Saturday, August 30, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 30

August 30, 1963 – William D. Ware, the St. Paul Negro arrested in Gonzales, La., on August 2 (see blog Aug. 2, 2014) for not leaving a segregated cafĂ© as requested, was unable to attend his trial scheduled for August 31 because of a “police incident in Nachez, Miss.” According to Ware, he was “beaten by sheriff’s deputies in a confrontation involving the use of a [gas] station washroom near Natchez” as he drove back to Gonzales on this date for his trial.

Upon emerging from the Natchez gas station washroom, Ware said he was approached by three sheriff’s deputies and ordered into the back seat of a squad car. When he was slow in moving over in the back seat of the car, one of the officers struck him twice in the mouth with a night stick. He was then taken to the Natchez Jail, but denied an opportunity to call his attorney in Baton Rouge.

The FBI and an attorney from the U.S. Justice Department took statements from Ware on Saturday evening at a Baton Rouge motel. They were in Baton Rouge to observe the integration of four high schools slated for the coming Tuesday.

Minneapolis Sunday Tribune; “St. Paul Negro Misses Trial After ‘Beating’”; September 1, 1963; p. 8A

Friday, August 29, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 29

August 29, 1985 – The Carlton County Courthouse, Carlton, Minn., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on this date. The courthouse took nearly two years to build and was completed in 1924.1

“The three-story classic Second Renaissance Revival building is built with cream-colored brick and stone. Clyde W. Kelly designed the building and the Niebuhr Co. of Minneapolis built it. Materials, including furniture and fixtures, cost $259,003, but by the time the bonds were retired in 1943, the cost had increased to $301,350.”2

1http://nrhp.mnhs.org/NRDetails.cfm?NPSNum=85001926

2http://www.mncourts.gov/?siteID=0&page=CourtHouseProfile&ID=40008



Carlton County Courthouse, Carlton, Minn.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Aug. 29, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 28

August 28, 1996 –While driving from a youth group meeting at the Hermantown Community Church on this date, 17-year-old Paul Antonich of Two Harbors, Minn., accidently rear-ended the car in front of him at a stoplight on Sixth Avenue and Ninth Street downtown Duluth. The driver and four passengers got out of the car that was hit and began arguing with Antonich and assaulting him. One of the young men pushed Antonich into the passenger seat of his car and got in the driver’s seat. Both cars were driven to a rural area in neighboring Carlton County.

“The next morning authorities responded to a call from a logger who had discovered a Toyota Tercel partially submerged in a drainage ditch near the Ditchbank Road in rural Carlton County. After the car was pulled from the ditch and identified as belonging to Larry and Mary Antonich of Two Harbors, authorities found Antonichs' body in the trunk. The St. Louis County medical examiner determined Antonich's death resulted from multiple gunshot wounds inflicted after Antonich had received a severe beating.”1

The five young men were eventually arrested; three of them were convicted of first-degree murder and serving mandatory life sentences, one received a reduced sentence after cooperating with authorities after the murder.2 The fifth man also received a plea bargain that “called for 30 years in prison, which translates to less than 18 years with credit for time in jail and good behavior in prison.”3

1http://caselaw.findlaw.com/mn-supreme-court/1208039.html
2http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/30454399.html
3http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62475824.html



Paul Antonich


http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/image/id/23885/

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 27

August 27, 1944 – Polar explorer and adventurer Will Steger was born in Richfield, Minn., on this date.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Steger



Will Steger
http://www.sciencebuzz.org/node/13681




Tuesday, August 26, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 26

August 26, 1971The historic Washington County Courthouse in Stillwater, Minn., one of the oldest standing courthouses in the state, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on this date. “When the courthouse opened in 1870, the county was doing a booming business in the lumber industry. The courthouse reflected the county's wealth and overlooked the city from atop Zion's Hill. The foundation is built of limestone, and the building has a brick facade and is topped with a prominent dome, cupola, and flagpole. The county offices were moved to the new Washington County Government Center in 1975.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County_Courthouse_(Minnesota)




Washington County Courthouse in Stillwater, Minn.
Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain August 26, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 


Monday, August 25, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 25

August 25, 1967 – Dean Chance pitches the second no-hitter in Twins history and defeats the Indians 2-1 in the second game of a double-header at Cleveland Stadium on this date.

http://twinstrivia.com/2012/08/25/this-day-in-twins-history-august-25/




Dean Chance
http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Chance-Dean.jpg


Sunday, August 24, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: August 24

August 24, 1922 – Minnesota fuel distribution authorities will ask for a return to the priority order, in order to obtain a coal supply for the state at once. The fuel situation in the northwest is now critical. Unless Minnesota alone can get 600,000 tons of coal weekly beginning next week, many essential industries will have to be closed down.

The state has received no coal this week though it was scheduled to receive 400,000 tons.

Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “No Coal Received in Minnesota This Week”; Aug. 24, 1922; p. 1.