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Ramsey County History – Winter 1991: “What’s Historic About This Site? St. Paul’s Union Depot”

Ramsey County Historical Society

What’s Historic About This Site? St. Paul’s Union Depot The Union Depot opened in 1923, after the railroad age had peaked. The last passenger train stopped there in 1970. It has been searching for a purpose ever since. It is very fine nevertheless; “a simple, rather severe example of the…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1991: “The 150th Anniversary of the Naming of the City: St. Paul and the Rush to Settlement—1840 to 1880

Virginia Brainard Kunz

The 150th Anniversary of the Naming of the City: St. Paul and the Rush to Settlement—1840 to 1880 Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz St. Paul’s earliest years recounted by the dean of Ramsey County historians. The essential information and vital characters are all here: Father Galtier, the chapel and the name,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1989: “A Pioneer Writes Home: Alexander Wilkin and 1850s St. Paul”

Ronald M. Hubbs

A Pioneer Writes Home: Alexander Wilkin and 1850s St. Paul Author: Ronald M. Hubbs Alexander Wilkin was an important early resident of St. Paul. Lawyer, speculator, politician, adventurer, he sought fortune and glory on the frontier. He got both, plus an early death in battle. Letters he wrote to…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1989: “Minnesota’ First Art School: St. Agatha’s Conservatory and the Pursuit of Excellence”

Sister Ann Thomasine Sampson

Minnesota’ First Art School: St. Agatha’s Conservatory and the Pursuit of Excellence Author: Sister Ann Thomasine Sampson Five pieces by the same author tell the story of St. Agatha’s Conservatory. Cousins Mother Seraphine and Mother Celestine of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet were major figures. St. Agatha…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1989: “Boats, Boaters and Boat Clubs—Slips Cost 10 Cents a Foot”

Thomas J. Kelley

Boats, Boaters and Boat Clubs—Slips Cost 10 Cents a Foot Author: Thomas J. Kelley Two short pieces in one, this article centers around Navy Island, the history of the Minnesota Yacht Club, and memories of the Minnesota Boat Club. The Yacht Club began in 1912 as the St. Paul…

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 – Spring 1988: “The American National Bank and the Bremer Brothers”

Thomas J. Kelley

The American National Bank and the Bremer Brothers Author: Thomas J. Kelley Many entered the field of banking in the 1880s, but due to the Depression of 1893, many of these institutions folded. The American National Bank was opened in 1903 by local businessmen led by Otto Bremer, owner…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1988: “George H. Trout and the Corner Grocery Store”

Karl Trout

George H. Trout and the Corner Grocery Store Author: Karl Trout This memoir from the son of a grocer in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood is filled with delightful details: how the commodities were delivered and sold and how customers tasted the butter before buying. According to the author, “the…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1987: “Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis: Roots of Ramsey’s Health Care Trace Back to Anker Hospital”

Mary Alice Czerwonka

Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis: Roots of Ramsey’s Health Care Trace Back to Anker Hospital Author: Mary Alice Czerwonka This article describes the history of Ramsey County’s public hospitals from 1873 to 1987. Dr. Arthur Ancker arrived in St. Paul in 1883, and, over the next forty years, created a much-admired…