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Ramsey County History – Winter 2007: “An Encounter at Kaposia: The Bishop and Chief”

Leo J. Harris

An Encounter at Kaposia: The Bishop and Chief Author: Leo J. Harris In July 1839, there was a meeting of two men at Kaposia during a time of cultural change for the Mdewakanton Dakota who lived there. Their leader at the time was Wakoyantanke (Big Thunder) commonly called Little…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2006: “A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern”

John W. Diers

A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern Author: John W. Diers The St. Paul Southern Electric Railway, an obscure “electric interurban,” was built to connect the Twin Cities with several southern Minnesota cities. This form of mass transit was developed in other parts of the United…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2006: “The 1894 Pullman Strike in St. Paul and the Death of Switchman Charles Luth”

Gregory T. Poferl

The 1894 Pullman Strike in St. Paul and the Death of Switchman Charles Luth Author: Gregory T. Poferl The 1894 Pullman Strike had a major impact on the country and on St. Paul, a union and railroad town. Eugene V. Debs, the leader of the American Railway Union (ARU),…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2006: “‘He Was Mechanic Arts’ Mechanic Arts High School: The Dietrich Lange Years, 1916–1939”

John W. Larson

“He Was Mechanic Arts” Mechanic Arts High School: The Dietrich Lange Years, 1916–1939 Author: John W. Larson Although this article features Dietrich Lange (1863–1940)—educator, naturalist, and writer—it gives biographical information on several other teachers as well as several Mechanic Arts High School students who became prominent. Roy Wilkins, for…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2006: “‘Dreams of the Immensity of the Future:’ Crex Carpet Company Revisited

Paul D. Nelson

“Dreams of the Immensity of the Future:” Crex Carpet Company Revisited Author: Paul D. Nelson A short article that follows up on an earlier piece by the author, published in the Winter 2006 issue. It was prompted by the discovery of an unpublished manuscript written by Michael O’Shaughnessy, the…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2006: “Fighting Billy Miske: The Heart of a Champion”

Paul Picard

Fighting Billy Miske: The Heart of a Champion Author: Paul Picard St. Paul was known for its champion boxers even before the sport became legal in the city, and bouts had to be fought outside the state. Miske, the “St. Paul Thunderbolt,” was the son of German immigrants. He…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2006: “Growing Up in St. Paul: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Culture That for a Child Was Foreign and Alien”

Bernice M. Fisher

Growing Up in St. Paul: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Culture That for a Child Was Foreign and Alien  Author: Bernice M. Fisher Bernice Fisher started kindergarten at Scheffer School in 1933. A later move to St. Adelbert’s School changed her in ways her parents had not anticipated.

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 – Winter 2006: “My Years at the Andahazy School of Ballet”

Sandra Snell Weinberg

My Years at the Andahazy School of Ballet Author: Sandra Snell Weinberg At the age of eleven, the author took her first lessons at the Andahazy School of Classical Ballet at 1680 Grand Avenue. She was thrilled and read all the books she could find on dance. The Andahazy…