Name: Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota
Brand: Steven E. Gardiner
SKU: 9781467150941
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota

9781467150941

$21.99

Southeast Minnesota has regularly felt the wrath of nature.

In 1890, a driving straight-line wind on Lake Pepin overturned the Sea Wing, killing ninety-eight people within minutes in the worst marine tragedy in Minnesota history. In 1940, a raging blizzard trapped duck hunters on islands in the Mississippi River and left motorists stranded across the region, leaving dozens injured or dead. Then, in 1965, flood waters of the Mississippi River and its vast network of tributaries kept area residents in fear for two months, shattering records for high water marks and destroying buildings and farmlands before receding and leaving behind damage that took years to rebuild.

Local author Steve Gardiner examines these powerful natural disasters and their ramifications on the people of Southeast Minnesota.

Historic Disasters in Southeast Minnesota

Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley

9781596298811

$21.99

Traveled by mammoth-hunters and motorcyclists alike, the Minnesota River Valley shows the traces of a unique legacy: where else are you going to find a political party with ideals based on honest conversation and gymnastics? Not all of it is as lovely as the natural scenery it accompanies--Mankato was the site of the largest mass execution in United States history--but its heritage demands contemplation. Discover the valley's most enterprising characters, from Fort Snelling bootleggers like Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant to the Granite Falls lawyer behind Prohibition, Andrew Volstead. With a guide like Johanneck, you might meet some familiar figures in surprising circumstances as she steals up behind Dr. Mayo at the grave he was robbing for medical research or catches FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in a moment of unguarded correspondence.

Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley

Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang in Minnesota

9781467146227

$21.99

From their home base in Minnesota, the Karpis-Barker Gang cut a swath of crime and terror across the Midwest in the early 1930s. They kidnapped two important businessmen and held them for exorbitant ransoms. They stole payrolls and robbed banks as the bullets flew. Corrupt police and wily crime bosses helped Alvin Karpis and the Barker brothers Freddie and Doc every step of the way. Who were these men and women? What made them into killers and kidnappers? How did their reckless lifestyles lead to their downfall? From Ma Barker to Volney Davis to Edna Murray the Kissing Bandit, authors Deborah Frethem and Cynthia Schreiner Smith delve into the crimes, personalities and motivations of one of the most successful and infamous gangs in American history.

Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang in Minnesota

Minnesota Mysteries

9781626193628

$23.99

Any Minnesotan worth his lutefisk has heard of the Kensington Runestone. But have you heard of Victor Setterlund? In 1949, he uncovered another runestone less than ten miles away. How about Newmann the Great? In 1909, the Kenyon-born illusionist astonished Minneapolitans by driving a team of horses blindfolded across town to find a key hidden in a drugstore safe at Lake and Nicollet. How about little Mary Weinand? In 1915, her father demanded justice when the "meanest boy" at her one-room schoolhouse in Corcoran cut off her luxurious auburn curls. These little-known stories, along with dozens more culled from Minnesota newspaper archives, are presented here in their original form.

St. Paul Murder & Mayhem

9781467155069

$24.99

A fledgling community in the midst of stunning natural scenes, the St. Paul of yesteryear had a well-earned reputation for beauty and danger.

Whiskey made the river city a byword for peril. Men brawled over small offenses and killed one another with near impunity. As crime flourished beyond the power of police control, vigilantes patrolled the streets. Irresponsible speculation and white-collar crime wrecked the local economy, devastating families and driving thousands out of town. The remaining St. Paulites rebuilt their community and economy, stimulating immigration, but more people meant more crime. In the 1870s, vice and violence spiraled into the Bloody Fall of '74, and St. Paul regained its reputation as a "dead tough" town.

Historian Ron de Beaulieu reveals the past travails of life in this turbulent city.

A History Lover's Guide to Minneapolis

9781467141932

$23.99

Minneapolis began at the Falls of St. Anthony, the sole waterfall on the Mississippi River. The cataract, the great hydrological engine, propelled the city's economic growth and physical expansion, and two distinct municipal identities emerged. A city of seasons, Minneapolis celebrates winter flurries and chills with ice skating and hot chocolate at the annual Holidazzle Festival. In the sultry midsummer heat, the Aquatennial brings swimmers and boating enthusiasts to the Chain of Lakes and the river. Landmarks, too, define the topography-Spoonbridge and Cherry, the Stone Arch and Hennepin Avenue Bridges, the Foshay Tower and the IDS Center. Join local authors Sherman Wick and Holly Day on a trip beyond the typical guidebook as they explore the architecture, parks and historical figures of the Mill City.

Minneapolis Murder & Mayhem

9781467146999

$21.99

Minneapolis has a bloody, unacknowledged heritage. On the shore of Lake Harriet, Ojibwe warriors killed a Dakota man, triggering two retaliatory massacres. Ten years later, pioneer settlers roved the land of Minneapolis in gangs for protection from other pioneer gangs. When a lynch mob hanged a violent criminal across the street from Central High School, they left his corpse dangling for hours. Rioting Riversiders toppled a streetcar and attacked the driver. A man murdered a kind stranger because he misunderstood his intentions. Separate industrial disasters shattered the St. Anthony Falls, causing one fatality, and nearly razed the Mill District, killing eighteen more and injuring countless others. Author Ron de Beaulieu uncovers the dark, sinister history beneath the city.

Cover image for Minneapolis Murder & Mayhem, isbn: 9781467146999

Historic Bridges of Southeast Minnesota

9781467154666

$24.99

Minnesota is often called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it could also be called the Land of 20,000 Bridges. /

During the early days of the state, the Mississippi River and its many tributaries barred and disrupted transportation and commerce. To span these obstacles, communities battled to build and maintain bridges. Their efforts created a variety of bridge designs and purposes—from small hiking and biking bridges to concrete beams across rural rivers. Across the area, one can behold wonders like the beautiful Stone Arch Bridge, the La Crescent Swing Bridge, the Point Douglas Drawbridge, the elegant Winona Main Channel Bridge as well as other massive structures crossing the Mississippi.

Studying and photographing these amazing structures, local author Steve Gardiner celebrates the innovation and determination of Southeast Minnesota./

Fading Ads of the Twin Cities

9781467148740

$23.99

On brick buildings throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, overlooked, fleeting symbols chronicle the cities' past.

Champion, John Deere, and International Harvester still tout their agricultural equipment, and Gold Medal and Pillsbury Flour remind everyone where these now global companies began. Weathered proclamations from Grain Belt, Jacob Schmidt, and Gluek's Beer offer a glimpse into early local brewing. Ads from Schmitt Music and Dahl Violin Shop recall a thriving art scene. Local hardware stores like Welna Ace Hardware and grocery stores like J.H. Allen & Co Grocers and Schoen's Home Grocery hawk long-gone wares through elegant painted announcements.

Join photographer and author Jay Grammond for a fascinating journey through Twin Cities history.

Brainerd Shop Dogs

9781467150590

$23.99

An amazing piece of Brainerd’s proud past

For over eighty years, the Northern Pacific Railroad Shops was the largest employer in the Brainerd area. After the Depression, the NP provided steady jobs for Brainerd railroad workers, whose paychecks contributed to the growth of Brainerd. The NP Shops built freight cars and conducted maintenance and disassembly of the NP’s rolling stock. The workforce of several trades called themselves “shop dogs.” Shop dogs built a workplace culture with its own jokes, stories, ethics, and nicknames – an unintended circumstance could result in a nickname, such as Scoop Swanson or the Soo Line Bull, that stuck to a shop dog for the rest of his life. After shop dogs retired and the NP shops closed, their nicknames and stories live on. Author Bob Roscoe gathers the stories from this vital piece of Brainerd history.

Hidden History of Twin Cities Sports

9781467153188

$23.99

Twin Cities sports fans are well-versed in disappointment, but the last 120 years of Minneapolis and St. Paul sports have also produced forgotten milestones. Most know of the Vikings' Super Bowl woes and the Twins' record-setting postseason losing streak. Few know that the first full-time college basketball coach originated here and that a Babe Ruth home run record supplanted a local player's achievement. Fewer still know about near misses like John Wooden almost becoming the University of Minnesota basketball coach in 1948 and Billie Jean King turning down an offer to join the Twin Cities' World Team Tennis franchise. Longtime Twin Cities journalist Joel Rippel documents these subjects and other forgotten or unheralded stories.

Historic Ballparks of the Twin Cities

9781467146340

$21.99

From the rickety to the palatial, ballparks have grown up with and defined baseball in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some old-timers have vivid memories of cheering for Willie Mays and Roy Campanella at Nicollet and Lexington. Others marveled at a majestic Killebrew home run at the Met. Many a lucky resident celebrated two world championships in the Metrodome and witnessed one of the greatest pitching performances in World Series history. More recently, fans have enjoyed the return of sunshine and even raindrops at Target Field. Described by City Pages as "the most respected local baseball historian," Stew Thornley leads a tour of where we--as well as our grandparents and now our children--discovered baseball.

Hidden History of Rochester, Minnesota

9781467149532

$23.99

The author of Lost Rochester explores more Med City history beyond the medicine.

Stories surrounding the establishment of Rochester as a medical mecca are well documented and often showcased, but countless other tales haven't received as much attention. William Costley, son of the first slave freed by Abraham Lincoln, lived his last few months at Rochester State Hospital. Beloved citizen Reinhold Bach sailed aboard the doomed ocean liner the Empress of Ireland. The life of Minnie Bowron, hired as the city's first policewoman in 1917, offers an intriguing story, and teenager Lottie Schermerhorn awed crowds during the Roaring Twenties with daredevil aerial stunts.

Join historian Amy Jo Hahn on an engaging narrative journey, a revelation of fascinating characters who made their mark on Rochester.

Minnesota Hockey Greats

9781467150958

$23.99

A chronicle of Minnesota’s hockey excellence in the world’s top hockey league—the NHL

The years 1960 to 1982 were a watershed moment for Minnesota hockey, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes has enjoyed hockey success ever since. In that time, pioneering homegrown players like Bill Nyrop, Dave Langevin, Reed Larson, Mike Ramsey, Dave Christian, Neal Broten, Paul Holmgren, and Phil Housley established themselves as bona fide stars at the games’ highest and most competitive level. More recently, another remarkable group of native sons—including Zach Parise, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglein, and T. J. Oshie—left their mark on the league.

Profiling more than seventy players and compiling Minnesota NHL records gathered nowhere else, Jeff Olson celebrates the brilliant achievements of Minnesotans in the National Hockey League.

Cover image for Minnesota Hockey Greats, isbn: 9781467150958

A History of Professional Hockey in Minnesota

9781626193611

$21.99

Of the four major sports leagues, the National Hockey League was the most conservative, clinging to only six cities until 1967, when it improbably doubled its size. The resulting upheaval gave birth to the Minnesota North Stars and the construction of the Metropolitan Sports Center. Though the well-loved Stars made the playoffs seventeen times, including two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, they never achieved ultimate success. Their loyal fan base watched in anguish as the franchise merged with another, divided in two and relocated to Dallas. In 1997, the Twin Cities' sports market was awarded an expansion franchise. Named the Minnesota Wild, the team sold out 409 consecutive games, setting the highest sell-out streak for an expansion franchise, and returned the game back to the State of Hockey.

A History of Professional Hockey in Minnesota

The Story of Minneapolis

9780738594873

$21.99

The author has grown up in Minneapolis. He believes in Minneapolis and wants all the boys and girls in the city to believe in Minneapolis. But how shall they believe in the city of which they have not heard, and how shall they understand except they be guided? In the course of his teaching the author has tried to guide some of them, both in the class-room and through the city itself, to a better knowledge of what Minneapolis has been, what she is, geographically, industrially, and culturally, and whithter she is tending, so far as we are able to judge by the activities of her citizens. At the same time, following the revised course of study, grade teachers have been aiming at the same end. If this book shall prove of service to them in their interpretation of the "city built to music, and therefore never built, and therefore built for ever," the author will feel deeply gratified."

Dayton's

9781609496722

$23.99

"Newsweek" called Dayton's the "swingingest spot in Minneapolis," and almost anyone living in the Twin Cities during the twentieth century has an anecdote to prove it. At Dayton's, you could buy a cashmere sweater for a song during an Anniversary Sale or commission a Persian silk dress for a society wedding. You could attend an eighth-floor extravaganza like "Santabear's First Christmas "or catch the occasional circus. Dayton's was the job that put many Minnesotans through college or the career that took them to retirement. From its early days as an innovative dry goods store to a trend-setting company that grew into the retail giant Target, Kristal Leebrick chronicles ten decades in the life of a Minnesota enterprise that defined style, good service and philanthropy.

Murder in Chisago County

9781467142335

$21.99

At 3:30 a.m. on April 11, 1933, neighbors and firefighters arrived at the farmhouse of Albin and Alvira Johnson to find a smoldering heap where a seemingly happy home once stood. Beneath the ruins, investigators found the bodies of Alvira and her seven children, but Albin's remains were nowhere to be seen. The authorities determined that Alvira and the children were dead before the fire, and fingers immediately pointed to Albin. Hundreds of searchers, including the illustrious Pinkerton Agency, combed the area and even crossed into Canada in pursuit of Johnson, who was indicted in absentia for murder. But he was never found, dead or alive. What happened to the Johnson family and what part, if any, Albin played in the tragedy remain a mystery. Twin Cities journalist Brian Johnson tells the story that has beguiled the community for generations.

Rochester Memories

9781467154352

$24.99

In addition to its well-known associations with doctors and diagnoses, the city of Rochester offers a string of curiosities to those willing to look closely.

How did a secret bomber mission to Moscow during World War II lead to thousands of fighter planes flying through Rochester and the subsequent construction of a giant IBM manufacturing plant here? What was Rochester's contribution to the 1980 Olympic Hockey "Miracle on Ice"? Who was dubbed the “Greatest Doctor in the World”, and why? Who were the regular folks without whom the great Mayo Clinic might never have become a medical mecca?

Rochester Stories: A Med City History Paul Scanlon answers these and other questions in this enlightening and sometimes humorous study of Rochester’s past.

Twin Cities Beer

9781467137058

$21.99

The Twin Cities witnessed a recent explosion of craft beer breweries and brewpubs, but the region's beer history reaches back generations. The Minneapolis Brewing Company introduced the iconic Grain Belt beer in 1893, and it remains a local favorite. Fur trapper and bootlegger Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant established a St. Paul tavern along the banks of the Mississippi River in the early 1800s. The area has been home to some of the best-known beer brands in America, from Hamm's and Schmidt's to Yoerg's and Olympia. Today, microbreweries such as Bad Weather Brewing, Summit Brewing and more than fifty others are forging new avenues. Join author Scott Carlson as he offers an intriguing history and guide to Twin Cities beer.

Dinkytown

9781467119634

$21.99

Dinkytown belies its name with a big history and outsized influence on the culture of Minneapolis. It began as a business district serving the University of Minnesota and became a creative center between the flour milling district and a massive railroad yard. By 1875, Dinkytown was a terminus on the horse-drawn streetcar system. The area transformed into a nexus of culture and counterculture with the growth and expansion of the university. Its burgeoning arts scene launched Bob Dylan and The Fiddler on the Roof, and its student activism spawned the Red Barn protests of 1970. Dr. Bill Huntzicker narrates the enthralling history of one of Minneapolis's most influential neighborhoods.

Minnesota Moxie

9781467135719

$23.99

Minnesotans are a tough lot, capable of pulling a house six miles by muscle alone or giving birth to a sixteen-pound boy. In 1921, young Phoebe Fairgrave set a parachute world record, stepping off the wing of a biplane 15,200 feet above the Twin Cities. In 1962, the last powerhouse Gophers football team brought home the Rose Bowl trophy. A year later, thirteen-year-old Jean Webb of Minneapolis risked arrest and refused to leave a segregated restaurant. In 1979, Gerry Spiess crossed the Atlantic alone in a 10-foot sailboat he built in his White Bear Lake garage. These inspiring stories and dozens more, culled from the Star Tribune newspaper archives, are presented in their original form by author Ben Welter, along with in-depth background, fresh interviews and more than seventy-five historic photos.

Minnesota Twins Baseball

9781626193819

$21.99

For more than half a century, Minnesotans have been treated to the memorable players and teams of the Minnesota Twins. From the Ruthian blasts of Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett to a successful brand of "small ball," the Twins have fielded competitive teams at Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and Target Field. But prior to its arrival in 1961, the team also had a storied past in Washington that included Walter Johnson, the greatest pitcher of the Deadball Era, if not all time. Sports historian Stew Thornley highlights the lesser-known events in the club's history, from the area's attempts to lure a major-league team to town in the 1950s to then-owner Calvin Griffith's campaign to regionally rename the team. He also pays tribute to the rich heritage of baseball before the Twins, marked by minor-league teams such as the St. Paul Saints and Minneapolis Millers, which produced future Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Ted Williams and Roy Campanella.

Minnesota's Notorious Nellie King

9781626192072

$21.99

From 1887 to 1893, the era Frederick Jackson Turner marked as the close of the American frontier, a young woman scandalized the residents of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Wisconsin with her fetching appearance, eccentric behavior and criminal misdeeds. Best known as Nellie King, she employed over a dozen other aliases throughout her career as fake detective, horse thief, laudanum fiend and general disturber of the dubious peace of saloons and brothels across the northern plains. She attracted sensational headlines, love-struck suitors and stray revolver shots with equal abandon; her story's Dickensian cast of characters included a hapless counterfeiter, a dashing physician, a battle-hardened magician and a determined mother. In this engaging narrative, Jerry Kuntz pieces together the clues to her true identity for the first time.

Minnesota’s Most Notorious Mobster

9781467158930

$24.99

“Ninety percent of [what] was written about me is bullshit”

Isadore Blumenfeld, aka Kid Cann, came to Minnesota as a toddler when his family emigrated from Romania. In Prohibition-era Minneapolis, a city of vast wealth inequality and vicious antisemitism, young Isadore rose from impoverished newsboy to millionaire. Kid Cann’s ruthless determination, growing organized crime network and willingness to commit wanton violence ignited his meteoric ascent. He got away with innumerable crimes over four decades before a series of relatively minor offenses brought him down. Although ravaged by stress and stripped of his social stature, the infamous gangster earned a place in the folklore of Minnesota. Historian Ron de Beaulieu recounts the saga of the state’s most notorious crime boss.

Cover image for Minnesota’s Most Notorious Mobster, isbn: 9781467158930

South St. Paul

9781626198814

$21.99

Incorporated in 1887, South St. Paul grew rapidly as the blue-collar counterpart to the bright lights and sophistication of its cosmopolitan neighbors Minneapolis and St. Paul. Its prosperous stockyards and slaughterhouses ranked the city among America's largest meatpacking centers. The proud city fell on hard economic times in the second half of the twentieth century. Broad swaths of empty buildings were razed as an enticement to promised redevelopment programs that never happened. In 1990, South St. Paul began to chart out its own successful path to renewal with a pristine riverfront park, a trail system and a business park where the stockyards once stood. Author and historian Lois A. Glewwe brings the story of the city's revival to life in this history of a remarkable community.

Brave New Workshop

9781626196865

$21.99

In 1958, former circus aerialist Dudley Riggs opened a Minneapolis coffeehouse with a stage for performers and created an American comedic institution. What started as a way to draw customers on slow nights became the Brave New Workshop, a comedy theater sinking its satirical talons deep into the culture of Minneapolis-St. Paul for over half a century. This theater helped launch the careers of many talented performers, including satirist-turned-senator Al Franken and his Saturday Night Live partner in comedy, Tom Davis, as well as comedian Louie Anderson, Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, screenwriter Pat Proft of the Naked Gun films and many others. Author Rob Hubbard tells the story of the hilarity, irreverence and imagination of the Brave New Workshop--a funhouse mirror to the world around it. "If you've lived in Chicago, you know what Second City is. If you've lived in the Twin Cities, you know what the Brave New Workshop is. Founder Dudley Riggs and the Brave New Workshop played a big part in my comedy career. Read the real history of this company and the actors and writers from it who have influenced comedy on television and the big screen for over 50 years." - Louie Anderson

World War I Minnesota

9781467117920

$21.99

When the United States made a formal declaration of war on April 6, 1917, Minnesotans answered the call to arms. Duluth, with its strategic location at the head of the Great Lakes, emerged as a major shipbuilding center. Over forty thousand men registered for the draft in Minneapolis alone. Yet many members of the state's large German American population struggled with divided loyalties. A xenophobic fervor swept through the state at an alarming rate, forcing the government to establish a Commission on Public Safety to stifle wartime dissent. With more than fifty period photos and illustrations, author Iric Nathanson brings to life the daily struggles and triumphs of Minnesotans in the Great War.