Catalog
Ramsey County History – Special 1979: “Murders Mar the Dawning of 1854”
Robert Orr BakerMurders Mar the Dawning of 1854 Author: Robert Orr Baker An essay drawn from primary source material documenting events in the burgeoning town of St. Paul in 1854. Excerpts from St. Paul’s first newspapers relate to the town’s first murder, early businesses, transportation, entertainment, and other topics. Riverboats brought…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1974: “Promoters Waxed Lyrical in “Selling” St Paul”
Virginia Brainard KunzPromoters Waxed Lyrical in “Selling” St Paul Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz A publication entitled The Minnesota Year Book for 1853, published in St. Paul, offered its readers information on a host of subjects. Among them were: the makeup of the Territorial Legislature and its salient acts, including a Prohibition…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1979: “A Grandson Describes: The O’Briens’ House on George Street”
George A. ReaA Grandson Describes: The O’Briens’ House on George Street Author: George A. Rea The author remembers his grandparents, Patrick and Fannie O’Brien, and their big house (still standing) at 255 George Street. Initially they lived on Irvine Park, but grandfather “decided to move the day a neighbor’s bantam chickens…
Ramsey County History – Spring/Summer 1975: “James J. Hill: A Search for the Man Behind the Legend”
Virginia Brainard KunzJames J. Hill: A Search for the Man Behind the Legend Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz Late in his life James J. Hill remarked, “I’ve made my mark on the surface of the earth and they [the U.S. Supreme Court] can’t wipe it out.” He knew he’d been a titan.
Ramsey County History – Spring/Summer 1975: “How St. Paul Came to Lose the “Red River War””
Dennis HoffaHow St. Paul Came to Lose the “Red River War” Author: Dennis Hoffa The Selkirk or Red River Colony, later Winnipeg, so far from St. Paul, was a vital source of commerce and wealth in the city’s first few decades. Starting in 1844, the ox carts trundled south laden…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1973: “Highland–Groveland–Macalester Park: The Old Reserve Township”
Donald EmpsonHighland–Groveland–Macalester Park: The Old Reserve Township Author: Donald Empson Settlement and development of the southwest corner of the city, bounded by Marshall Avenue on the north, Dale Street on the east, and the Mississippi everywhere else. The first permanent settler was William Finn in 1848. Formal land sales…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1972: “Brave Men in Their Motor Machines–And the 1918 Forest Fire”
Arnold L. LuukkonenBrave Men in Their Motor Machines–And the 1918 Forest Fire Author: Arnold L. Luukkonen The Minnesota Home Guard was created in 1917 to replace the Minnesota National Guard, which had been federalized for World War I. One of its components was the Motor Corps, made up of volunteers who…
Ramsey County History – Fall 1971: “Boats, Carts, Rails, Roads—The Trailways of History”
Ramsey County Historical SocietyBoats, Carts, Rails, Roads—The Trailways of History Descriptions of three early, and vital, St. Paul transportation hubs and tracks: the Lower Landing, the crossroads of the Old Military Road and the Ox Cart Trail, and the Red River Ox Cart Trail. The first was the city’s main steamboat landing, the…
Ramsey County History – Spring 1970: “To Stillwater, Hastings, White Bear Lake – St. Paul’s Yellow Trolleys Rocked, Rumbled Through a Colorful Era”
Virginia Brainerd KunzTo Stillwater, Hastings, White Bear Lake—St. Paul’s Yellow Trolleys Rocked, Rumbled Through a Colorful Era Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz A summary history of street railway service in St. Paul, from 1872 to 1953. PDF of Kunz article PDF of Trolley photo essay…