Catalog
Ramsey County History Summer 2023
Kristina Her, John H. Guthmann, Heidi Heller, John Lindley, Dave Beal, Lowell Benson, Don Hall, Jay Pfaender, and Chad RobertsVolume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 Link to download PDF of RCHS Summer 2023 Magazine Articles in this Issue: Hmong Foodways in Ramsey County Author: Kristina Her Growing Up at Fort Snelling: Honoring the First Regiment of…
Ramsey County History Summer 2023 – ERA
Dave Beal, Lowell Benson, Don Hall, Jay Pfaender, and Chad RobertsVolume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 Honoring WWII Codebreakers and the Founding of Engineering Research Associates Authors: Dave Beal, Lowell Benson, Don Hall, Jay Pfaender, and Chad Roberts Several years ago, Jay Pfaender, a St. Paul businessman and member of the Ramsey County Historical Society Editorial Board, introduced…
History Revealed: Nature’s Crossroads
George Vrtis and Christopher W. WellsNature’s Crossroads: The Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota: A Wide-Ranging Environmental and Historical Study of the Evolution of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul Area With George Vrtis and Christopher W. Wells History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023 YouTube Video In…
Ramsey County History Spring 2023 – People Mover
Matt GoffVolume 58, Number 1: Spring 2023 A Slow Track to Nowhere St. Paul’s Downtown People Mover Author: Matt Goff In 1976, the federal government selected St. Paul as one of four US demonstration cities, along with Cleveland, Houston, and Los Angeles, to receive funding for a…
Ramsey County History – Summer 2007: “Minneapolis and St. Paul Stumble: Henry Ford Wins the Struggle for the High Dam “
Brian McMahonMinneapolis and St. Paul Stumble: Henry Ford Wins the Struggle for the High Dam Author: Brian McMahon There were two early Ford plants in the Twin Cities—one in Minneapolis and another on University Avenue in St. Paul. Henry Ford was a big promoter of hydroelectric power; consequently, he wanted…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2007: “‘If It Can Be Manufactured from Wood, We Can Make It:’ A History of the Villaume Family and the Company They Built”
Steve Trimble“If It Can Be Manufactured from Wood, We Can Make It:” A History of the Villaume Family and the Company They Built Author: Steve Trimble In 1847, Joseph Villaume, a Frenchman, arrived in St. Paul, and his two nephews joined him in 1873. One of them, Eugene, landed a…
Ramsey County History – Winter 2007: “‘A Great Experience:’ Villaume Builds Gliders in World War II”
John M. Lindley“A Great Experience” Villaume Builds Gliders in World War II Author: John M. Lindley German troops used gliders in May 1940, and the Americans decided to use them too. They didn’t want to build gliders at existing airplane manufacturers and wanted to minimize the use of scarce metal. The…
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 – Fall 1998: “Banker and Philanthropist Richard C. Lilly: The Man Who Led Two Lives”
Virginia Brainard KunzBanker and Philanthropist Richard C. Lilly: The Man Who Led Two Lives Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz Richard Lilly began work on a road crew at age fifteen, after his father was disabled in an accident. By age thirty-three, in 1918, he was president of St. Paul’s second-largest bank. In 1929,…