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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…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2006: “Mary Hill’s Lowertown, 1867–1891”

Eileen R. McCormack

Mary Hill’s Lowertown, 1867–1891 Author: Eileen R. McCormack Mary Mehegan Hill lived most of her early life in St. Paul’s Lowertown and was there with her husband, James J. Hill, from the time of their marriage until the Hills moved to Summit Avenue in 1891. Surrounded by prosperous families…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2006: “‘The Greatest Single Industry?’ Crex: Created Out of Nothing” 

Paul D. Nelson

“The Greatest Single Industry?” Crex: Created Out of Nothing  Author: Paul D. Nelson The American Grass Twine Company was the fifth largest employer in St. Paul in 1903 and its largest manufacturing industry, with 900 employees. The company was based on taking wire grass, which grew in peat bogs…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2005: “Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City”

Steve Trimble

Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City Author: Steve Trimble This photo essay is a response to a letter to the editor wondering why the magazine bothered to publish an article on “nothing more than a…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2004: “‘High and Dry on a Sandstone Cliff:’ St. Paul and the Year of the Chicago and Rock Island’s Great Railroad Excursion”

Steve Trimble

‘High and Dry on a Sandstone Cliff:’ St. Paul and the Year of the Chicago and Rock Island’s Great Railroad Excursion Author: Steve Trimble This article examines what St. Paul looked like in 1854 when the Great Railroad Excursion came to the city. St. Paul was part of the…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2003: “The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House: New Settlers, a Booming Real Estate Market, and a Summit Avenue Site Acquired on Speculation”

Eileen McCormack

The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House: New Settlers, a Booming Real Estate Market, and a Summit Avenue Site Acquired on Speculation Author: Eileen McCormack The Louis Hill home at 260 Summit Avenue was built on a plot of land that was platted in November 1854. Home construction…