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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…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2010: “‘It Was Like Living in a Small Town:’ Three St. Paul Neighborhoods That Worked: Dayton’s Bluff, Payne Avenue, and Arcade Street in the 1940s and ‘50s “

Steven C. Trimble

“It Was Like Living in a Small Town” Three St. Paul Neighborhoods That Worked: Dayton’s Bluff, Payne Avenue, and Arcade Street in the 1940s and ‘50s  Author: Steven C. Trimble The three neighborhoods that abutted the industrial complex on St. Paul’s East Side developed as the city expanded outward…

The Dutiful Son: Louis W. Hill-Life in the Shadow of the Empire Builder, James J. Hill

Biloine (Billie) W. Young with Eileen R. McCormack

Author Biloine (Billie) W. Young and researcher Eileen McCormack bring to light the extraordinary life and contributions of Louis W. Hill Sr., the second son of James J. Hill. Following the death of his father, Louis took on the management of the Great Northern Railway and banking empire, became the…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2008: “Pith Heart & Nerve, Truman M. Smith: From Banker to Market Gardener”

Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter

Pith Heart & Nerve, Truman M. Smith: From Banker to Market Gardener Authors: Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter According to the authors, Truman Smith did not give up in the face of a major economic collapse in 1857; instead he showed resilience and used “pith, heart, and nerve”…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2008: “‘Mr. Livingston … Had the Tenth:’ An Episode in Minnesota Railroad Building”

John M. Lindley

“Mr. Livingston … Had the Tenth:” An Episode in Minnesota Railroad Building  Author: John M. Lindley On October 3, 1883, the Minnesota Supreme Court rendered its decision in the case of James H. Weed et al. vs. Little Falls & Dakota Railroad et al. One of many railroad cases…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2007: “Minneapolis and St. Paul Stumble: Henry Ford Wins the Struggle for the High Dam “

Brian McMahon

Minneapolis and St. Paul Stumble: Henry Ford Wins the Struggle for the High Dam  Author: Brian McMahon There were two early Ford plants in the Twin Cities—one in Minneapolis and another on University Avenue in St. Paul. Henry Ford was a big promoter of hydroelectric power; consequently, he wanted…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2006: “A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern”

John W. Diers

A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern Author: John W. Diers The St. Paul Southern Electric Railway, an obscure “electric interurban,” was built to connect the Twin Cities with several southern Minnesota cities. This form of mass transit was developed in other parts of the United…