Saturday, June 29, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 29


June 29, 2007 – Six-year-old Abigail Taylor lost 6.5 meters (21 feet) of her small intestine in an accident in the wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minn., leaving her with short bowel syndrome. Abigail “accidentally fell on the open drain of the pool and her buttocks were sucked into the aperture. The suction dislodged a large section of her small intestine which was forcefully drawn out through the anus, a phenomenon known as transanal evisceration.  Her injury and eventual death led to new federal legislation in the United States to improve the safety of swimming pools.” 

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

 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=25429273


Abigail Taylor

http://madasahatter213.wordpress.com/

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If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com





Friday, June 28, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 28


June 28, 1922 - Water skiing came about “when eighteen-year-old Ralph Samuelson of Minn., proposed the idea that if you could ski on snow, then you could ski on water. Ralph first attempted water skiing on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minn., towed by his brother Ben. The brothers experimented for several days until July 2, 1922 when Ralph discovered that leaning backwards with ski tips up lead to successful water skiing.”1 Ralph Samuelson never patented any of his water skiing equipment.2

1
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/waterskiing.htm

2
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventions/a/waterskiing.htm


Ralph Samuelson

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

__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com





Thursday, June 27, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 27

June 27, 1918 – Lightning striking wires connecting powder blasts all ready to set off in the Sliver open pit mine of the M. A. Hanna Company about two miles west of Virginia about 10:30 a.m. this morning, caused the worst mine accident in the history of the Mesabi Range. There were 40 men working at the time, with at least 20 killed or buried alive, and others injured.

1





2Mesabi Open Pit Mine

Up to noon, only one body had been recovered. Steam shovels and rescue crews are at work and it is expected bodies will be rapidly recovered.

It is said that at least nine tones of dynamite went off, some in holes and some in boxes. Most of the men killed are Austrians and Finns.



3Mesabi Miners

The lightning struck the connecting wire running into the different drifts where shots were ready to be set off and in a twinkling the whole rim of the pit seemed to lift up and settle down a great mass of rocks and earth, burying the victims before they had a chance to save themselves. By early afternoon the following day three bodies had been recovered from the debris of rocks and earth.

It is believed that 18 instead of the 20 men reported the day of the accident have lost their lives. The timekeepers and office men of the M. A. Hanna Company made a complete check of the men who reported for work Wed. and Thurs. and have accounted for all but 18 men.

Later that evening Hanna Company management visited the homes of all believed victims in the hopes of finding men who had escaped from the accident, but who did not make their good fortune known. Their visits proved futile.

The charge, for which $6,500 worth of dynamite had been placed in the gopher holes in the slope, was to have gone off at noon and would have been one of the largest in the mining world.

Three shifts of men worked day and night in an effort to recover all of the bodies. Meals were sent to the superintendents and captains at the mine so that no time was lost in the direction of the rescuers.

That afternoon a Sliver steam shovel and one from the Oliver Company started eating away at the tons of rock and earth. The Sliver steam shovel cleared away the railroad track that was buried under the avalanche of debris, while the other machine worked into the slope that was charged.

Powder gas hampered the rescue work. General Supt. C. E. Hendrick of the M. A. Hanna Company led the way into the airhole that was made. It is three feet wide and 14 feet deep. Supt. Hendrick was overcome by the gas and had to be taken to the surface. “Safety-first” methods were employed and he was revived. Other mining men were also gassed. Gas masks were brought late that afternoon from the Elba headquarters of the Pickands-Mather Company and were used by the rescue gang members.

Safety Inspector Krogdahl and a gang of men from the Oliver Iron Mining Company led the rescue work. The miners walked up the steep hill with timbers and pieces of rail. 
A pipeline to the airhole was also installed and stretches of hose used.

Early in the afternoon there was a slight hope of rescuing a few miners alive, but that was abandoned and the doctors were allowed to return to their hospitals. About 2 p.m., the groans of some of the victims were heard but the rescue gang members were unable to reach them. They were pinned under rocks and timber.

Foreman “Rube” Le Clair was fortunate, being down the railroad track when the blast went off. Five miners had gone to the Oliver shack on the Alpena property, which adjoins the Sliver and were there during the rainstorm. When the rain ended, the men returned to work, and a moment later the lightning that followed the rain set off the charge by striking an electric battery.

A frantic rescue was attempted by H. Alar of his brother Mike Alar, who was trapped in the premature explosion. Four times the would-be rescuer entered the hole leading to the miners and each time was overcome by gas. He was finally prevented from entering the hole, as it was feared he would be asphyxiated.

Members of a shovel gang at the mine ran into a gopher hole to escape the rain and while they were in the hole the lightning struck the battery, causing the explosion. Their lives were snuffed out.

The Sliver Mine got its name due to an error made in a survey by government representatives. On the survey prints the land could not be accounted for and so came the name of “Sliver.”  Half of the land is owned by the state and the other half by private interests.




Sliver Mine 



The Duluth Herald
; “Lightning Sets Off Blasts in Range Mine; Score Killed. Nine Tons of Dynamite is Fired by Bolt. Frightful Accident Occurs at Sliver Mine Two Miles From Virginia. Forty Men Working at Time; Many Injured Besides Dead. Rescue Crews With Steam Shovels Are Digging for Buried Men.”; June 27, 1918; p. 1.

The Duluth Herald; “Three Bodies Are Taken From Sliver Mine Debris. Indications Are That Eighteen Instead of Twenty Lost Their Lives. Three Shifts of Rescuers Are Now Working Night and Day.”; June 28, 1918; p. 24.

1https://www.mininghistoryassociation.org/IronRange.htm

2
https://www.gendisasters.com/files/files/novdec2011/virginia_minn_open_pit_mine.jpg

3
http://www.miningartifacts.org/Minnesota-MInes.html


There is no memorial for the men lost in this terrible accident. I was told by local historians that their nationalities, as stated above, primarily Austrians and Finns, were not considered important enough to care about. I would hope that this story stands as a memorial to those hard-working men and their families.

__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com






Wednesday, June 26, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 26

June 26, 1896 – “Sheriff Joseph Rogers was shot and killed as he and a deputy attempted to arrest two men they encountered on a road near Glencoe Township. When Sheriff Rogers told the men he was going to arrest them one of them fired at the Sheriff. After Sheriff Rogers returned fire the men again fired, striking Sheriff Rogers in the chest. The deputy went to get help and Sheriff Rogers was shot several more times.

The suspects were apprehended by a posse in a swamp the next day and were lynched.

Sheriff Rogers had been marshal of Glencoe for 7 years before being elected Sheriff in 1894. He was survived by his mother, father, and sister; he is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Glencoe, Mcleod County, Minnesota.”




Sheriff Joseph Rogers

http://www.odmp.org/officer/11452-sheriff-joseph-rogers

__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
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Tuesday, June 25, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 25

June 25, 1977 - Grandma's Marathon was first run on this date with only 150 participants; that first race was won by the Minnesotan runner and 1976 Olympic 10000m runner Garry Bjorklund.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma's_Marathon





https://grandmasmarathon.com/our-races/garry-bjorklund-half-marathon/
__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
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Monday, June 24, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 24


June 24, 1911 – Minn. Governor Eberhart, Virginia Mayor Hawkinson, Secretary Archer of the Virginia [Minn.] Commercial Club and Eveleth Mayor Saari were nearly arrested this afternoon in Virginia for speeding their automobile over 30 miles an hour. They were running to catch a train at the Iron Range depot, two miles from the city park where the governor had made his address.

When the policeman’s order to halt was ignored, he pulled his revolver. The auto had gone too far ahead and the party escaped. The governor made his train just in time.

The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune; “Police Shoots at Eberhart. Minnesota Governor and Party Arrested for Speeding Auto at Virginia.”; June 25, 1911; p. 1.



http://www.mnopedia.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_main/public/pof00180.jpg?itok=UsvpipDX

__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com




Sunday, June 23, 2019

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 23


June 23, 1907 – Andrew Townsend Hisey, secular (nonreligious) candidate for president, is feeling awfully blue.

The wheelbarrow candidate, who came to St. Paul, wheeling his barrow, wearing his high hat, and otherwise adorned, has met with disappointment.


1



Instead of being a militant candidate, a proud winner of feminine affection and the generous dispenser of political patronage, Hisey is a rejected suitor.

The presidency of the United States now looks small to the man from Iowa, for he has learned that love carries even greater rewards and stings more than the game of politics.

When Hisey arrived in St. Paul he carried a photograph of a woman with whom he claimed to have been corresponding. She was a lady fair, and Hisey had her name and address.

Today, donning his best secular robes and rolling his wheelbarrow, Hisey approached the home of his prospective bride.

In language that was suave and diplomatic, the presidential hopeful offered his heart, hand and wheelbarrow, but was brutally turned down.

“Horrid old thing,” said the unappreciative girl. So, sad and forlorn, Hisey made a sweeping bow and left.

“My bride awaits me in Minneapolis,” he said with prophetic foresight, and tomorrow he will add to the traffic on Nicollet Ave.

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Secular Candidate Loses Out in Quest of Love”; June 24, 1907; p. 5.

1The Minneapolis Tribune; June 23, 1907; p. 9.




https://rapidcityjournal.com/hisey-for-president/image_4fa5dc1a-5e2d-11e1-a572-0019bb2963f4.html

__________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com