Saturday, September 6, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 6

September 6, 1836 - The first recorded murder to occur in what is now Duluth happened on this date. “Alfred Aitken who was half Scottish and half Chippewa, was shot and killed by another Chippewa Indian. Since there were no courts in the area, a trial was held at Prairie du Chien in 1837. The shooter was acquitted.”

http://www.surfdetective.com/duluthindians.html




http://drjudynelson.net/?tag=duluth-mn

Friday, September 5, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 5

September 5, 1954 – “Virginia Mosiman was visiting her old house at the [Minnesota State] fairgrounds on [this date] when she went into labor. Her baby’s birth certificate listed “State Fairgrounds” as the name of the hospital or institution.”

http://www.msffoundation.org/pdf/2011WalkingTourBrochure.pdf






Minn. State Fair History Walking Tour Sign in front of J.V. Bailey House; Stop: 02




J.V. Bailey House

Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Sept. 5, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 


Thursday, September 4, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 4

September 4, 1922 – John Quincy Adams, African American educator, newspaper publisher and politician, best known as the editor of the Western Appeal/The Appeal of St. Paul, Minn., died on this date in St. Paul after being struck by an automobile while in the process of boarding a streetcar.

“Adams’ newspaper in St. Paul became the center of political activism in the upper Midwest, challenging the ‘color line’ that continued in Minnesota after the Civil War. He partnered with Fredrick L. McGhee (see Feb. 1, 2014 blog), a young African American lawyer from Chicago who moved to St. Paul in 1889. The two were instrumental in initiating legal challenges to racial discrimination in Minnesota and in passing legislation guaranteeing civil rights. He and McGhee were founders of Minnesota’s Protective and Industrial League, which affiliated with the Afro-American League in 1890 and later the Afro-American Council. His paper remained a publication of the Republican Party, even when McGhee had abandoned it.

“Adams was a consistent supporter of Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Model at the conventions of the Afro-American Council held in St. Paul in 1902 and in Louisville in 1903. That support damaged Adams’ reputation within that group allying itself to the Niagara Movement and later the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).”

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/adams-john-quincy-j-q-adams-1848-1922




John Quincy Adam
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/adams-john-quincy-j-q-adams-1848-1922

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 3

September 3, 1904 – Believing today was Children’s Day at the state fair, an event offered in past years, and that they would be admitted free of charge, a crowd of nearly 5,000 little ones presented themselves at the entrances of the state fair grounds early this morning and clamored for admittance. They were told by officials that no provision had been made for Children’s Day this year, and from eager expectations to abject despair and disappointment, the feelings of the some 5,000 youngsters were changed in a trice.

For a few minutes every gate and turnstile leading to the fair grounds was blocked by a sorrowful mob of youngsters who seemed at a loss to know what to do. It was a trying situation for the guards and gatekeepers, and Society Secretary Randall was immediately called about the situation. The obvious solution was to allow the children to enter the grounds, and accordingly the gates were thrown open to them.

Society President Cosgrove announced however, that hereafter this custom will be done away with.

The St. Paul Sunday Globe; “Tots Admitted Free; Five Thousand Enjoy Last Children’s Day”; Sept. 4, 1904; p. 14.




Minn. State Fair Entrance off Snelling  Ave.

Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Sept. 3, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included. 


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 2

September 2, 1952 – “The world’s first successful open-heart surgery was performed at the University of Minnesota. The medical team was led by Dr. F. John Lewis. The operation used a technique in which the patient’s body temperature was reduced to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. (source: University of Minnesota).”

http://www.minnesotafunfacts.com/trivia/medical/



Dr. F. John Lewishttp://prezi.com/4nrylowsvcuv/f-john-lewis/


Monday, September 1, 2014

On This Date in Minnesota History: September 1

September 1, 1986 – “The drinking age [in Minnesota] was raised to the current age of 21 in 1986 (Laws of Minnesota 1986, chapter 330). It included a grandfather clause: persons who were 19 years old by September 1, 1986 were treated as 21 year olds for liquor law purposes.”

http://www.leg.state.mn.us/lrl/issues/issues.aspx?issue=legalage

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=330&year=1986&type=0




http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=15408&picture=a-schooner-of-beer



Sunday, August 31, 2014

On this Date in Minnesota History: August 31

August 31, 1910 - A compromise arranged with some difficulty by Minn. Gov. Adolph Eberhart and the management of the state fair will alleviate the necessity of paying two admissions to the state fair grounds to listen to President Taft when he speaks there during the conservation congress.




President William Howard Taft1


The state fair management, seeing the president as a star attraction, wanted to charge all that traffic would bear, and planned to have the president speak in front of the grandstand, where payment of double admission−one to get into the fair grounds and another to get into the grandstand−would be required to hear him.




Minn. State Fair Grandstand2


Insisting earlier that it was necessary to double charge for admission, state fair management has now decided to make admissions to the grandstand free.

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer
; “Reduce Fee to See Taft; State Fair Management Decides to Make Grandstand Free”; August 31, 1910; p. 1.

1http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Howard_Taft.jpg

2Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Aug. 31, 2014, as long as acknowledgement included.