Ramsey County History – Summer 1990: “An Excess of Zeal and Boosterism—Few Holds Barred in Twin Cities Rivalries”

An Excess of Zeal and Boosterism—Few Holds Barred in Twin Cities Rivalries

Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz

A summary of the major struggles for dominance between Minneapolis and St. Paul: the Census War of 1890 (won by Minneapolis, but only after arrests, threats, extravagant cheating, and a recount); the 14-year battle for the State Fair; the baseball rivalry between the Saints and Millers, brought to an end only by the coming of major league baseball; water vs. rail – Minneapolis had its falls and St. Paul had the rapids that kept shipping from reaching Minneapolis. Then came the railroads—call it a draw; the competing stockyards, the competing airports, the fight for the Ford plant, downtown redevelopment. The hatchet has been buried, but it keeps escaping.

PDF of Kunz article