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Ramsey County History – Winter 2002: “Tubal Cain in New Brighton: The Harris Forge and Rolling Mill Company”

Leo J. Harris

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…

Ramsey County Historical Society – Spring 1999: “Ramsey County History Preserved in Its Survey Office”

Ramsey County Public Information Office

Ramsey County History Preserved in Its Survey Office Author: Ramsey County Public Information Office A brief overview of the history of the surveying of public lands in Ramsey County using the rectangular grid system established in the Ordinance of 1785. In the 1890s Ramsey County was resurveyed to replace old…

Ramsey County History – Winter 1994: “What’s Historic About This Site? The House Peder Foss Built—New Brighton, 1896”

Ramsey County Historical Society

What’s Historic About This Site? The House Peder Foss Built—New Brighton, 1896 Norwegian immigrant Peder Foss built the largest and most intact Victorian residence in New Brighton in 1896. PDF of Historic Site…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1988: “A Record Setting Winter—And the Ice Harvest on Lake Owasso”

Neill J. O’Neill

A Record Setting Winter—And the Ice Harvest on Lake Owasso Author: Neill J. O’Neill As a lad in the mid-1930s, the author worked three seasons harvesting ice on Lake Owasso in suburban Ramsey County. He recalls in detail how the ice harvest worked—the equipment, the procedures, the job hierarchy,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1987: “Cattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton”

Gene F. Skiba

Cattleman and Capitalists—And The Founding of New Brighton Author: Gene F. Skiba The article covers the founding of the city of New Brighton and memories from early settlers. Minneapolis businessmen created the city hoping to be in the cattle business. They chose a location on Long Lake, set up…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1987: “The Great Horse Market Years at Prior and University”

John S. Sonnen

The Great Horse Market Years at Prior and University Author: John S. Sonnen In the late nineteenth century, horsepower moved the city. In the early 1890s the street railway alone employed 800 equines. Where did the horses come from? The Minnesota Transfer Railway. Located in the Midway, it hauled…