: The Old Reserve Township”
Donald EmpsonHighland–Groveland–Macalester Park: The Old Reserve Township Author: Donald Empson Settlement and development of the southwest corner of the city, bounded by Marshall Avenue on the north, Dale Street on the east, and the Mississippi everywhere else. The first permanent settler was William Finn in 1848. Formal land sales…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1973: “Memories of Early St. Paul: Perilous Escape from Fire down Eighty-Foot Bluff”
Mrs. George R. Becker with George A. ReaMemories of Early St. Paul: Perilous Escape from Fire down Eighty-Foot Bluff Authors: Mrs. George R. Becker with George A. Rea The author’s father and uncle, August and Charles Mueller, were working in a downtown tailor shop when fire broke out on May 17, 1870. To save themselves they…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1972: “Forgotten Pioneers: James C. Burbank, The Man Who Used Coach and Boat to Link the Northwest to St. Paul”
Robert Orr BakerForgotten Pioneers: James C. Burbank, The Man Who Used Coach and Boat to Link the Northwest to St. Paul Author: Robert Orr Baker Bringing the Red River country, and by extension all of the “Hudson Bay country this side of the Rocky Mountains, into … communication with St. Paul was…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1971: “Boats, Carts, Rails, Roads—The Trailways of History”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyBoats, Carts, Rails, Roads—The Trailways of History Descriptions of three early, and vital, St. Paul transportation hubs and tracks: the Lower Landing, the crossroads of the Old Military Road and the Ox Cart Trail, and the Red River Ox Cart Trail. The first was the city’s main steamboat landing, the…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1971: “The Building of Old Fort Ripley and Its Links with St. Paul”
Robert Orr BakerThe Building of Old Fort Ripley and Its Links with St. Paul Author: Robert Orr Baker Fort Ripley was built at the confluence of the Crow Wing and Mississippi Rivers, primarily “to protect the Winnebago Indians who had been placed in the area as a buffer between the warring…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1971: “Forgotten Pioneers: George Loomis Becker”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyForgotten 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…