Catalog
March of the Governors, Governor #5, William Rainey Marshall
Paul Nelson and Tom O'ConnellWilliam Rainey Marshall could be said to occupy a prominent place in Minnesota’s list of founding fathers. He played a leading role in many of the seminal events that shaped the state’s early history. A strong opponent of slavery, he chaired the founding meeting of Minnesota’s Republican…
March of the Governors, Governor #4, Stephen Miller
Paul Nelson, Matt Wright, and Rebekah CoffmanStephen Miller moved to Minnesota in middle age from Pennsylvania, several years after his friend Alexander Ramsey had moved to the state. He immediately involved himself in politics in St. Cloud. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he was named lieutenant colonel of the First Minnesota…
March of the Governors, Governor #3, Henry Swift
Paul Nelson and Matt WrightHenry Swift came to Minnesota from Ohio as a young man, eventually settling in St. Peter. He was elected to the state senate and saw combat in the US Dakota War of 1862 at the Battles of New Ulm. The next year, because of Lieutenant Governor Ignatius…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2021: “A Fort Snelling History Mystery: The Lost Barracks and the Twenty-Fifth US Infantry Regiment”
Matt FluegerA Fort Snelling History Mystery: The Lost Barracks and the Twenty-Fifth US Infantry Regiment Author: Matt Flueger Historic Fort Snelling celebrated its bicentennial in 2020. After 200 years, it’s not surprising that a lot has been written about this place, which still stands today on a bluff at…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2021: “Historical Sleuthing: Solving the Mysteries of Fort Snelling through Archaeology”
Jeremy NienowHistorical Sleuthing: Solving the Mysteries of Fort Snelling through Archaeology Author: Jeremy L. Nienow As a related write up to Matt Flueger’s “The Lost Barracks and the Twenty-Fifth US Infantry Regiment” article, author Jeremy Nienow shares a short history about the archaeological work at Fort Snelling over many decades. Nienow…
Ramsey County History – Spring 2021: “Correcting Mystery and Myth: Not Everything You’ve Heard About Pig’s Eye Parrant is True”
Matt GoffCorrecting Mystery and Myth: Not Everything You’ve Heard About Pig’s Eye Parrant is True Author: Matt Goff Most any St. Paul native is familiar with a character in local history named Pig’s Eye. The man lived in and around what would eventually become St. Paul, Minnesota, on…
March of the Governors, Governor #2, Alexander Ramsey
Paul Nelson and David BlyAlexander Ramsey did not have it easy. He was orphaned at age ten and worked as a store clerk and a carpenter before finding his vocation in politics. He served two terms in Congress from Pennsylvania and for his service to the Whig Party was rewarded, if…
March of the Governors, Governor #1, Henry Hastings Sibley
Paul Nelson and Ken PetersonHenry Hastings Sibley Podcast Link This is the first in a new series of podcasts. We call it March of the Governors because we will examine the lives and careers of governors of the State of Minnesota, one by one. We start with our first governor, Henry…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2021: “Take a Hike: A Century of Walks with the St. Paul Hiking Club”
Bob Tholkes, with Meredith CummingsTake a Hike: A Century of Walks with the St. Paul Hiking Club Author: Bob Tholkes, with Meredith Cummings On January 15, 1921, twenty-five hardy young people bundled up in their warmest boots, knickers, hiking skirts, and woolen mittens and socks for a six-mile round-trip jaunt on the…