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Ramsey County History – Fall 2004: “The Rondo Oral History Project Kathryn Coram Gagnon: Operettas, Dances, Parties, and a Growing Love of Music”

Kate Cavett

The Rondo Oral History Project Kathryn Coram Gagnon: Operettas, Dances, Parties, and a Growing Love of Music  Interview by Kate Cavett Based on oral history interviews, this is the story of Kathryn Coram Gagnon, an African-American woman who grew up in St. Paul’s old Rondo neighborhood. The interview…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2004: “From Farm to Florence: The Gifted Keating Sisters and the Mystery of Their Lost Paintings”

Margaret M. Marrinan

From Farm to Florence: The Gifted Keating Sisters and the Mystery of Their Lost Paintings Author: Margaret M. Marrinan This article centers on two Irish farm girls, Anysia and Sophia Keating who became nuns and developed into prolific painters. The mystery had to do with a search for information…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2004: “The Rondo Oral History Project Beulah Mae Baines Swan Remembers Piano Lessons and a ‘Nice Vegetable Garden’ Out Back”

Kate Cavett

The Rondo Oral History Project Beulah Mae Baines Swan Remembers Piano Lessons and a ‘Nice Vegetable Garden’ Out Back An Interview by Kate Cavett This article is from an oral history interview with Beulah Mae Baines Swan, who was raised near Como and Dale in a very small…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2004: “A Quilt and a Diary: The Story of the Little Girl Who Rode the Orphan Train to a New Home”

Ann Zemke

A Quilt and a Diary: The Story of the Little Girl Who Rode the Orphan Train to a New Home Author: Ann Zemke The author made a quilt that is used to tell the story of her grandmother, Margaret Peterson, who was an orphan. From 1854 to 1929, thousands…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2004: “Growing Up in St. Paul: Mechanic Arts—An Imposing ‘Melting Pot’ High School that Drew Minorities Together”

Bernice Fischer

Growing Up in St. Paul: Mechanic Arts—An Imposing ‘Melting Pot’ High School that Drew Minorities Together Author: Bernice Fischer After seven years at St. Adalbert’s School, in classes of thirty consisting of all white Catholic children, the author entered Mechanic Arts High School with its four floors, many nationalities,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2003: “A Pillar of Modern Psychology: Alfred Adler and His 1937 Lecture at the Historic St. Paul Women’s City Club”

Roger Ballou

A Pillar of Modern Psychology: Alfred Adler and His 1937 Lecture at the Historic St. Paul Women’s City Club Author: Roger Ballou This article tells the story of the time the St. Paul Women’s City Club hosted a speech by famous psychologist Alfred Adler on March 8, 1937. The…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2003: “‘Laid to Rest by Strangers’ Hands’ Death in the Railroad Yards: The Century-old Mystery of a Beautiful Young Woman”

Susan C. Dowd

‘Laid to Rest by Strangers’ Hands’ Death in the Railroad Yards: The Century-old Mystery of a Beautiful Young Woman Author Susan C. Dowd In the late evening on March 12, 1902, a young woman was run over by a train just west of the railway station at Dayton’s Bluff.

Ramsey County History – Summer 2003: “The Story of Minnie Dassel: Was She a Mysterious ‘Countess’ Who Settled in St. Paul?”

Paul Johnson

The Story of Minnie Dassel: Was She a Mysterious ‘Countess’ Who Settled in St. Paul? Author: Paul Johnson This is the story of a woman who worked in St. Paul for fifty-five years in the late nineteenth century. Some people thought that Minnie Dassel was secretly a German countess…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2003: “I Remember the Teachers’ Strike of 1946: ‘We Rolled Down Our Windows in the Cold Air’”

Maxine Dickson

I Remember the Teachers’ Strike of 1946: “We Rolled Down Our Windows in the Cold Air’” Author: Maxine Dickson The author attended and remembered having talked with her teachers about schools and unions. Her family lived at 1718 Ross Avenue, and she attended Ames Elementary and Junior High. When St.