Minnesota Then
@mnthen.bsky.social
Minnesota Then is a free mobile web app that helps users discover the state’s history through maps, photos, and stories. Visit historic places, explore hidden narratives, and connect with the past—anywhere, anytime, without ads or paywalls.
The Selby Ave line's start was tragic—a fatal 1888 cable car crash on a punishing 16% grade hill. But boring the Cathedral Hill tunnel in 1907 lightened the climb to 7%, spurring westward expansion and connecting the Twin Cities by streetcar. It operated until 1953.
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
Selby Avenue Line (1888 - 1953)
Saint Paul’s solution to the treacherous grade of Cathedral Hill: a 1,472-foot streetcar tunnel that reshaped transit, commerce, and community life across the city’s west side.
mnthen.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:01 PM
The Selby Ave line's start was tragic—a fatal 1888 cable car crash on a punishing 16% grade hill. But boring the Cathedral Hill tunnel in 1907 lightened the climb to 7%, spurring westward expansion and connecting the Twin Cities by streetcar. It operated until 1953.
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
Braved the elements alongside the love of my life to check out Dual Citizen Brewing for the first time. Great beer, great space, and a local business that clearly cares about its community. Can’t wait to go back—next time with less slippery roads.
January 19, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Braved the elements alongside the love of my life to check out Dual Citizen Brewing for the first time. Great beer, great space, and a local business that clearly cares about its community. Can’t wait to go back—next time with less slippery roads.
After lots of hemming and hawing, I finally uploaded my first YouTube video this week.
Not quite ready to show my face, I used Google's Notebook LLM to turn years of writing (including my MA thesis) into something that actually explains why Minnesota Then exists.
youtu.be/yIkl4Q0WlPU?...
Not quite ready to show my face, I used Google's Notebook LLM to turn years of writing (including my MA thesis) into something that actually explains why Minnesota Then exists.
youtu.be/yIkl4Q0WlPU?...
Minnesota Then: Reimagining the Local History Museum
YouTube video by Minnesota Then
youtu.be
January 18, 2026 at 1:36 AM
After lots of hemming and hawing, I finally uploaded my first YouTube video this week.
Not quite ready to show my face, I used Google's Notebook LLM to turn years of writing (including my MA thesis) into something that actually explains why Minnesota Then exists.
youtu.be/yIkl4Q0WlPU?...
Not quite ready to show my face, I used Google's Notebook LLM to turn years of writing (including my MA thesis) into something that actually explains why Minnesota Then exists.
youtu.be/yIkl4Q0WlPU?...
All hail the Egg Roll Queen! Long live the Egg Roll Queen! Saw her truck in Roseville on the way to the Como Conservatory and had to stop for three jumbo pork egg rolls.
January 11, 2026 at 10:01 PM
All hail the Egg Roll Queen! Long live the Egg Roll Queen! Saw her truck in Roseville on the way to the Como Conservatory and had to stop for three jumbo pork egg rolls.
In 1989, St. Paul used eminent domain to shutter the "Vice Triangle" at University & Dale. It cost $1.83M and a few legal headaches to close the notorious Faust Theatre, but it paved the way for the Rondo Library.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
mnthen.com/blog/place/t...
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
mnthen.com/blog/place/t...
Faust, Flick, and Belmont Club: St. Paul Buys Out its Own 'Vice Triangle' (1989)
In 1989, St. Paul paid $1.83 million to shut down the Faust Theatre, The Flick, and the Belmont Club—ending a decade of vice, crime, and blight at University & Dale.
mnthen.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:20 PM
In 1989, St. Paul used eminent domain to shutter the "Vice Triangle" at University & Dale. It cost $1.83M and a few legal headaches to close the notorious Faust Theatre, but it paved the way for the Rondo Library.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
mnthen.com/blog/place/t...
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
mnthen.com/blog/place/t...
#OTD December 26, 1862: 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato—the largest mass execution in US history. It marked the violent culmination of the US-Dakota Conflict, rooted in delayed payments and broken treaties. Lincoln reduced 303 death sentences to 38.
mnthen.com/blog/event/d...
mnthen.com/blog/event/d...
Hanging of the Dakota 38 (1862) | Minnesota's Historic Tragedy | Minnesota Then
On December 26, 1862, thirty-eight Dakota men were executed in Mankato in the largest mass hanging in U.S. history, marking the end of the US-Dakota War of 1862.
mnthen.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:27 PM
#OTD December 26, 1862: 38 Dakota men were hanged in Mankato—the largest mass execution in US history. It marked the violent culmination of the US-Dakota Conflict, rooted in delayed payments and broken treaties. Lincoln reduced 303 death sentences to 38.
mnthen.com/blog/event/d...
mnthen.com/blog/event/d...
On May 22, 1970, St. Paul Officer James Sackett, 27, was killed in an ambush. Someone made a fake 911 call to lure him into a trap. The case went cold for 30+ years, but his widow never gave up. Two men were eventually convicted. Justice delayed, but not denied.
mnthen.com/blog/event/s...
mnthen.com/blog/event/s...
Ambush of St. Paul Police Officer James Sackett (May 22, 1970)
A politically motivated assassination that shocked St. Paul, remained unsolved for 34 years, and left a family forever changed.
mnthen.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:18 PM
On May 22, 1970, St. Paul Officer James Sackett, 27, was killed in an ambush. Someone made a fake 911 call to lure him into a trap. The case went cold for 30+ years, but his widow never gave up. Two men were eventually convicted. Justice delayed, but not denied.
mnthen.com/blog/event/s...
mnthen.com/blog/event/s...
Minnesota's 2nd capitol (1883) was such a disaster that legislators held meetings in hotel rooms because there wasn't enough space. The air quality? "Unsafe for human beings." Torn down in 1938. Today the redeveloped area is part of the Fitzgerald Park neighborhood.
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
Minnesota's Second State Capitol (1883–1938): A Stopgap in Stone and Brick
Minnesota’s second capitol opened in 1883 after the 1881 fire—but critics called it rushed, cramped, and unsafe. It was razed in 1938 after 55 years of service.
mnthen.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Minnesota's 2nd capitol (1883) was such a disaster that legislators held meetings in hotel rooms because there wasn't enough space. The air quality? "Unsafe for human beings." Torn down in 1938. Today the redeveloped area is part of the Fitzgerald Park neighborhood.
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
mnthen.com/blog/place/s...
This is nearly 30 minutes long, but a really interesting look at Minneapolis and "city living" in 1974. Worth the watch if you can find the time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PtR...
#Minneapolis #history #cityscapes
#Minneapolis #history #cityscapes
Cityscapes (1974) - Historic Minneapolis Film
YouTube video by Augsburg University Archives
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:34 PM
This is nearly 30 minutes long, but a really interesting look at Minneapolis and "city living" in 1974. Worth the watch if you can find the time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PtR...
#Minneapolis #history #cityscapes
#Minneapolis #history #cityscapes
From a noisy NE Minneapolis tavern to the hub of an interstate prostitution scandal. The raid on John's Bar led to federal Mann Act charges for the Gawron brothers, prison time, and the bar's abrupt closure. A forgotten chapter of Twin Cities history. #Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/event/j...
mnthen.com/blog/event/j...
John’s Bar and Funhouse Prostitution Scandal (1952–1956)
In 1952, a police raid exposed John’s Bar and Funhouse at 2500 Marshall St NE as the Minneapolis hub of an interstate prostitution ring—triggering federal charges, prison sentences, and the bar’s swif...
mnthen.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
From a noisy NE Minneapolis tavern to the hub of an interstate prostitution scandal. The raid on John's Bar led to federal Mann Act charges for the Gawron brothers, prison time, and the bar's abrupt closure. A forgotten chapter of Twin Cities history. #Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/event/j...
mnthen.com/blog/event/j...
In 1920s St. Paul, "Dapper" Dan Hogan ran the underworld like a diplomat—negotiating peace, managing criminals, and keeping the heat off the city. When someone planted a bomb in his car in 1928, the entire criminal network shook. His killer was never caught.
#Minnesota #history
#Minnesota #history
Life and Death of Daniel 'Dapper Dan' Hogan (1880–1928)
Explore the life and violent death of St. Paul gangster Daniel 'Dapper Dan' Hogan — saloon owner, underworld diplomat, and key architect of the O'Connor Layover Agreement.
mnthen.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:43 AM
In 1920s St. Paul, "Dapper" Dan Hogan ran the underworld like a diplomat—negotiating peace, managing criminals, and keeping the heat off the city. When someone planted a bomb in his car in 1928, the entire criminal network shook. His killer was never caught.
#Minnesota #history
#Minnesota #history
#OTD in 1932: Oscar Erickson, 29, was killed by the Barker–Karpis Gang as they fled a robbery, mistaking his curiosity for interference. After months unemployed, he’d recently found work selling Christmas wreaths. His death exposed St. Paul’s broken justice system. mnthen.com/blog/event/e...
Shooting of Wreath Salesman Oscar Erickson (Dec. 16, 1932)
The tragic shooting of wreath salesman Oscar Erickson by the Barker-Karpis Gang in Saint Paul.
mnthen.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:31 PM
#OTD in 1932: Oscar Erickson, 29, was killed by the Barker–Karpis Gang as they fled a robbery, mistaking his curiosity for interference. After months unemployed, he’d recently found work selling Christmas wreaths. His death exposed St. Paul’s broken justice system. mnthen.com/blog/event/e...
March 1, 1881: Minnesota's capitol caught fire during session. A senator made them formally adjourn before evacuating. Legislators threw documents out windows, then climbed down after them. The cause remains a mystery.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
Minnesota’s State Capitol Fire (March 1, 1881)
On March 1, 1881, Minnesota’s first capitol building burned to the ground in a dramatic fire that interrupted Senate and House sessions. Though no lives were lost, the blaze destroyed priceless record...
mnthen.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:32 PM
March 1, 1881: Minnesota's capitol caught fire during session. A senator made them formally adjourn before evacuating. Legislators threw documents out windows, then climbed down after them. The cause remains a mystery.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
After corn prices crashed in 1920, Minnesota farmers turned their "Minnesota 13" crop into moonshine to save their farms. It was illegal, sure—but they had families to feed. Stearns County became the bootlegging capital, producing legendary whiskey.
#Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/thing/m...
#Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/thing/m...
“Minnesota 13” Corn and Moonshine in Stearns County
How a hardy University of Minnesota corn strain—Minnesota 13—became the backbone of a thriving moonshine economy in Stearns County during Prohibition, turning desperate farmers into bootleggers to sav...
mnthen.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
After corn prices crashed in 1920, Minnesota farmers turned their "Minnesota 13" crop into moonshine to save their farms. It was illegal, sure—but they had families to feed. Stearns County became the bootlegging capital, producing legendary whiskey.
#Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/thing/m...
#Minnesota #history
mnthen.com/blog/thing/m...
Babe Rohland wasn't traditionally famous, but in 96 years she handed flowers to Henry Ford, watched feds dump bootleg gin in her alley, had gangsters shoot someone in her yard, shook JFK's hand, and more. Read about one woman's front-row seat to the 20th century.
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
Rohland, Margaret "Babe" (1914 – 2011)
Margaret 'Babe' Rohland—a lifelong St. Paul resident—witnessed defining 20th-century moments from World War I to JFK’s visit, offering an intimate lens on local history through everyday experience.
mnthen.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Babe Rohland wasn't traditionally famous, but in 96 years she handed flowers to Henry Ford, watched feds dump bootleg gin in her alley, had gangsters shoot someone in her yard, shook JFK's hand, and more. Read about one woman's front-row seat to the 20th century.
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
In 1945, St. Paul planner George Herrold proposed a highway route that would bypass Rondo and add no more than minutes to commutes. Officials chose a route with a higher potential traffic capacity that qualified for federal funds. I-94 opened Dec 9, 1968.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
George Herrold's Northern Route: The Highway That Never Was
In 1945, St. Paul city planner George Herrold proposed an alternative to the Interstate 94 alignment—hoping to save Rondo and Prospect Park. His plan was ignored.
mnthen.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:59 PM
In 1945, St. Paul planner George Herrold proposed a highway route that would bypass Rondo and add no more than minutes to commutes. Officials chose a route with a higher potential traffic capacity that qualified for federal funds. I-94 opened Dec 9, 1968.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
Dec 9, 1935: Minneapolis editor Walter Liggett was shot in an alley behind his apartment. His wife and daughter witnessed it. She identified the shooter as mobster Kid Cann. Three witnesses named him. The jury acquitted in 90 minutes.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
The Assassination of Walter Liggett (December 9, 1935)
Crusading editor Walter Liggett was shot dead in a Minneapolis alley in 1935 after accusing Governor Floyd B. Olson of colluding with mobster Kid Cann. His murder exposed the rot beneath Minnesota’s p...
mnthen.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Dec 9, 1935: Minneapolis editor Walter Liggett was shot in an alley behind his apartment. His wife and daughter witnessed it. She identified the shooter as mobster Kid Cann. Three witnesses named him. The jury acquitted in 90 minutes.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
#Minnesota #history #MNThen
Snow’s coming down in St. Paul and the MN State Capitol looks ridiculously pretty right now.
December 9, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Snow’s coming down in St. Paul and the MN State Capitol looks ridiculously pretty right now.
In 1857, Minnesota nearly moved its capital to St. Peter — until Joe Rolette grabbed the enrolled bill, vanished for days, and ran out the clock. When he returned after adjournment, it was too late to sign. St. Paul stayed the capital; the St. Peter land boom collapsed.
mnthen.com/blog/event/r...
mnthen.com/blog/event/r...
Joe Rolette and the Capital Relocation Bill (1857)
How fur trader and legislator Joe Rolette vanished with a bill to move Minnesota’s capital to St. Peter—saving St. Paul and reshaping the state’s political geography overnight.
mnthen.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:34 PM
In 1857, Minnesota nearly moved its capital to St. Peter — until Joe Rolette grabbed the enrolled bill, vanished for days, and ran out the clock. When he returned after adjournment, it was too late to sign. St. Paul stayed the capital; the St. Peter land boom collapsed.
mnthen.com/blog/event/r...
mnthen.com/blog/event/r...
Marjorie Johnson didn't enter her first baking competition until age 55. She went on to win 2,500+ ribbons, charm audiences on Rosie & Leno, and bake on national TV at age 100. At 4'8" tall, she was a giant. Passed away last month at 106. What a life. mnthen.com/blog/people/...
#Minnesota #history
#Minnesota #history
Johnson, Marjorie "The Blue Ribbon Baker" (1919 – 2025)
Marjorie Johnson—a beloved Minnesota icon, record-setting State Fair baker, and national television personality whose warmth, wit, and world-class pies made her a legend in kitchens and living rooms a...
mnthen.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Marjorie Johnson didn't enter her first baking competition until age 55. She went on to win 2,500+ ribbons, charm audiences on Rosie & Leno, and bake on national TV at age 100. At 4'8" tall, she was a giant. Passed away last month at 106. What a life. mnthen.com/blog/people/...
#Minnesota #history
#Minnesota #history
Micheal 'Eyedea' Larsen was born #OTD in 1981. By 17, he'd won Scribble Jam. By 20, he was turning down major label deals to make his kind of music. Poet, philosopher, battle-rap prodigy—Eyedea played the game by his own rules.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen #fEyedeaisAlive
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
#Minnesota #history #MNThen #fEyedeaisAlive
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
Micheal 'Eyedea' Larsen: Minnesota's Underground Hip-Hop Legend (1981-2010)
The story of Eyedea, the fiercely independent battle rapper and genre-bending artist who became a Twin Cities icon.
mnthen.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Micheal 'Eyedea' Larsen was born #OTD in 1981. By 17, he'd won Scribble Jam. By 20, he was turning down major label deals to make his kind of music. Poet, philosopher, battle-rap prodigy—Eyedea played the game by his own rules.
#Minnesota #history #MNThen #fEyedeaisAlive
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
#Minnesota #history #MNThen #fEyedeaisAlive
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
Took a picture of downtown from the Cass Gilbert Overlook. I was too late to catch the sunrise, but can't get over how beautiful this city is (at least to me).
#StPaul #Minnesota #downtown
#StPaul #Minnesota #downtown
November 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Took a picture of downtown from the Cass Gilbert Overlook. I was too late to catch the sunrise, but can't get over how beautiful this city is (at least to me).
#StPaul #Minnesota #downtown
#StPaul #Minnesota #downtown
Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant was a rough whiskey peddler who kept getting kicked out of his claims around the 1830s. His saloon became the gathering spot in "Pig's Eye Landing"—until Father Galtier renamed it St. Paul in 1841. Terrible businessman, accidental city founder.
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
Parrant, Pierre "Pig's Eye" (c. 1777 – unknown)
The rough-and-tumble story of Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant—the whiskey-slinging squatter whose nickname briefly named what would become St. Paul, Minnesota.
mnthen.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant was a rough whiskey peddler who kept getting kicked out of his claims around the 1830s. His saloon became the gathering spot in "Pig's Eye Landing"—until Father Galtier renamed it St. Paul in 1841. Terrible businessman, accidental city founder.
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
mnthen.com/blog/people/...
Took a trip to Como Zoo today to grab a Mold-A-Rama seal while I still could. Smells like molten plastic and childhood. Perfect.
November 1, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Took a trip to Como Zoo today to grab a Mold-A-Rama seal while I still could. Smells like molten plastic and childhood. Perfect.
Reposted by Minnesota Then
Marjorie Johnson, Minnesota's beloved 'Blue Ribbon Baker,' passes at 106, leaving a legacy of award-winning treats and boundless joy.
Marjorie Johnson, MN's beloved 'Blue Ribbon Baker,' dies at 106
Marjorie Johnson, Minnesota's beloved 'Blue Ribbon Baker,' passes at 106, leaving a legacy of award-winning treats and boundless joy.
www.kare11.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Marjorie Johnson, Minnesota's beloved 'Blue Ribbon Baker,' passes at 106, leaving a legacy of award-winning treats and boundless joy.