Featured Magazine Articles

The award-winning quarterly magazine published by the Ramsey County Historical Society is filled with wonderful stories, well-written articles, photos, and maps reflecting the lives, history, and culture of our capital county.

Please use our full catalog to search for specific topics or articles.

You may also research back issues of Ramsey County History in our Research Center.

 

Ramsey County History Winter 2024

Nicole Foss, Linda Kohl, Krista Finstad Hanson, Renoir Gaither, Mary Lethert Wingerd

Volume 59, Number 1: Winter 2024 Link to download PDF of full issue of RCHS Winter 2024 Magazine Articles in this Issue: Architect of St. Paul’s West Side: H. Emil Strassburger Author: Nicole Foss Link to N. Foss article PDF Additional Resources:…

Ramsey County History Fall 2023 – Full Issue

Daniel W. McGuiness, Maggie Lorenz, Deacon DeBoer, Eileen Bass, Justis Brokenrope, Ava Grace, Dr. Rev. Clifford Canku, Heather Menefee, Šišókadúta

Volume 58, Number 3: Fall 2023 Link to download full issue of Fall 2023 Ramsey County History magazine Articles in this Issue: A Sacred Dakhóta Site Inspires Community Renewal: From Lower Phalen Creek Project to Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi Authors: Daniel W. McGuiness, with Maggie Lorenz…

Ramsey County History Summer 2023

Kristina Her, John H. Guthmann, Heidi Heller, John Lindley, Dave Beal, Lowell Benson, Don Hall, Jay Pfaender, and Chad Roberts

Volume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 Link to download PDF of RCHS Summer 2023 Magazine Articles in this Issue: Hmong Foodways in Ramsey County Author: Kristina Her Growing Up at Fort Snelling: Honoring the First Regiment of…

Ramsey County History Spring 2023

Frank M. White, Matt Goff, Johannes R. Allert

Volume 58, Number 1: Spring 2023 Link to download PDF of RCHS Spring 2023 Magazine Articles in this Issue: From a Star on the Baseball Diamond to a Star at the Minnesota State Capitol: Billy Williams Author: Frank M. White A Slow…

Featured Books

RCHS publishes fiction and nonfiction books and historical coloring books on a variety of historical subjects for readers of all ages.

Grasshoppers in My Bed: Lillie Belle Gibbs, Minnesota Farm Girl 1877

Terry Swanson, 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…

Neighborhood Architecture–Irvine Park, Saint Paul: a coloring book.

Jeanne Kosfeld, Illustrator and Richard Kronick, Author

Twin Cities-based illustrator Jeanne Kosfeld and author Richard Kronick have together transformed a simple sketchbook featuring pen and ink drawings into a brief storytelling of the Irvine Park neighborhood’s unique 173-year history. Artists of all ages and abilities may colorize their own imagined versions of these historic edifices, including fanciful…

Featured March of the Governors Podcasts

The “March of the Governors” podcast series provides brief snapshots of Minnesota’s governors during their terms in office. As you might imagine, there’s far more to each of their stories, both positive and negative. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope you will be inspired to learn more.

Minnesota has been governed by forty-one leaders. RCHS uploads a new podcast at the start of each month. Check the publishing catalog frequently for the newest episode.

March of the Governors: Rudy Perpich

Anne Field & Paul Nelson

March of the Governors, Governor #34 Rudy Perpich (Series Podcast #37) Rudy Perpich (1928-1995) served as Minnesota’s thirty-fourth governor in the years 1977 and 1978. He got there by succession when Wendell Anderson resigned. Perpich then appointed Anderson to the US…

March of the Governors: Wendell Anderson

Ken Peterson and Paul Nelson

March of the Governors, Governor #33 Wendell Anderson (Series Podcast #36) Before an ignominious electoral end, Wendell “Wendy” Anderson was one of Minnesota’s most significant and popular governors. Born and raised on St. Paul’s East Side, he had been an Olympic hockey…

Featured RCHS General Podcasts

RCHS, with author and interviewer Paul Nelson, has developed a series of podcasts featuring interviews on subjects of historical interest.

Ramsey County History Podcast #5 – Spring 2016: Mayor for Life – George Latimer

Paul Nelson and George Latimer

Mayor for Life – George Latimer He was sometimes known as “mayor for life.” George Latimer served as mayor of St. Paul from 1976 to 1990, the longest consecutive term in St. Paul history. A lot happened on his watch: the Town Square and Lowertown developments; the…

Ramsey County History Podcast #1 – Spring 2014: The Saga of I-35; East Side Freedom Library

Paul Nelson, John Milton, and Peter Rachleff

The Saga of I-35; East Side Freedom Library Part 1: John Milton tells the story of how citizen opposition delayed for many years the completion of Interstate Highway 35 through St. Paul. Part 2: Labor historian Peter Rachleff describes how he and his partner Beth Cleary plan…

Featured RCHS Videos and DVDS

RCHS has partnered with Twin Cities Public Television on two documentary films. Past History Revealed videos are available on the RCHS YouTube channel linked here. 

 

RCHS/TPT Film – North Star: Civil War Stories

RCHS and TPT

North Star Civil War Stories Ramsey County Historical Society is proud to partner with TPT-Twin Cities PBS to produce a ground-breaking new documentary, North Star: Civil War Stories, which uncovers hidden details of African-American men from Minnesota involved in the Civil War. Using emerging research and scholarship, North Star: Civil War…

History Revealed: Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang

Deborah Frethem & Cynthia Schreiner Smith

Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang in Minnesota With Deborah Frethem & Cynthia Schreiner Smith History Revealed Program Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021 Video on YouTube In partnership with the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society From their home base in Minnesota, the Karpis-Barker…

History Revealed: Indian Wars Everywhere

Stefan Aune

Indian Wars Everywhere Stefan Aune, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor of American Studies, Williams College History Revealed Series Program Date: Thursday, January 18, 2024 Video on YouTube In partnership with the East Side Freedom Library & Roseville…

Featured Book Reviews

One sure thing about history – there’s a lot of it – and so, by default, there’s a lot written about it. We include reviews of the latest Minnesota and/or Ramsey County history books in our quarterly magazine, Ramsey County History, but sometimes we have more reviews than we have room to print in the thirty-two-page publication. Don’t worry. We will continue to share book reviews in the magazine, but as we move forward, one of our goals is to increase our online presence, so if you’re looking to read even more reviews, hop online and check our catalog to see what’s new – there’s always something new about all things old.

Browse our catalog and enjoy the reviews. Chances are they’ll lead you to stop by Ramsey County Historical Society to purchase the actual book. We have many of the books available for sale at the Landmark Center.

Whiteness in Plain View: A History of Racial Exclusion in Minnesota

Reviewer: Renoir Gaither

Chad Montrie St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2022 272 pages; 26 b/w photos and 4 maps, notes, bibliography, index; $19.95 Reviewed by Renoir Gaither Chad Montrie’s book, Whiteness in Plain View: A History of Racial Exclusion in Minnesota, examines racial exclusion around job and housing discrimination meted…

A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum

Reviewer: Anne Field

A Natural Curiosity: The Story of the Bell Museum Lansing Shepard, Don Luce, Barbara Coffin, and Gwen Schagrin Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2022 400 pages; cloth cover/jacket, 310 color plates, $34.95 The Bell Museum, located on the edge of the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul…