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Ramsey County History Spring 2024

Paul Nelson, Drew Ross, Wendy Rossi, Meredith Cummings

Volume 59, Number 2: Spring 2024 Link to download PDF of full Ramsey County History Spring 2024 Articles in this issue: The Fraud of the Century Author: Paul Nelson According to author Paul Nelson, “The human desire for wealth without risk and the capacity for self-delusion make an…

Decisions, Destiny, and Dreams: Plympton’s Reserve, St. Paul’s Founding, and Desnoyer’s New Bridge Square

Drew M. Ross

The Desnoyer Halfway House located on the St. Anthony Falls-St. Paul Road attracted soldiers from Fort Snelling, residents from growing villages along the Mississippi, and tourists traveling to the area to glimpse the cascading St. Anthony Falls. Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society. By Drew M. Ross To see this…

Stephen Desnoyer’s Halfway House

Drew M. Ross

By Drew M. Ross Stephen Desnoyer is said to be the first permanent resident in Rose Township. He built a tavern on the thoroughfare of the St. Anthony/St. Paul Road which ran roughly along the route of today’s Interstate 94. The establishment was situated just west of what would become…

A Litigious Man: Select Court Cases of Stephen Desnoyer

Drew M. Ross

By Drew M. Ross Early St. Paulite Stephen Desnoyer slipped through the cracks of history. For years, we knew little about him. Even now, we have yet to find a photograph of him and know of only two descriptions of his appearance: short, rotund, jovial, fat (a total of four…

Ramsey County History Winter 2023: My Harley Grandma

Eleta Pierce

Volume 57, Number 4: Winter 2023 Growing Up in St. Paul: My Harley Grandma Mary Eileen Kehoe and the St. Paul Motorcycle Escort Club Author: Eleta Pierce When friends introduced Mary Kehoe, fresh out of high school in 1944, to the world of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, it didn’t take…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2022: “Traveling Without Aggravation: How Victor H. Green Changed Travel for Black Americans: Green Book Locations in the Historic Rondo Community (1940-1956)” – Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums 2024 History Award Winner and 2024 Virginia B. Kunz Honorable Mention

Nieeta L. Presley

Traveling Without Aggravation: How Victor H. Green Changed Travel for Black Americans: Green Book Locations in the Historic Rondo Community (1940-1956) Author: Nieeta L. Presley Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums 2024 History Award Winner 2024 Virginia B. Kunz Honorable Mention Traveling, especially with young…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2022: “Bob Brown: ‘Paint What You See'”

Paul Nelson

Bob Brown: “Paint What You See” Author: Paul Nelson This is the story of a solitary St. Paul resident named Bob Brown. Attempting to make a living in the midst of the Great Depression was difficult, to say the least, but Brown took long walks around the…

History Revealed: Reviving an 1850s Lager Beer Saloon

Tom Schroeder

Reviving an 1850s Lager Beer Saloon–Do’s and Dont’s With Tom Schroeder History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021 Video on YouTube Some say business and historic preservation don’t mix. ‘Not so,’ says Tom Schroeder, developer and owner of Waldmann Brewery in…

History Revealed: Closing Time

Bill Lindeke and Andy Sturdevant

Closing Time Bill Lindeke and Andy Sturdevant History Revealed Series Program Date: September 17, 2020 YouTube Video Authors and historians Bill Lindeke and Andy Sturdevant talk about the history of some of the iconic bars that have come and gone in the Twin…