Monday, December 31, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 31

December 31, 1979 – The home of author Wanda Gag was placed on the Nation Register of Historic Homes on this date. It is located at 226 N. Washington Street in New Ulm, Minn. Tours are available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Brown_County,_Minnesota




Author Wanda Gag's home, New Ulm, Minn.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 31, 2012,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 


Sunday, December 30, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 30

December 30, 1995 – Anne Barber Dunlap went missing on this date after purportedly telling her husband Brad that she was going shopping at the Mall of America in Bloomington. Her body was found January 1, 1996, in the trunk of her car in the K-Mart parking lot on West Lake St. in Minneapolis. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck and the throat. Her murder has never been solved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Anne_Barber_Dunlap





K-Mart parking lot on West Lake St., Minneapolis, Minn.
Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 30, 2012,
as long as acknowledgement included.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 29

December 29, 1976 – Rudy Perpich took office as the 34th Governor of the State of Minn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Governors_of_Minnesota





Gov. Rudy Perpichhttp://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=10522

Friday, December 28, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 28


December 28, 1975 – The Vikings were upset, 17-14, in the divisional playoffs at Metropolitan Stadium on [this date] when the Dallas Cowboys scored on a last minute 50-yard touchdown pass.”1  “The Rev. Dallas Tarkenton, Sr., father of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton, suffered a heart attack and died while watching the game.  Fran Tarkenton left the stadium in Bloomington unaware of his father’s death, [although] word reached him soon afterward.”2
1
http://www.vikings.com/team/history/timeline.html
2St. Paul Pioneer Press; “Tarkenton’s father dies watching game”; December 29, 1975; p. 1.



Viking QB Fran Tarkenton, #10

http://thehotirondaily.tumblr.com/post/20954969693/top-ten-minnesota-vikings-draft-picks-of-all-time






Thursday, December 27, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 27


December 27, 1979 – Called the District No. 28 School, this one-room brick schoolhouse was erected in 1892 to serve Anoka County’s growing rural population. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on this date. It was originally a schoolhouse, but later became the town hall. The building is one of only a few structures remaining from the beginnings of Ramsey Township.

http://nrhp.mnhs.org/NRDetails.cfm?NPSNum=79001188
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_No._28_School



District No. 28 School, Anoka County, Ramsey, Minn.
Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain December 27, 2012, as long as acknowledgement included.  

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 26


December 26, 1979 – Built in 1854, the Shaw-Hammons House was owned by Henry Shaw, one of Anoka's first settlers, one of the first traders in the area, and the first of several lumber barons to live there. The home was later occupied by a succession of Anoka land speculators, lumbermen, business leaders, and politicians. It is believed to be the oldest home in Anoka, and originally served as the first store in the region. The house was listed on the National Register of Historical Places on this date. At the same time, it was also listed on Minnesota’s Ten Most Endangered Properties List.1

In 2005, the house was rescued for the foreclosure price of $25,000 by attorney Kurt Glaser and his wife Dawn. The Glaser’s completely restored the home, renovating it with “artifacts found at antique stores and foreclosure sales.”1

http://nrhp.mnhs.org/NRDetails.cfm?NPSNum=79001183
http://www.placeography.org/index.php/Shaw-Hammons_House,_302_Fremont_Street,_Anoka,_Minnesota
http://www.startribune.com/local/north/136160828.html?refer=y
1StarTribune; “This old house gets new lease on life, but others slip into history”; Minneapolis, Minn.; pp. A1 & A7.




Shaw-Hammons House, Anoka, Minn.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain December 26, 2012, as long as acknowledgement included. 

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 25

December 25, 1993 - Shot entirely in Minnesota, the movie Grumpy Old Men was released on this date.1 While the protagonists played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the movie live in Wabasha, Minn., only a few outdoor scenes were really shot there; “most location shots were actually filmed in other Minnesota communities.”2 For example, Jon Gustafson (Jack Lemmon), Max Goldman (Walter Matthau) and Arriel Truax’s (Ann-Margret) houses are actually located in St. Paul near Lake Phalen.3

1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumpy_Old_Men_(film)
2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabasha,_Minnesota
3http://www.johnweeks.com/tour/gom/index.html





Jon Gustafson's home left (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman's house (Walter Matthau) right






Arriel Truax’s (Ann-Margret) house


Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 25, 2012,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 



Monday, December 24, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 24

*December 24, 1896 – Red Lake County [Minn.] was formed on [this date] from sections of Polk County. It was named after the Red Lake River. Red Lake County is also the only county within the state of Minnesota to not have a single stop light within the entire county.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lake_County,_Minnesota


http://www.redlakecountyhistory.org/

Sunday, December 23, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 23

December 23, 1957 – “A fire [on this date] destroyed the old (east) section of Stillwater High School and heavily damaged the newest section on the west. The cause of the fire was not determined. According to Supt. Earl Vitalism ‘The loss is fully covered by insurance. There was $130,000 coverage on the old building and $800,000 on the newer one.’

The fire was discovered at 6 pm and was the most spectacular the city has ever seen and was the largest loss since the Gilbert plant tire of May 16, 1955. ‘By the time the first pumper reached the scene the old building was an inferno and the blaze raged furiously for an hour. A brisk northwest wind fanned the fire and filled the air with blazing embers that floated over the Junior High School and several frame houses along Pine and Third streets.’

In all it is estimated 90 firemen and volunteers fought the fire. A total of 1,142,250 gallons of water was poured on the fire. The fire was visible for many miles, as far away as Willernie and hundreds of people in the surrounding area drove into Stillwater to view the blaze. The school itself was 87 years old. Graduation records from the last five years were lost along with 3,000 books from the library burned.”

http://projects.wchsmn.org/reference/events/high-school-fire-loss-250000/





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Welcome_to_Stillwater,_Minnesota_(2005_sign).jpg

Saturday, December 22, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 22

December 22, 1869 - William Watts Folwell was inaugurated as the first president of the University of Minnesota on this date.http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/history-mission/index.html




William Watts Folwell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Watts_Folwell.jpg

Friday, December 21, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 21

December 21, 1975 – Lake City, Minn., Mayor Willmer (Tony) Strickland, 58, and his wife Verona, 52, were found shot to death in their home around 3 p.m. on this date. Investigating officers confirmed that the slayings were a double murder. Mayor Strickland was shot five times, while his wife was shot once in the head.1 It would be 20 years before this murder was solved.2
1Lake City Graphic; “Mayor, Mrs. Strickland Shot To Death”; December 25, 1975; p. 1.
2Sun-Journal; “Neighbor confesses to mayor’s murder 20 years ago”; Lewiston, Maine; November 30, 1995; p. 8A.







http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5183/5889577402_57df0b5eaf_d.jpg


Thursday, December 20, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 20

December 20, 1979 – Construction began on the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis.
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/min_ballpark_history.jsp



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metrodome_from_lightrail.JPG

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 19

December 19, 1985 – In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mary Lund became the first woman to receive a Jarvik VII artificial heart. Lund received a human heart transplant 45 days later; she died October 14, 1986.”
http://timelines.ws/states/MINNESOTA.HTML


Jarvik VII artificial heart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JARVIK_7_artificial_heart.jpg

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 18

December 18, 1984 – Bud Grant was re-hired as the head coach of the Vikings. He replaced Les Steckel who guided the team in 1984 after Grant retired following the 1983 season.”
http://www.vikings.com/team/history/timeline.html




Vikings Coach Bud Grant

http://americanfootball.wikia.com/wiki/File:Bud_Grant_Vikings_Head_Coach.jpg

Monday, December 17, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 17

December 17, 1974 – The “Warden's House Museum was built in 1853 as the residence of the Minnesota Territorial Prison warden. Over time there were thirteen wardens that lived in the house until 1914 when the prison moved to its present site in Bayport.

After 1914 a Deputy Warden or Superintendent of the prison used the old Warden's House. In 1941 the State of Minnesota sold the house to the Washington County Historical Society and it was opened as the second house museum in the state in June 1941.

The Warden's House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places [on this date].”

http://www.wchsmn.org/museums/wardens_house/






Warden's House Museum 

Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain December 17, 2012, as long as acknowledgement included.  






Marker:
In 1849, the Governor of the new Territory of Minnesota, Alexander Ramsey, urged the Territorial Legislature to provide for a "proper and safe place of confinement" for prisoners of the territory. Because of Ramsey's request, the Legislature appropriated $20,000 for the erection of a penitentiary.

The site chosen for the penitentiary was in a ravine at the north end of Stillwater. This ravine is known as "Battle Hollow" because of the battle fought there in July of 1839 between the Dakota and the Ojibwe. It was a good location for a prison because natural cliffs bound the ravine on three sides.

In May 1851, the territory chose the firm of Jesse Taylor & Company to construct the prison building out of stone. By early 1853, the three-story prison building was completed. It contained six cells and two dungeons for solitary confinement, a workshop, and an office. The Warden's House, which sits just outside the ravine, was completed at this time also.

Francis R. Delano, the first warden, assumed office and moved into the house on April 4, 1853. A total of thirteen wardens administered over the prison until 1914, when the last of the prisoners were moved into new facilities.

In November 1876, three notorious convicts entered the Minnesota Prison. The Younger Brothers, Cole, Jim, and Bob were sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the famous Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery in which several people were killed and others wounded.

After the prison was moved south of Stillwater, the old warden's house housed deputy wardens. In 1941, Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen signed the house over to the Washington County Historical Society. Since that time the Society has operated the house as a museum.

In December 1974, the Warden's House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and today stands as a testimony to the history of Washington County and the State of Minnesota.



Sunday, December 16, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 16

December 16, 1977 – “Eight female employees of the Citizens National Bank in Willmar Minn.,” went on strike over charges of sex discrimination. The Willmar 8, as they were called, “were protesting unequal pay and unequal opportunities for advancement” of the bank’s female employees.

“In the summer of 1979 the National Labor Relations Board issued a ruling on the complaint. The NLRB declared that the bank was guilty of unfair labor practices, but those practices did not cause the strike. The NLRB ruled that the strike was ‘economic.’ As a result of this decision there was no back pay and no guarantee of the women recovering their jobs.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willmar_8

Saturday, December 15, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 15


December 15, 1945 – “St. Cloud’s first female police officer, Ruby Danielson, began her work on this date. Danielson was employed as a teacher and governess before taking two weeks of on-the-job training with other policewomen in St. Paul. After her training, she came to St. Cloud to work for St. Cloud Police Chief A.T. Anderson. Officer Danielson was assigned to work with local health and welfare authorities.”
http://wjon.com/st-clouds-first-female-officer-hired-on-this-date-in-central-minnesota-history/

Friday, December 14, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 14

December 14, 1998 – “Susan Kimberly, a former St. Paul, MN., city council president and a Transgendered woman, was appointed by St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman to be the city's deputy mayor effective Jan. 4,” 1999. “Kimberly was known as Bob Sylvester before undergoing sex-reassignment surgery” in 1983. She was the first transgendered deputy mayor in America.
http://www.ambushmag.com/is2698/news3.htm

Thursday, December 13, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 13


December 13, 2006 – “Jeffrey Skilling reported to a low-security prison in Minnesota to begin serving a 24-year sentence for his crimes as a top executive at Enron Corp.”http://timelines.ws/states/MINNESOTA.HTML


Jeffrey Skilling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jeffrey_Skilling_mug_shot.jpg

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 12


December 12, 1977 – Birth of identical triplets Nicole, Erica, and Jaclyn Dahm (born in that order) in Minneapolis. “They were the Playmates in the December 1998 issue of Playboy magazine.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole,_Erica_and_Jaclyn_Dahm


Dahm Triplets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Echoes-_Erica,_Nicole,_and_Jaclyn_Dahm.jpg

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 11

December 11, 1979 - St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Wright County, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on this date. It is a Gothic Revival, board-and-batten rural church constructed in 1871 under direction of parish founding member Octavius Longworth.
http://nrhp.mnhs.org/NRDetails.cfm?NPSNum=79001272




 St. Mark's Episcopal Church








Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 11, 2012, as long as acknowledgement included.


Monday, December 10, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 10


December 10, 1930 - On this date, Sauk Centre, Minn., native Sinclair Lewis became the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature.
http://wjon.com/sinclair-lewis-wins-nobel-prize-on-this-date-in-central-minnesota-history/



Sinclair Lewis
http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilt:Lewis-Sinclair-LOC.jpg



Sunday, December 9, 2012

Saturday, December 8, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 8

December 8, 19781 – The Jackson Hotel in Anoka, Minn., now Billy’s Bar & Grill, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on this date. It was “built in 1884 after a fire destroyed much of downtown Anoka. [The hotel] was in operation from 1884 through 1875 and played a central role in Anoka's commerce. [It] was located at the hub of water, rail, and overland trade routes, and served a variety of travelers. [The hotel] first served farmers and loggers who brought their goods to Anoka for sale. Later, it served traveling businessmen, politicians, photographers, lecturers, entertainers, and tourists. Traveling salesmen also used the hotel's sample room as a showroom and office. It had a reputation as the leading hotel in Anoka and one of the best hotels in Minnesota.”2

“On August 22, 1885, just barely past the first anniversary of the fire, the hotel became the scene of Anoka's first murder. A drunken disagreement between friends turned deadly as W.F. Mirick (or possibly Mieriet) opened fire on his pal Peter Gross (a German immigrant) with a revolver. Only one of the shots fired struck Gross. It hit him in the back as he attempted to flee from the gunman.

Mirick ran from the scene of his crime and the mortally wounded Gross managed to drag himself into the hotel. He was taken to a room upstairs and put under the care of a doctor, but died the following night. The killer was eventually caught and convicted for his crime.”3

The building is thought to be haunted. A “spectral woman with red hair is said to appear in a third floor window.”3

1http://nrhp.mnhs.org/NRDetails.cfm?NPSNum=78001525
2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Hotel_(Anoka,_Minnesota)
3http://www.thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&letter=b&location_id=billys_bar_and_grill_anoka_mn




Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 8, 2012,
as long as acknowledgement included

Other Haunted Places in Minnesota:

Forepaugh’s Restaurant in S.t Paul; see July 8, 2013 blog
Thayer’s Hotel, Annandale, Minn.; see August 24, 2012 blog

LeDuc House, Hastings, Minn.; see October 30, 2013 blog

The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minn.; see Feb. 11, 2014 blog
Kohler Hotel, Rochester, Minn.; see February 17, 2014 blog

 


Friday, December 7, 2012

On This Date in Minnesota History: December 7


Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Dec. 7, 2012,
 as long as acknowledgement included.
 

December 7, 1941 - [This monument near the Minnesota State Capitol is] dedicated to the following men of the 47th Division, 11th Battalion, 9th Naval District U.S. Naval Reserve, St. Paul, Minnesota, ordered to active duty January 21, 1941. These men all served on board the destroyer U.S.S. Ward, DD 139, which fired the first shot of World War II, at Pearl Harbor by sinking a Japanese midget submarine on December 7, 1941, at 6:45 a.m. 


Lieutenant H.F. Doughty
Ensign D.B. Hainie

Anderson, C.F. S2C
Ball, R.L. S2C
Barfuss, C.A. S2C
Bukrey, E.J. S2C
Campion, W.A. S2C
Christopherson, G.H. F1C
Collyard, H.V. S2C
Conroy, W.E. Com
Cyrus, J.H. MATT2C
Derosia, G.H. CWT
Dionisopoulos, P.A. S2C
Dolan, G.C. S2C
Domagall, A.A. S2C
Byrda, J.P. S1C
Ekblad, K.W. MM1C
Entenmann, J.R. F3C
Ethier, O.S. F3C
Fenton, C.W. S2C
Fink, H.J. S2C
Flanagan, H.P. S2C
Fluegel, J.V. S1C
Fratto, F.L. F1C
Gearia, H.F. S1C
Gerner, L.O. CM3C
Gibson, E.T. CY
Gill, J.C. S2C
Gorman, R.H. S2C
Griep, W.C. S2C
Grindall, B.J. S2C
Grueing, D.W. S2C
Haes, D.D. RM3C
Haiberger, G.G. S2C
Hajdu, F.M. S2C
Harris, H.J. F1C
Howat, A.J. F1C
Hueffmeier, G.W. S2C
Hughes, F.V. S2C
Hultman, G.R. S2C
Hurley, M.J. F3C
Jones, D.B. S2C
Kinderman, B.J. F1C
Knapp, R.H. BM2C
Kramolisce, J.W. F3C
Lasch, K.C.J. COX
Leclair, G.J. S2C
Lehner, W.S. F3C
Linn, P.A. WTIC
Lombardi, D.J. S2C
Mayer, W.L. CGM
Merthan, J.R. F3C
Mondo, G.J. GM3C
Morgan, D.J. WTIC
Mrozak, E.A. S2C
Nadeau, T.C. F3C
Nelson, H.H. WT2C
Nolde, R.B. S2C
Norlander, F.C. F3C
Paynter, H.K. F1C
Peick, J.A. S2C
Pepin, D.R.C. S2C
Peterson, J.E. S1C
Pfaff, K.L. S2C
Phenning, F.P. F3C
Probst, P.W. SC1C
Raeubig, H.E. S2C
Reetz, R.A. F3C
Richardson, R.E. S2C
Sanford, A.C. S2C
Schmitt, C.E. S2C
Scholtes, W.A. S2C
Seydel, R.J. F3C
Southward, H. S2C
Spratt, J.L. F3C
Stein, R.E. S2C
Swedberg, K.C. F1C
Thill, R.J. S2C
Throne, J.F. S2C
Trimmer, J.P. RM3C
Wells, H.O. S2C
Wood, R.W. S2C
Zechmann, E.A. F3C
Zechmann, R.A. F3C


http://www.markeroni.com/catalog/display.php?code=MN_MSM_00007



This is a photo of the USS Ward gun crew #3 sometime after the "First Shot" at the Japanese submarine on December 7, 1941.

http://home.earthlink.net/~larrydev/USSWardpage.html