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Ramsey County History – Winter 2008: “Tommy Milton: The Story of ‘St. Paul’s Speed King’”

Steven C. Trimble 

Tommy Milton: The Story of “St. Paul’s Speed King” Author: Steven C. Trimble  While he is rarely remembered except by sports historians, “St. Paul’s Speed King,” Tommy Milton (1893–1962) was one of the most prominent race car drivers in America during the early years of the twentieth century. He…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2007: “‘A Great Experience:’ Villaume Builds Gliders in World War II”

John M. Lindley

“A Great Experience” Villaume Builds Gliders in World War II Author: John M. Lindley German troops used gliders in May 1940, and the Americans decided to use them too. They didn’t want to build gliders at existing airplane manufacturers and wanted to minimize the use of scarce metal. The…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2006: “Fighting Billy Miske: The Heart of a Champion”

Paul Picard

Fighting Billy Miske: The Heart of a Champion Author: Paul Picard St. Paul was known for its champion boxers even before the sport became legal in the city, and bouts had to be fought outside the state. Miske, the “St. Paul Thunderbolt,” was the son of German immigrants. He…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2006: “Rabies Scare in St. Paul  ‘Mad Dog on the Loose.’ Panic Prevails as Fear Rips through the City in 1910”

Susan Dowd

Rabies Scare in St. Paul  ‘Mad Dog on the Loose.’ Panic Prevails as Fear Rips through the City in 1910 Author: Susan Dowd A short article that looks at two weeks of fear that began in St. Paul on April 13, 1901. On that day, a dog was reported…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2005: “Spanish Influenza in St. Paul in 1918, the Year the City Found ‘the Wolf’ at Its Door”

Susan Dowd

Spanish Influenza in St. Paul in 1918, the Year the City Found ‘the Wolf’ at Its Door  Author: Susan Dowd The Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918, often referred to as “the wolf,” was one of the most lethal outbreaks the world has ever known. It came in waves. The…

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 – Fall 2003: “A Pillar of Modern Psychology: Alfred Adler and His 1937 Lecture at the Historic St. Paul Women’s City Club”

Roger Ballou

A Pillar of Modern Psychology: Alfred Adler and His 1937 Lecture at the Historic St. Paul Women’s City Club Author: Roger Ballou This article tells the story of the time the St. Paul Women’s City Club hosted a speech by famous psychologist Alfred Adler on March 8, 1937. The…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2003: “Fog and the Dark of an October Night—The Fabled Wreck of the ‘Ten Spot’ in Its Plunge Twenty-five Feet to the Mississippi Below”

David Riehle

Fog and the Dark of an October Night—The Fabled Wreck of the ‘Ten Spot’ in Its Plunge Twenty-five Feet to the Mississippi Below Author: David Riehle Shortly before 6 a.m.. on October 15, 1912, with the landscape covered in a dense fog, a bridge tender on the Terminal Bridge…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2003: “The Volunteer Hook and Ladder Company”

Virginia Brainard Kunz

The Volunteer Hook and Ladder Company Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz This is a short article on Wilson Farrell’s Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company, which was established in 1854. Like other groups of this type, its members were elected and had to buy their own ladders, buckets, and rope. Arson,…