Catalog
Ramsey County History – Spring 2002: “The Fire Insurance Patrol: Gone But Not Forgotten”
John S. SonnenThe Fire Insurance Patrol: Gone But Not Forgotten Author: John S. Sonnen The Fire Insurance Patrol, a private organization incorporated in 1895, was financed by small assessments on fire insurance policies. When a fire broke out, the patrol rushed to the conflagration, usually getting there before the fire department…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2002: “A Memoir: Jimmy Griffin, St. Paul’s First Black Deputy Police Chief, Remembers His First Years on the Force”
Jimmy Griffin with Kwame J.C. McDonaldA Memoir: Jimmy Griffin, St. Paul’s First Black Deputy Police Chief, Remembers His First Years on the Force Author: Jimmy Griffin with Kwame J.C. McDonald In this excerpt from his autobiography, Jimmy Griffin, one of St. Paul’s best-remembered police officers, tells some of his stories. Born in 1906, Griffin grew…
Ramsey County History – Winter 1990: “Fire on The Frontier—Tradesmen, Merchants: The Men Who Ran with the Machine”
Thomas J. KelleyFire on The Frontier—Tradesmen, Merchants: The Men Who Ran with the Machine Author: Thomas J. Kelley St. Paul’s first recorded fire occurred in 1838 – somebody torched Pierre Parrant’s lean-to. In 1850 the first Protestant church in the city, brand new, burned to the ground. Several fires later, in 1854,…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1989: “Minnesota’ First Art School: St. Agatha’s Conservatory and the Pursuit of Excellence”
Sister Ann Thomasine SampsonMinnesota’ First Art School: St. Agatha’s Conservatory and the Pursuit of Excellence Author: Sister Ann Thomasine Sampson Five pieces by the same author tell the story of St. Agatha’s Conservatory. Cousins Mother Seraphine and Mother Celestine of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet were major figures. St. Agatha…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1987: “Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis: Roots of Ramsey’s Health Care Trace Back to Anker Hospital”
Mary Alice CzerwonkaDiphtheria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis: Roots of Ramsey’s Health Care Trace Back to Anker Hospital Author: Mary Alice Czerwonka This article describes the history of Ramsey County’s public hospitals from 1873 to 1987. Dr. Arthur Ancker arrived in St. Paul in 1883, and, over the next forty years, created a much-admired…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1986: “The Mississippi and St. Paul—Change Is Constant for the River and the City That Shaped It”
Paul Donald HestermanThe Mississippi and St. Paul—Change Is Constant for the River and the City That Shaped It Author: Paul Donald Hesterman The article’s theme is how today’s Mississippi River is different from the mid-nineteenth century river “in virtually every way, from the contours of its banks to the chemical composition…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1985: “Will the Real Dorothy Hunt Please Stand Up?”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyShort statement to show correct image of Dorothy Hunt, Vice President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, versus the image published with the article in Volume 20, Issue 2, which was an image of Doreen Lindberg. PDF of “Will the Real Dorothy Hunt Please Stand Up?”…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1985: “Health Care Crisis of the 1920s—A ‘National Epidemic’ Launches Blue Cross and Blue Shield”
Gary PhelpsHealth Care Crisis of the 1920s—A ‘National Epidemic’ Launches Blue Cross and Blue Shield Author: Gary Phelps The article focuses on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. In 1932, the Hospital Service Association of St. Paul was organized to operate a nonprofit prepaid hospitalization plan. In 1935, the…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1980: “Aronovici’s Campaign to Clean Up St. Paul”
Gary PhelpsAronovici’s Campaign to Clean Up St. Paul Author: Gary Phelps In the spring of 1917, the Amherst H. Wilder Charity hired the Romanian-born social scientist Dr. Carol Aronovici as its director of social services. He came to believe that the housing conditions in St. Paul were among the worst…