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Ramsey County History – Winter 2015: “Robert C. Minor: Steward on James J. Hill’s Private Railway Car”

Eileen R. McCormack

Robert C. Minor: Steward on James J. Hill’s Private Railway Car Author: Eileen R. McCormack An African American who was the steward on James J. Hill’s private railway car (the A-18) for more than twenty years and was one the small number of Black employees of the Great Northern,…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2015: “October 1857: The Kochendorfers Arrive in St. Paul”

Daniel C. Munson

October 1857: The Kochendorfers Arrive in St. Paul Author: Daniel C. Munson Johan and Catherine Kochendorfers were German immigrant farmers in central Illinois who along with their four children moved to Minnesota Territory in 1857. In November of that year, Catherine wrote a long letter in German to her…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2015: “William Boss and His Specialty Manufacturing Company”

Harlan Stoehr

William Boss and His Specialty Manufacturing Company Author: Harlan Stoehr During his lifetime, William Boss (1869–1965) of St. Paul was a farmer, student, instructor, inventor, professor, administrator, and entrepreneur. This article examines how he came to play so many roles, first at the School of Agriculture at the University…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2014: “In Search of Ethel Stewart”

Steve Trimble

In Search of Ethel Stewart Author: Steven C. Trimble Ethel Hall Stewart (1879–1959) is considered the person most responsible for the founding of the Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHS). Steve Trimble wrote a biographical profile of Stewart that was published in the Fall 2012 issue. Here, he revisits Stewart’s…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2014: “Growing Up in St. Paul: The Peripatetic RCHS in the Mid-1970s”

Anne Cowie

Growing Up in St. Paul: The Peripatetic RCHS in the Mid-1970s Author: Anne Cowie Returning to Minnesota in early 1974 with a graduate degree in history, Anne Cowie was hired by the Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHS)  to do research and writing for a new exhibit the society planned…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2016: “Virginia Brainard Kunz and Ramsey County History”

John M. Lindley

Virginia Brainard Kunz and Ramsey County History Author: John M. Lindley John Lindley served as the volunteer chair of the RCHS editorial board between 1989 and 2005. In that capacity, he worked closely with Virginia Brainard Kunz, who was the founding editor of Ramsey County History (published twice a year…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2014: “The RCHS Archives and Collections Since 1964”

Mollie Spillman

The RCHS Archives and Collections Since 1964 Author: Mollie Spillman Collections form the foundation of Ramsey County Historical Society’s (RCHS) history and programs. When RCHS was organized in 1949 by Ethel Hall Stewart and others, it first acquired the Gibbs Farm Museum, which opened in 1954, and began to…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2014: “Expanding Our Understanding of the Past: The Sod House and Dakota Kin at the Gibbs Museum”

Priscilla Farnham

Expanding Our Understanding of the Past: The Sod House and Dakota Kin at the Gibbs Museum Author: Priscilla Farnham In this article, Priscilla Farnham, the retired executive director of RCHS (1991–2011) focuses on the history of Gibbs Farm in Falcon Heights, which is owned and operated by Ramsey County…

Ramsey County History Podcast #3 – Fall 2014: The German Friend; MNopedia

Paul Nelson, John Larson, and Molly Huber

The German Friend; MNopedia Part 1: What can an anti-Nazi writer and intellectual, exiled in the United States, do for his beloved Germany? Nearly eighty years ago, Prince Hubertus zu Lowenstein visited St. Paul and met Hamline University student John Larson. A lifelong friendship and flood of…