Catalog
Ramsey County History – Summer 2017: “The Ties That Bind: Mounds-Park Nurses and the Great War”
Johannes R. AllertThe Ties That Bind: Mounds-Park Nurses and the Great War Author: Johannes R. Allert After the United States entered World War I in 1917, some graduates of the Mounds-Park Nursing School in St. Paul joined the American Red Cross, which played a supportive role in the conflict,…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2017: “Can America Be Bombed? The St. Paul Science Museum’s Answer”
Brian McMahonCan America Be Bombed? The St. Paul Science Museum’s Answer Author: Brian McMahon In the spring of 1941, the St. Paul Science Museum (predecessor to today’s Science Museum of Minnesota) opened an exhibit provocatively titled “Can America Be Bombed?” The museum’s president, Charles Lesley Ames, was alarmed…
Ramsey County History Podcast #8 – Spring 2017: Fort Snelling and the Civil War
Paul Nelson and Steve OsmanFort Snelling and the Civil War The Euro-American phase of Minnesota history begins with Fort Snelling, starting in 1820. The fort’s busiest period was 1861-1865 — with the Civil War and the US Dakota War of 1862. All of the soldiers headed south to fight for the…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2017: “The US Army’s Air Service Mechanics School in St. Paul’s Midway, 1917–1918”
Roger BergersonThe US Army’s Air Service Mechanics School in St. Paul’s Midway, 1917–1918 Author: Roger Bergerson When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, it pledged to develop an air force that would sweep German planes from the skies over Europe. Aircraft manufacture and pilot training began…
Fort Snelling and the Civil War
Stephen E. OsmanOver one hundred fifty years ago, our state offered the first volunteers to defend the Union in the fight against slavery. Every Minnesota soldier passed through historic Fort Snelling to the fighting. Using detailed research and first-hand accounts, Stephen E. Osman’s new book, Fort Snelling and the Civil War, tells…
Ramsey County History – Fall 2016: “‘Production for Victory:’ The Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant in World War II”
Brian McMahon‘Production for Victory:’ The Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant in World War II Author: Brian McMahon Henry Ford was actively antiwar and anti-union in the 1930s. Thus, when war came to the United States in late 1941, the Ford Motor Company was barred from bidding on defense-related contracts. Eventually,…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2015: “When Ramsey County Politics had an Edge: Maas vs. Williams”
Paul D. NelsonWhen Ramsey County Politics had an Edge: Maas vs. Williams Author: Paul D. Nelson From 1927 to early 1945, Melvin J. Maas (1898–1964), a Republican, represented Minnesota’s Fourth Congressional District, which included St. Paul and Ramsey County. Today, few remember his long service in Washington or his career. This…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2015: “‘I’m Going to Stick by Uncle Sam:’ The Mysterious Tale of the First Volunteer”
Patrick M. Hill“I’m Going to Stick by Uncle Sam:” The Mysterious Tale of the First Volunteer Author: Patrick M. Hill Since at least the 1880s, Josias R. King of St. Paul has widely been credited with being the first volunteer to enlist in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment following President…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2015: “October 1857: The Kochendorfers Arrive in St. Paul”
Daniel C. MunsonOctober 1857: The Kochendorfers Arrive in St. Paul Author: Daniel C. Munson Johan and Catherine Kochendorfers were German immigrant farmers in central Illinois who along with their four children moved to Minnesota Territory in 1857. In November of that year, Catherine wrote a long letter in German to her…