Stories

Published November 20, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard This week brought sad news of the death of Pearl Lindstrom, age 92, the most recent occupant of 4600 Columbus Avenue South.  This tiny white bungalow in the Field neighborhood was the site of the ugliest racial clash in the city’s history. When Edith and Arthur Lee bought…

Published November 14, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard This week I had the privilege of hearing the senior thesis defense of  Kevin Ehrman-Solberg, an Augsburg College senior and history major who has worked over the last year as an intern for this project. Kevin has been a familiar presence on this blog. Many of you have…

Published November 7, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard For an unvarnished view of municipal politics, make time this Sunday to head over to the Hennepin History Museum, where local author Erik Rivenes will be presenting from his new book, The Big Mitt.   Rivenes’ fictional account centers on character Detective Harm Queen, modeled after Minneapolis police…

Published November 6, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Electoral politics can be frustrating. But every campaign season also provides a reminder of how voting is a sacred trust, secured through long struggle and great sacrifice. In Minneapolis, the women who were part of the 72-year struggle for female suffrage clearly gave up some of the critical…

Published October 24, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Last weekend the Somali Artifact and Cultural Museum had its first anniversary. As many of you know, this storefront museum on Lake Street is unique. The only institution in America devoted to preserving traditional Somali arts and folklore, it has a small but growing collection of artifacts that…

Published October 23, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard The city re-imagined. Luxury living downtown, c. 1965. River Towers was part of the massive reconstruction of the Minneapolis Gateway, which was demolished between 1958 and 1963. As part of an ambitious effort to re-make the city’s historic heart, this project bulldozed 40 percent of the downtown area…

Published October 3, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard This weekend is going to be gray and chilly. Good thing there will be lots of hot history around town to keep us happy. On Saturday, go downtown to hear Phil Anderson explain the history of commercial bakeries in South Minneapolis. The retired MCAD historian has spent several years…

Published October 2, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Yesterday the Star Tribune published an obituary for Frank Rog, who was remembered at his death for his long and dedicated leadership of the Roseville Park System. I never had the good fortune to meet Mr. Rog, who died at age 83. But I feel like we were…

Published September 17, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard This 1881 photo shows the first “class” of newsboys for the Minneapolis Journal.  These young workers–used by newspapers all over the country to hawk their product–were critical to the rise of the mass media in the late nineteenth century. “Newsies,” as they were called, had an iconic place…

Published September 11, 2014 by Heidi Heller Today’s blogger is Heidi Heller, a senior history major at Augsburg College and an intern with the Historyapolis Project. The Teamsters’ Strike–in July, 1934–is the best known labor conflict in the history of Minneapolis. This historic clash is now remembered as a turning point for labor relations in…

Published September 10, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard This fall you have the opportunity to watch old-school alien films in a spooky old cemetery, thanks to one of the coolest history groups in town. In September and October, the Friends of the Pioneers and Soldiers cemetery is hosting an alien invasion film series. Proceeds will support…

Published August 14, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Traffic stopped on Nicollet Avenue when victory over Japan was announced in August, 1945. Image is from the newspaper photo collection of the Hennepin County Library Special Collections. And it was identified and digitized by citizen-researcher Rita Yeada.

Published July 31, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s, Walter Scott demonstrated for a newspaper photographer the common (and dangerous) practice of “hitching” a bike on a car for speed and thrills. According to the photo caption, the boy lived at 814 Hawthorne Avenue, a neighborhood on the north…

Published July 29, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard The premiere of the film, “Purple Rain,” thirty years ago was a major cultural milestone for Minneapolis. Listen here to this wonderful conversation between Minneapolis native Michele Norris and National Public Radio television correspondent Eric Deggans about the film–and its legacy for music, the city and the world.…

Published July 25, 2014 by Daniel Bergin Our guest blogger today is Daniel Bergin, Senior Producer at Twin Cities Public Television and the director/producer of “Cornerstones: A History of North Minneapolis.” First broadcast in 2011 on TPT’s Minnesota channel, this documentary about the history of the enclave known as the “Northside” was co-produced by TPT…

Published July 23, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Minneapolis usually imagines itself at play in July, when long, warm days invite us to enjoy our beloved parks and lakes. Yet throughout the twentieth century, July was a time of bitter conflict. In 1967, it brought urban unrest on Plymouth Avenue; in 1934, the Truckers’ Strike; and…

Published July 18, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Remember 34 is a group dedicating to remembering the efforts of the labor organizers who made Minneapolis a union town in 1934.To mark the 80th anniversary of the Teamsters’ Strike, the group has scheduled a full roster of events for this weekend. Tonight is movie night at the…

Published July 16, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard The 1934 Truckers’ Strike in Minneapolis was a critical turning point for both the city and the nation. It shifted the balance of power in the city and emboldened the national labor movement at the depths of the Great Depression. To mark this anniversary, the Friends of the…

Published July 14, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard At the beach, Lake Calhoun, summer 1943. World War II is raging and the baby boom has not yet begun. The young family pictured here seems to epitomize the hopes and dreams of a generation that came of age during the Great Depression to fight against fascism. It…

Published July 11, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard The walking tours organized by Preserve Minneapolis continue in July. Historyapolis is leading a trip around the lost Gateway neighborhood on Saturday. On Sunday Iric Nathanson and Bob Roscoe will show folks the Jewish landmarks of the old North Side. For more details click here.

Published July 9, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Listen to historians Mary Wingerd, Dave Riehle and Bryan Palmer discuss the Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike of 1934 on KFAI.

Published July 4, 2014 by Kirsten Delegard Fourth of July, 1925. This photo shows a “community sing” in Riverside Park, which is located on the West Bank near Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota. At the time this image was created the park was one of the most heavily used in the city, serving…