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Ramsey County History – Fall 1988: “The Fire and Marine: Facts, Fancies, Legends—The First 100 Years of Minnesota’s Oldest Business Corporation”

Ronald M. Hubbs

The Fire and Marine: Facts, Fancies, Legends—The First 100 Years of Minnesota’s Oldest Business Corporation Author: Ronald M. Hubbs Businessmen generally prefer stability, but frontier towns are often shaky. The St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, born in 1853, helped create local stability. Its organizers were some of…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1988: “A Record Setting Winter—And the Ice Harvest on Lake Owasso”

Neill J. O’Neill

A Record Setting Winter—And the Ice Harvest on Lake Owasso Author: Neill J. O’Neill As a lad in the mid-1930s, the author worked three seasons harvesting ice on Lake Owasso in suburban Ramsey County. He recalls in detail how the ice harvest worked—the equipment, the procedures, the job hierarchy,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1987: “Cattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton”

Gene F. Skiba

Cattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton Author: Gene F. Skiba The article covers the founding of the city of New Brighton and memories from early settlers. Minneapolis businessmen created the city hoping to be in the cattle business. They chose a location on Long Lake, set up…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1986: “The Mississippi and St. Paul—Change Is Constant for the River and the City That Shaped It”

Paul Donald Hesterman

The 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 1983: “St. Paul’s Fire Insurance Patrol—Gone But Not Forgotten!”

John Sonnen

St. Paul’s Fire Insurance Patrol—Gone But Not Forgotten! Author: John Sonnen From 1895 to 1939, the Fire Insurance Patrol raced the Fire Department to conflagrations with the sole mission of salvaging as much property as possible from fires. Authorized by the Minnesota Legislature but privately financed, the Fire Patrol…

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1983

Ramsey County History – Fall 1981: “Beer Capital of the State—St Paul’s Historic Family Breweries”

Gary J. Brueggemann

Beer Capital of the State—St Paul’s Historic Family Breweries Author: Gary J. Brueggemann St. Paul had the largest German population in the state and, by 1887, contained twelve operating breweries. St. Paul had barley and hops-growing regions nearby, plenty of good water, and cool caves for aging. The first…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1972: “North St. Paul’s ‘Manufactories’ – Come-back – After 1893 ‘Bust'”

Edward J. Letterman

North St. Paul’s ‘Manufactories’—Come-back—After 1893 “Bust” Author: Edward J. Letterman Henry Castle developed North St. Paul as an industrial suburb, and it was just beginning to prosper when the Depression of 1893 came along. A mainstay of the community had been the Luger Furniture Company, which as early as…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1971: “Forgotten Pioneers: George Loomis Becker”

Ramsey County Historical Society

Forgotten Pioneers: George Loomis Becker George Becker (1829–1904), like so many pioneer businessmen, was born in New York State and moved to St. Paul to seek his fortune, in his case in 1849. He was a lawyer and practiced with Edmund Rice, but he made his fortune in railroading, where he…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “To Stillwater, Hastings, White Bear Lake – St. Paul’s Yellow Trolleys Rocked, Rumbled Through a Colorful Era”

Virginia Brainerd Kunz

To Stillwater, Hastings, White Bear Lake—St. Paul’s Yellow Trolleys Rocked, Rumbled Through a Colorful Era Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz A summary history of street railway service in St. Paul, from 1872 to 1953. PDF of Kunz article PDF of Trolley photo essay…