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Ramsey County History – Fall 1985: “Farming in the Shadow of the Cities: The Not-So-Rural History of Rose Township Farmers, 1850–1900”

Kendra Dillard

Farming in the Shadow of the Cities: The Not-So-Rural History of Rose Township Farmers, 1850–1900 Author: Kendra Dillard The story of farming in the shadow of the city of St. Paul focuses on the Gibbs Farm and the Gibbs family history as an example of agriculture’s relation to nearby…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1971: “The Building of Old Fort Ripley and Its Links with St. Paul”

Robert Orr Baker

The Building of Old Fort Ripley and Its Links with St. Paul Author: Robert Orr Baker Fort Ripley was built at the confluence of the Crow Wing and Mississippi Rivers, primarily “to protect the Winnebago Indians who had been placed in the area as a buffer between the warring…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “Murder Most Foul! Early “Historian” Solves Murder of Whatever Happened to “Pigs Eye” Parrant”

Edward J. Letterman

Murder Most Foul! Early “Historian” Solves Mystery of Whatever Happened to “Pigs Eye” Parrant Author: Edward J. Letterman In 1868 New York writer, publisher, and fabulist “Col.” Hankins published a history of St. Paul entitled Dakota Land; or, The Beauty of St. Paul, “an altogether charming conglomeration of local…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1969: “Orders, Letters, Lists of Possessions: Colonel Snelling’s Journals”

Virginia Brainard Kunz

Orders, Letters, Lists of Possessions: Colonel Snelling’s Journals Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz A recounting of life and the historical significance of Fort Snelling. The excerpts, joined by explanatory text, touch on death by disease, military discipline, relations with Native Americans, planned participation in a duel, Snelling’s transfer…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1969: “Summer Evenings, a Smudge Kettle, Tallow Candles—And Farm Life Recalled”

Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte

Summer Evenings, a Smudge Kettle, Tallow Candles—And Farm Life Recalled Author: Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte A short memoir written by the youngest daughter of Jane and Heman Gibbs about her years in the 1870s during summer evenings after all the chores were done and family members gathered in…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1968: “Spring Wagons and No Roads: A Pioneer Family’s Sunday”

Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte

Spring Wagons and No Roads: A Pioneer Family’s Sunday Author: Lillie Gibbs LeVesconte A short reminiscence left by the youngest child (born 1865) of Jane and Heman Gibbs about Sundays in the 1870s in St. Anthony Park and the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

Ramsey County History – Fall 1967: “Case of the Vanishing Historic Site Or What Happened To Carver’s Cave?”

Charles T. Burnley

Case of the Vanishing Historic Site Or What Happened To Carver’s Cave? Author: Charles T. Burnley A reprint of a 1913 article from the St. Paul Dispatch. The entrance to Carver’s Cave was rediscovered and the cave reopened, with considerable ceremony, in 1913. Jonathan Carver had come across…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1965: “‘Floating Down the River…:’ Today’s Boaters See Landmarks As Pioneers Once Viewed Them”

Frances Bruce Shepherd

‘Floating Down the River…:’ Today’s Boaters See Landmarks As Pioneers Once Viewed Them Author: Frances Bruce Shepherd Frances Bruce Shepherd surveys the history of fifty-three miles of the Upper Mississippi, from St. Anthony Falls to Red Wing, with history and observations for each stop along the way:…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1964: “‘We Was Ordered Out on the Double-quick . . . They Skeedadeled:’ Sergeant Ramer’s Indian War”

Virginia Brainard Kunz

“We Was Ordered Out on the Double-quick . . . They Skeedadeled:” Sergeant Ramer’s Indian War Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz James T. Ramer was a soldier, diarist, and letter-writer. He joined the Union army on August 15, 1862; on August 18, the US Dakota War broke out.