RCHS - Key Persons
Growing Up In St Paul: Diamonds, Gravel Roads, and a Little Chevrolet-The Life and Times of a Venture Capitalist Author: Alan R. (Buddy) Ruvelson This article begins with the author's family background and the arrival of his great grandfather in St. Paul in the 1870s, where he lived at…
Slunky Norton: The Chimney Sweep Who Rocked the Rafters with His Buglers Author: Albert W. Lindeke Jr. By the late 1880s, coal had become the predominate fuel but had some problems. It could create a buildup of creosote that might break into flame, so people needed the periodical employment…
What's Historic About This Site? The Highland Park Water Tower and Its Architect, Clarence Wigington Author: Arthur C. McWatt One of St. Paul's most famous landmarks is the Highland Water Tower. This is a short profile of its architect, Clarence Wigington. PDF of McWatt article…
Job Titles:
- Gibbs Farm Office Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Gibbs Farm Volunteer & Adult Program Manager
A Private Wilderness: The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson with David Backes History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, August 19, 2021 Video on YouTube David Backes shared the personal diaries of one of America's best-loved naturalists, revealing his difficult and inspiring path to finding…
Lost Neighborhood: Borup's Addition and the Prosperous Pioneer African Americans Who Owned Homes There Author: David Riehle The story of a vanished neighborhood populated, though not exclusively, by pioneer African Americans, many of whom arrived around the time of the Civil War. This nineteenth-century community was located in Borup's…
Volume 57, Number 4: Winter 2023 Arrival of the Birds: The (Almost) Incredible 1897 Central High School Bird Observation Author: Dave Riehle In the late nineteenth century, it wasn't uncommon for boys (or amateur ornithology enthusiasts) to take down birds with slingshots or help themselves to unhatched eggs-many…
The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House: New Settlers, a Booming Real Estate Market, and a Summit Avenue Site Acquired on Speculation Author: Eileen McCormack The Louis Hill home at 260 Summit Avenue was built on a plot of land that was platted in November 1854. Home construction…
March of the Governors Special Edition: Billy Williams March of the Governors Series Podcast #30 William F. (Billy) Williams never served as Minnesota's governor, but he served more Minnesota governors than any public servant in our state's history. He caught the eye of…
Volume 58, Number 1: Spring 2023 From a Star on the Ball Diamond to a Star at the Minnesota State Capitol Billy Williams Author: Frank M. White In 1904, Billy Williams would have been happy making a living playing baseball. He loved the sport. He was good…
Job Titles:
- Banker, Danish Vice Consul
Fur Trader, Banker, Danish Vice Consul: This Was the Borup of Borup's Addition Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz A short biographical sketch of Danish-born Charles William Wulff Borup, a man with a medical degree. He came to the Midwest in 1835 as an agent for the American Fur Company and…
Job Titles:
- Business / Early Minnesota / Family History / Immigration / Jewish History / Neighborhoods
Lost Neighborhood: The Jews of Fourteenth Street Remembered Author: Gene H. Rosenblum Gene Rosenblum's grandparents, immigrants from Lithuania, moved into St. Paul's Fourteenth Street neighborhood in 1907. This heavily Jewish community comprised several streets in the shadow of the State Capitol. It had two synagogues, a community center, and…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Gibbs Farm Youth Programs Manager
Volume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 Rolling through the Decades Roller Skating in Ramsey County Author: Heidi Heller What better way to spend a Saturday night than rolling ‘round and ‘round a skate floor with friends? Some will remember the disco era, complete with a sparkly, mirrored ball and…
Two Graves in White Bear Lake: The Story of Claude and Daisy White Author: James Lindner Claude and Daisy White died within two days of each other in November 1918 and are buried in a single grave in White Bear Lake. This circumstance inspired the author to wonder who…
The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair Author: James Lindner The person credited with the concept of the original county fair is Elkanah Watson, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who, in 1810, started the Berkshire County Fair. Watson wanted to promote ways to improve farm productivity through education, "personal ambition," and…
"Cold Blooded Fraud:" The White Bear Lake Sewer Project of 1926-1935 Author: James Lindner In the mid-1920s, the City of White Bear Lake occupied a relatively remote portion of Ramsey and Washington counties in Minnesota, but its population was growing and city leaders decided that they needed to replace…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Advisory Board
Daybreak Woman with Jane Lamm Carroll History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, July 14, 2022 Video on YouTube In partnership with the East Side Freedom Library & Roseville Library A remarkable woman's life spans nearly a century of peace, invasion, war, exile, return, and…
A Whirlwind of Crimes: The Crimes and Times of Wonnigkeit and Ermisch Author: Janice R. Quick The story of two friends who ran around together and ran afoul of the law together. Both were of German ancestry. They were first arrested for burglary in 1892 and were sentenced to…
Job Titles:
- Gibbs Farm Youth Programs Manager
Stonebridge: The Story of a Lost Estate and Oliver Crosby, the Inventive Genius Who Created It Author: Jay Pfaender Even in the Groveland neighborhood, little is remembered about Stonebridge, an estate built by St. Paul businessman and civic leader Oliver Crosby. A New Englander from Maine, he came to…
Ramsey County's Distinguished Agriculturist: Willet M. Hayes, the Scientist Who Saw ‘Shakespeares' among His Plants Authors: Harlan Stoehr and Forrest Troyer Willet M. Hays (1859-1928), the first head of agronomic research at the University of Minnesota, is arguably the greatest all-time contributor to the advancement of agriculture in Minnesota.
Growing Up In St Paul: Seeing, Talking to, Calling on Sprits: Grandma Minda's Adventures in Spiritualism Author: Joanne Englund This is the story of Minda Sands, a Scandinavian woman as remembered and written by her granddaughter. Minda and her husband bought a lot on Edmund Street between Albert and…
Volume 58, Number 1: Spring 2023 Faith, Advocacy, & Service A Snapshot of Ramsey County's Welfare Workers in the Great War Author: Johannes R. Allert In the throes of war, sometimes, it's the simplest hymn, a whispered prayer, or help writing a letter that can restore hope to…
Italians on Saint Paul's East Side John Andreozzi History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, July 20, 2023 Video on YouTube In partnership with the East Side Freedom Library & Ramsey County Libraries Italians have had a significant presence in St. Paul. Although there were…
Growing Up In Saint Paul: Love in Bloom Author: John L. Relf This is an excerpt from the author's book My Story, published in 2007. John Relf was born in 1927 and first lived on Portland Avenue near Fairview. He graduated from Central High School, entered the army and later…
Volume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 A Tribute to John Watson Milton Author: John Lindley John Watson Milton, a longtime member of the Ramsey County Historical Society Editorial Board, passed away July 3, 2023, following a long illness. RCHS Editor Emeritus John Lindley spent time reflecting on our esteemed…
Doing History in Ramsey County and St. Paul: A Review Essay Author: John M. Lindley Like the late nineteenth century spate of local history books about St. Paul, the author comments on a similar recent flourishing of St. Paul history and gives several short summaries of the works. Among…
Roseville's "Lost Son" Honored Author: John M. Lindley A short follow-up article to a Spring 2007 essay on early Roseville resident Benjamin Rose. Rose died while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, but his body was never returned. Until recently, it was unclear where his remains…
"He Was Mechanic Arts" Mechanic Arts High School: The Dietrich Lange Years, 1916-1939 Author: John W. Larson Although this article features Dietrich Lange (1863-1940)-educator, naturalist, and writer-it gives biographical information on several other teachers as well as several Mechanic Arts High School students who became prominent. Roy Wilkins, for…
Minnesota Politics and Irish Identity: Five Sons of Erin at the State Capitol Author: John W. Milton The author, a former state senator, researched the five men of Irish extraction who are honored in the State Capitol. The first is "The Senator: Nicholas David Coleman (1925-1981)," a St. Paulite…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Advisory Board
Josias King: First Volunteer for the Union Author: Robert J. Stumm Minnesota legend insists that Minnesota offered the first Union army volunteers of the Civil War, and that the first of the first was Josias King. He posed for the monument at the foot of Summit Avenue. This is his…
Booth Girls: Pregnancy, Adoption, and the Secrets We Kept Kim Heikkila, PhD History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021 Video on YouTube In partnership with the East Side Freedom Library & Roseville Library "Booth Girls" is a thoughtful, multigenerational story of…
Stanford Newel, Proposal Rock, and Newell Park Widows: Newell Park Celebrates Its Centennial Author: Krista Finstad Hanson This article was timed to help Newell Park celebrate its hundredth anniversary in 2008. It starts with the early history of the land, which had been bought and sold often in the…
Tubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company Author: Leo J. Harris Abraham and Mark Harris were immigrant brothers from Russia. They founded Harris Forge and Rolling Mill, and, by 1891, it had more than 200 workers. It was one of the earliest concerns that…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Advisory Board
Mary Hill's Lowertown, 1867-1891 Author: Eileen R. McCormack Mary Mehegan Hill lived most of her early life in St. Paul's Lowertown and was there with her husband, James J. Hill, from the time of their marriage until the Hills moved to Summit Avenue in 1891. Surrounded by prosperous families…
Food for a Good Life: John J. Ryan and the Minnesota Grocers Association Author: Mary Jo Richardson This article, written by his granddaughter, is the story of J. J. Ryan, who made his mark both on the state and nation as a spokesman for retail grocers. He was born…
The St. Paul Fireman Who Rose to Command the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg Author: Patrick Hill Captain Wilson Farrell of Company C of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry had been a member of a volunteer company at one of St. Paul's small fire stations. He served…
A House of Versatile Talents: The William and Carrie Lightner Residence on Summit Avenue Author: Paul Clifford Larson William Lightner was a prominent St. Paul attorney for fifty years. He dabbled in politics and was a big supporter of history. Born in Pennsylvania, he came to this city in…
Lost Son: The Forgotten Fate of Roseville's First Child, Benjamin Rose Authors: Patrick Hill and Cindy Rose Torfin This article is a portrait of Isaac Rose for whom Roseville, Minnesota, is named. He was born in New Jersey, journeyed west, married, and joined the army. He would later farm…
Volume 57, Number 4: Winter 2023 The Children's Preventorium of Ramsey County Author: Paul Nelson History is challenging to piece together, but author Paul Nelson got lucky as he profiled the Children's Preventorium of Ramsey County at Lake Owasso. Thanks to elders who once lived there as…
March of the Governors, Governor #28 C. Elmer Anderson Series Podcast #31 Minnesota's twenty-eighth governor, C. Elmer Anderson (1912-1998), mostly aspired to be lieutenant governor, and at that he succeeded-elected six times in seven tries. He rose to governor in September 1951…
Donations and Their Own Pockets-An Orphanage's Roots in 1869 St. Paul Author: Paul D. Nelson This article examines the St. Joseph's Orphanage by looking at the experiences of the Postlewaite family. In the early days, it was a German institution which bought a forty-seven acre plot of land at…
"Dreams of the Immensity of the Future:" Crex Carpet Company Revisited Author: Paul D. Nelson A short article that follows up on an earlier piece by the author, published in the Winter 2006 issue. It was prompted by the discovery of an unpublished manuscript written by Michael O'Shaughnessy, the…
Courthouse Sculptor: Lee Lawrie Author: Paul D. Nelson A look at renowned sculptor Lee Lawrie (1887-1963), who designed the exterior artwork for the New York Rockefeller Center and the St. Paul City Hall and County Courthouse. His specialty was architectural sculpture or, so to speak, carving on buildings. Lawrie…
Minnesota's Geologist: The Life of Newton Horace Winchell Sue Leaf Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2020 280 pages; hardcover, 30 b&w plates, $29.95 Newton Horace Winchell deserves to be remembered. He was probably Minnesota's greatest nineteenth-century scientist, a giant in not only geology but paleontology and…
Bob Brown: "Paint What You See" Author: Paul Nelson This is the story of a solitary St. Paul resident named Bob Brown. Attempting to make a living in the midst of the Great Depression was difficult, to say the least, but Brown took long walks around the…
Fighting Billy Miske: The Heart of a Champion Author: Paul Picard St. Paul was known for its champion boxers even before the sport became legal in the city, and bouts had to be fought outside the state. Miske, the "St. Paul Thunderbolt," was the son of German immigrants. He…
The View from Summit Avenue: Inspiration Point for Sinclair Lewis's Main Street Author: Ralph L. Goldstein When a young Sinclair Lewis traveled to Saint Paul at the turn of the twentieth century to take his Yale University entrance exams, he found time to explore the city, marveling at…
Job Titles:
- Membership & Marketing Manager
Interminable Township Turmoil: White Bear Township and the Power of the Vote Author: Sara Markoe Hanson Why is White Bear Township shaped that way? If you've ever wondered about the answer to that question, Sara Markoe Hanson, executive director of the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, carefully…
Sinclair Lewis, His Life, Work and Relevance Patrick Coleman History Revealed Series Program Date: November 19, 2020 YouTube Video Ramsey County Historical Society, in partnership with the Roseville Library. Sinclair Lewis's Main Street turned 100 years old this October. It was a publishing phenomenon…
Job Titles:
- Author and Peggy Stern, Illustrator
It is 1876-Christmas day-which just happens to be the eleventh birthday of Lillie Belle Gibbs. Her mother and father present her with a new journal. Now she must decide how to fill the pages. Grasshoppers in her bed, a smudge pot to keep the mosquitos at bay, the one-room schoolhouse…
Tommy Milton: The Story of "St. Paul's Speed King" Author: Steven C. Trimble While he is rarely remembered except by sports historians, "St. Paul's Speed King," Tommy Milton (1893-1962) was one of the most prominent race car drivers in America during the early years of the twentieth century. He…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Honorary Advisory Board
Job Titles:
- Fall 2022 Farmer - Labor Founder
Volume 57, Number 3: Fall 2022 Farmer-Labor Founder William Mahoney and his Battle with Communists Author: Jim McCartney Writer Jim McCartney and William Mahoney, St. Paul mayor (1932-1934), have something in common-a house on Dayton Avenue. The McCartneys have lived there for thirty years. Mahoney owned the home from…