Saturday, April 27, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 27

April 27, 1997 – Andrew Cunanan began his spree of murder and robbery in Minneapolis by killing his friend Jeffrey Trail in the Warehouse District apartment of another friend, David Madson, whose body was found May 3 near a lake in Chisago County.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.hclib.org/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0EFD616247EF1CBC&p_docnum=28&p_queryname=6 




Wanted Poster for Andrew Cunanan

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


Friday, April 26, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 26

April 26, 1899 - John Beargrease and his brothers delivered the mail between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minn., for almost 20 years using a variety of methods, including canoes, horses and large boats. Beargrease was best known for his winter travels by dogsled. His sled looked more like a toboggan than today’s sleds and he ran with teams of only four dogs. His fastest trip on dogsled was 28 hours from Two Harbors to Grand Marais.



John Beargrease


The mail trip was made once a week…an incredible feat for one man to accomplish especially when you consider the constant range of altitude along the shore. Eventually, the Lake Shore Trail that Beargrease traveled for twenty years became an actual road, one that could be traveled with horse and buggy. His last mail trip to Grand Marais was on this date.

http://www.beargrease.com/follow-the-race/history-of-john-beargrease/

photo:
http://www.mnhs.org/school/historyplayers/bios/beargrease_bio.htm




Thursday, April 25, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 25

April 25, 1892 – Maud Hart Lovelace, American author best known for the Betsy-Tacy series,” was born in Mankato, Minn., on this date.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Hart_Lovelace


Author Maud Hart Lovelace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Hart_Lovelace

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 24


April 24, 1926 – Herbert W. Sellner of Faribault, Minn., filed patent # 1745719 for what would become the Tilt-a-Whirl, an amusement park ride still popular today. The patent was issued February 4, 1930.1

Over the next year, Sellner, a woodworker and maker of water slides, built the first 14 Tilt-A-Whirls in his basement and yard. In 1927, Sellner Manufacturing opened its factory in Faribault, and the ride debuted that year at the Minnesota State Fair.2

1
http://www.google.com/patents?vid=1745719
2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt-A-Whirl




Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain April 24, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included. Photo taken at 2012 Minn. State Fair.


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 23

April 23, 1963 – News breaks that T. Eugene Thompson, St. Paul attorney and husband of Carol Thomson, the woman murdered in her Highland Park home on March 6, “was representing Norman J. Mastrian in a Minneapolis traffic court case [on] Feb. 20, two weeks before Mrs. Thompson was slain.”

It was also noted that Thompson had “served as Mastrian’s attorney last spring when Mastrian and two others were arrested for questioning in the murder of Eddie James, St. Paul tavern operator whose body was found in an Anoka County wooded area with a bullet in his head. Mastrian and the others were released.”

Mastrian was charged April 19 with the slaying of Mrs. Thompson.

Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Thompson Represented Mastrian”; April 23, 1963; pp. 1 and 8.

Murder of Carol Thompson; see March 6, 2013 blog


Gun handle pieces found at the scene of Carol Thompson’s murder identified; see April 9, 2013 blog


Thieves admit to stealing and selling gun used in Carol Thompson murder; see April 17, 2013 blog


Suspects arrested in Carol Thompson’s murder; see April 19, 2013 blog


Suspect implicates another as actual murderer in Carol Thompson case; see April21, 2013 blog


Pistol used to bludgeon Carol Thompson found; see April 30, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson walks out on grand jury; see May 2, 2013 blog


Getaway car in Carol Thompson murder located; see May 3, 2013 blog


Blood-stained trousers believed to have been worn by Carol Thompson’s murderer found; May 9, 2013 blog


Suspect in Carol Thompson’s murder confesses, implicates T. Eugene Thompson; see June 20, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson arrested in his wife’s murder; see June 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson’s role in wife’s murder revealed to public; see June 22, 2013 blog


Minn. Supreme Court affirms T. Eugene Thompson’s conviction; see Jan. 7, 2014 blog

Minn. Supreme Court denies T. Eugene Thompson’s attempt to collect wife’s insurance death benefits; see Feb. 10, 2014 blog

Monday, April 22, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 22

April 22, 1818 – “Cadwallader C. Washburn was born in Maine [on this date]. A pioneer in Minnesota's flour-milling industry, he built his first mill at St. Anthony Falls in 1866, and his Washburn-Crosby Company marketed Gold Medal flour.”
http://www.thehistorypeople.com/data/docs/timeline-part1.pdf


Cadwallader C. Washburn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cadwallader_C._Washburn_-_Brady-Handy.jpg


Sunday, April 21, 2013

On This Date in Minnesota History: April 21

April 21, 1963 – “Richard Sharpe, one of two suspects arrested by Phoenix, Ariz., police Friday, April 19, in connection” with the murder of Carol Thompson, has implicated Dick W. C. Anderson, the second suspect arrested in Phoenix, as the actual murderer.  Sharpe said Anderson accepted an offer to kill Mrs. Thompson from Norman Mastrian, also arrested on Friday at his home in Spring Lake Park. At this time, police were offering no reason as to why Mastrian would have wanted Mrs. Thompson killed.

St. Paul Pioneer Press; “Slay Suspect May Waive Extradition; Sharp Called Co-operative By Authorities;” April 22, 1963; pp. 1 and 2.

Murder of Carol Thompson; see March 6, 2013 blog


Gun handle pieces found at the scene of Carol Thompson’s murder identified; see April 9, 2013 blog


Thieves admit to stealing and selling gun used in Carol Thompson murder; see April 17, 2013 blog


Suspects arrested in Carol Thompson’s murder; see April 19, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson represented one of the suspects in his wife’s murder; see April 23, 2013 blog


Pistol used to bludgeon Carol Thompson found; see April 30, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson walks out on grand jury; see May 2, 2013 blog


Getaway car in Carol Thompson murder located; see May 3, 2013 blog


Blood-stained trousers believed to have been worn by Carol Thompson’s murderer found; May 9, 2013 blog


Suspect in Carol Thompson’s murder confesses, implicates T. Eugene Thompson; see June 20, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson arrested in his wife’s murder; see June 21, 2013 blog


T. Eugene Thompson’s role in wife’s murder revealed to public; see June 22, 2013 bog

Minn. Supreme Court affirms T. Eugene Thompson’s conviction; see Jan. 7, 2014 blog



Minn. Supreme Court denies T. Eugene Thompson’s attempt to collect wife’s insurance death benefits; see Feb. 10, 2014 blog