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The Scott Collection: Minnesota’s Black Community in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s

Reviewer: Earl Ross

The Scott Collection: Minnesota’s Black Community in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s Author: Walter R. Scott Sr. Introduction by Anthony R. Scott; Preface by Chaunda L. Scott; Foreword by William D. Green St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2018 500 pages; softcover; 500 photos; $29.95 Published previously…

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: “‘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 #5 – Spring 2016: Mayor for Life – George Latimer

Paul Nelson and George Latimer

Mayor for Life – George Latimer He was sometimes known as “mayor for life.” George Latimer served as mayor of St. Paul from 1976 to 1990, the longest consecutive term in St. Paul history. A lot happened on his watch: the Town Square and Lowertown developments; the…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2014: “Fighting to Keep Seeger Running: Ralph M. Scalze and His Leadership of Local No. 20459, AFL-CIO, 1949–1955”

Gerald E. Scalze

Fighting to Keep Seeger Running: Ralph M. Scalze and His Leadership of Local No. 20459, AFL-CIO, 1949–1955 Author: Gerald E. Scalze A World War II veteran, Ralph Scalze was the leader of Local No. 20459 of the Refrigerator Workers’ Union of the AFL-CIO from 1949 to 1955, the largest…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2013: “Present at the Creation: The Turbulent Sixties and Seventies in St. Paul Politics”

Ruby M. Hunt

Present at the Creation: The Turbulent Sixties and Seventies in St. Paul Politics Author: Ruby M. Hunt Ruby Hunt, who served on the Saint Paul City Council between 1972 and 1982 and on the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners between 1983 and 1995, recalls several key personalities, primarily Mayor…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2012: “From Boom Times to the Great Depression: Two Stolpestad Men in St. Paul Real Estate, 1886–1936”

James A. Stolpestad

From Boom Times to the Great Depression: Two Stolpestad Men in St. Paul Real Estate, 1886–1936 Author: James A. Stolpestad This is a story about a Norwegian immigrant, Andrew H. Stolpestad, to St. Paul in 1884 who went on to make a modest mark for himself in local real estate…

For the Good of the Order: Nick Coleman and the High Tide of Liberal Politics in Minnesota, 1971-1981

John Watson Milton

This book chronicles Nick Coleman’s role in the legislative cauldron that resulted in Minnesota being recognized throughout the country as “the state that works.” Coleman provided the vision and leadership that enacted social and economic programs and inspired voter support that sent Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, and Walter Mondale to…