• Clear Filters

Ramsey County History – Winter 2013: “Preserving a ‘Fine Residential District:’ The Merriam Park Freeway Fight”

Tom O’Connell and Tom Beer

Preserving a “Fine Residential District:” The Merriam Park Freeway Fight  Authors: Tom O’Connell and Tom Beer In the late 1950s and early 1960s, planning for the construction of the vast interstate highway system across the United States included an exit from Interstate 94 at Prior Avenue in St. Paul…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2013: “‘Cold Blooded Fraud:’ The White Bear Lake Sewer Project of 1926–1935”

James Lindner

“Cold Blooded Fraud:” The White Bear Lake Sewer Project of 1926–1935  Author: James Lindner In the mid-1920s, the City of White Bear Lake occupied a relatively remote portion of Ramsey and Washington counties in Minnesota, but its population was growing and city leaders decided that they needed to replace…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2012: “Hands-On Historian: Ethel Hall Stewart and Preserving the Gibbs Farm”

Steven C. Trimble

Hands-On Historian: Ethel Hall Stewart and Preserving the Gibbs Farm Author: Steven C. Trimble On an October day in 1954, the Gibbs Farm Museum opened to the public, thanks to the efforts of Ethel Hall Stewart. Stewart’s love of history and belief in hands-on education was the impetus for…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2012: “Who Built the Minnesota Capitol? John Rachač, Master Carpenter”

John Sielaff

Who Built the Minnesota Capitol? John Rachač, Master Carpenter Author: John Sielaff The Minnesota State Capitol was constructed in St. Paul between 1895 and 1905. Because of the importance of this building to Minnesota history, considerable information exists about the competition to select an architect (the prominent Cass Gilbert…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2012: “‘As if in a Law Office in Illinois:’ An Interview with President Lincoln”

John B. Sanborn

“As if in a Law Office in Illinois:” An Interview with President Lincoln Author: John B. Sanborn This short article is an excerpt from John B. Sanborn’s 1887 autobiographical address titled, “Reminiscences of the Campaigns Against Vicksburg.” Sanborn served as a colonel in the Union Army in the Civil…

John B. Sanborn: Speeches and Addresses

John Sanborn with John Lindley

Between 1869 and 1887, General John B. Sanborn (1826–1904) published ten speeches and addresses that ranged from the genealogy of the Sanborn family to his service in the Civil War to his efforts after the war to establish peace between the federal government and a number of Indian tribes of…

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 2011: “Gone But Not Forgotten? The Survival of Outdoor Sculpture in St. Paul”

Moira F. Harris

Gone But Not Forgotten? The Survival of Outdoor Sculpture in St. Paul Author: Moira F. Harris Outdoor sculpture is challenged by vandalism, theft, climate extremes, urban redevelopment, pigeon droppings, neglect, and changes in taste. Although a sculpture seems more permanent than a mural, due to its size and weight,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2011: “A Different Sesquicentennial: Remembering Fredrick McGhee”

Paul D. Nelson

A Different Sesquicentennial: Remembering Fredrick McGhee Author: Paul D. Nelson On October 28, 2011, Author Paul Nelson paused to reflect that Fredrick McGhee (1861–1912) was born on that date 150 years ago. Nelson remembered him that day because he admired the man so much, and because, as his biographer,…