Catalog
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) RuvelsonGrowing 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 – Fall 2002: “Those Squealing Red River Ox Carts: Norman Kittson and the Fur Trade”
Clarence Rife and Holly WaltersThose Squealing Red River Ox Carts: Norman Kittson and the Fur Trade Authors: Clarence Rife and Holly Walters In 1830 at the age of sixteen, Canadian-born Norman Kittson joined the American Fur Company and headed west. He eventually arrived in Minnesota, where he joined Henry Sibley in the fur…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2002: “Tubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company”
Leo J. HarrisTubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company Author: Leo J. Harris Abraham and Mark Harris were immigrant brothers from Russia. They founded Harris Forge and Rolling Mill, and, by 1891, it had more than 200 workers. It was one of the earliest concerns that…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2001: “The Financial Angel Who Rescued 3M: The Life and Times of Lucius Pond Ordway”
Virginia Brainard Kunz and John M. LindleyThe Financial Angel Who Rescued 3M: The Life and Times of Lucius Pond Ordway Authors: Virginia Brainard Kunz and John M. Lindley A twenty-one-year-old man would begin a career that would bring him a fortune and a place in the upper levels of St. Paul society. Lucius Ordway was part…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2000: “The Aches and Pains of St. Paul Property Ownership: Taxes, Assessments and Fees between 1856 and 1904: A Snapshot of the Lives of the Flanagan Family”
Leo J. HarrisThe Aches and Pains of St. Paul Property Ownership: Taxes, Assessments and Fees between 1856 and 1904: A Snapshot of the Lives of the Flanagan Family Author: Leo J. Harris A snapshot of the lives of the Martin Flanagan family is the vehicle for describing the evolution of Ramsey…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1999: ““… No Time or Sympathy for One Who Wouldn’t Work:” Crawford Livingston, Colonel Chauncey Griggs, and Their Roles in St. Paul History”
John M. Lindley“… No Time or Sympathy for One Who Wouldn’t Work:” Crawford Livingston, Colonel Chauncey Griggs, and Their Roles in St. Paul History Author: John M. Lindley This article brings together the careers of two related, but different, major figures in the history of St. Paul in the late nineteenth and…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1998: “Banker and Philanthropist Richard C. Lilly: The Man Who Led Two Lives”
Virginia Brainard KunzBanker and Philanthropist Richard C. Lilly: The Man Who Led Two Lives Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz Richard Lilly began work on a road crew at age fifteen, after his father was disabled in an accident. By age thirty-three, in 1918, he was president of St. Paul’s second-largest bank. In 1929,…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1995: “After 108 Years, a Transformation: Norwest Bank St. Paul and Its Heritage of More Than a Century”
James B. BellAfter 108 Years, a Transformation: Norwest Bank St. Paul and Its Heritage of More Than a Century Author: James B. Bell The Scandinavian-American Bank was chartered in June 1887. It eventually became Norwest Bank, one of the state’s biggest. The author, skilled at institutional history, untangles the changing…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1995: “Banking on Minnesota’s Unfettered Frontier—When Barter was the Name of the Only Game in Town”
James B. BellBanking on Minnesota’s Unfettered Frontier—When Barter was the Name of the Only Game in Town Author: James B. Bell The early years of trade in St. Paul were marked by shortage of cash, phony bank notes, bank failures, nonexistent regulation, and frequent confusion. This article tells the story of the…