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Ramsey County History Podcast #3 – Fall 2014: The German Friend; MNopedia

Paul Nelson, John Larson, and Molly Huber

The German Friend; MNopedia Part 1: What can an anti-Nazi writer and intellectual, exiled in the United States, do for his beloved Germany? Nearly eighty years ago, Prince Hubertus zu Lowenstein visited St. Paul and met Hamline University student John Larson. A lifelong friendship and flood of…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2014: “‘A Banner with the Strange Device:’ Longfellow and Saint Paul”

Moira F. Harris

“A Banner with the Strange Device:” Longfellow and Saint Paul Author: Moira F. Harris Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is widely known as the poet who wrote “The Song of Hiawatha,” which was inspired by reports of Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. Although he never visited Minnesota, Longfellow wrote the poem “Excelsior”…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair”

James Lindner

The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair Author: James Lindner The person credited with the concept of the original county fair is Elkanah Watson, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who, in 1810, started the Berkshire County Fair. Watson wanted to promote ways to improve farm productivity through education, “personal ambition,” and…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “Growing Up in St. Paul: Mike Sanchelli Remembers Swede Hollow”

Steven C. Trimble

Growing Up in St. Paul: Mike Sanchelli Remembers Swede Hollow Edited by Steven C. Trimble This article is drawn from Mike Sanchelli’s first-person (1915–2003) reminiscences of life in Swede Hollow during the 1920s and ‘30s. The Sanchelli’s first home in Swede Hollow cost $20 plus $20 a year for…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2011: “Growing Up in St. Paul: The West End Neighborhood of the Thirties and Forties”

Douglas R. Heidenreich

Growing Up in St. Paul: The West End Neighborhood of the Thirties and Forties Author: Douglas R. Heidenreich Somewhere, probably in a shoebox filled with curved, faded, brittle pictures shot about seventy years ago on a Kodak Brownie camera, Douglas Heidenreich has a short letter from Gerhard Bundlie, a…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2011: “Living la Vida en Ramsey County: A Journey through Ramsey County’s Mexican Past”

Leila Renee Albert

Living la Vida en Ramsey County: A Journey through Ramsey County’s Mexican Past Author: Leila Renee Albert In September 2011, the Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHs) opened an exhibit in its gallery space in the Landmark Center focused on Ramsey County’s Mexican past titled, “Living la Vida en Ramsey…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2009: “Pith, Heart, and Nerve, Truman M. Smith: Horticulture as the Way Back”

Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter

Pith, Heart, and Nerve, Truman M. Smith: Horticulture as the Way Back  Authors: Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter This is the second article on Truman Smith—the first was in the Fall 2008 issue. This article reports how, after financial difficulties and the economic crash of the 1850s, Smith…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2009: “Food for a Good Life: John J. Ryan and the Minnesota Grocers Association”

Mary Jo Richardson

Food for a Good Life: John J. Ryan and the Minnesota Grocers Association Author: Mary Jo Richardson This article, written by his granddaughter, is the story of J. J. Ryan, who made his mark both on the state and nation as a spokesman for retail grocers. He was born…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2006: “Growing Up in St. Paul: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Culture That for a Child Was Foreign and Alien”

Bernice M. Fisher

Growing Up in St. Paul: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Culture That for a Child Was Foreign and Alien  Author: Bernice M. Fisher Bernice Fisher started kindergarten at Scheffer School in 1933. A later move to St. Adelbert’s School changed her in ways her parents had not anticipated.