Catalog
Ramsey County History – Winter 2008: “Tommy Milton: The Story of ‘St. Paul’s Speed King’”
Steven C. TrimbleTommy 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 – Spring 2006: “St. Paul Underground: Stahlmann’s Cellars: The Cave under the Castle”
Greg A. BrickSt. Paul Underground: Stahlmann’s Cellars: The Cave under the Castle Author: Greg A. Brick Bavarian-born Christopher Stahlmann opened his brewery in St. Paul in 1855 on Fort and Oneida streets in the West Seventh area. By the late 1870s, it was the largest brewery in the state. Its lagering…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2006: “‘The Greatest Single Industry?’ Crex: Created Out of Nothing”
Paul D. Nelson“The Greatest Single Industry?” Crex: Created Out of Nothing Author: Paul D. Nelson The American Grass Twine Company was the fifth largest employer in St. Paul in 1903 and its largest manufacturing industry, with 900 employees. The company was based on taking wire grass, which grew in peat bogs…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2005: “Stonebridge: The Story of a Lost Estate and Oliver Crosby, the Inventive Genius Who Created It”
Jay PfaenderStonebridge: The Story of a Lost Estate and Oliver Crosby, the Inventive Genius Who Created It Author: Jay Pfaender Even in the Groveland neighborhood, little is remembered about Stonebridge, an estate built by St. Paul businessman and civic leader Oliver Crosby. A New Englander from Maine, he came to…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2005: “The Force That Shaped the Neighborhoods: 1890–1953: Sixty-Three Years of Streetcars in St. Paul and Millions of Dollars in Investments”
John W. DiersThe Force That Shaped the Neighborhoods: 1890–1953: Sixty-Three Years of Streetcars in St. Paul and Millions of Dollars in Investments Author: John W. Diers Streetcars were one of the most important inventions to shape the growth and development of the Twin Cities. The privately owned streetcar system hit its…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2004: “‘He Loved a Tall Story’ The Life and Times of I.A. O’Shaughnessy, the Man Who Happily Gave His Money Away”
John M. Lindley and Virginia Brainard Kunz‘He Loved a Tall Story’ The Life and Times of I.A. O’Shaughnessy, the Man Who Happily Gave His Money Away Authors: John M. Lindley and Virginia Brainard Kunz Born in 1885, Ignatius Aloysius O’Shaughnessy was an oilman and philanthropist. His parents, who were of Irish decent, moved to Minnesota…
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 RiehleFog 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 KunzThe 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,…