RAMSEY COUNTY Growing Up in Ramsey County With a Dash of Foreign Spice kitty gogins, page 14 HıstoryA PUBLICATION OF THE RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY One Hundred Years Serving New Americans The Centennial of the International Institute of Minnesota krista finstad hanson, page 1 Spring 2019 Volume 54 • Number 1 ramsey county history • spring 2019 • volume 54 • number 1 By the Numbers . “mentally ill patients are human beings, Book Review each one divinely endowed by his creator, which a theologian calls a soul and a psy- The world’s frst golf club, The Royal Contents chiatrist calls a personality.” and Ancient Club of St. Andrews, It is widely thought that the Governor formed in Scotland. moved what had been a public policy issue 1754 1 One Hundred Years Serving New Americans to a moral crusade, inscribed in legislative The Centennial of the International Institute of Minnesota The frst eighteen-hole course in the action. He noted that the future would U.S., the Chicago Golf Club, opened. krista finstad hanson The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: depend on how descendants of the Min- 1893 Reforming Minnesota’s Mental nesota pioneers build for the future and 14 Growing Up in Ramsey County Institutions, 1946–1954 maintain their inherited security, freedom, Ramsey County’s frst nine-hole course, Susan Bartlett Foote and democracy. Town & Country Club, opened in St. Paul. With a Dash of Foreign Spice Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2018 While not all of Youngdahl’s work sur- 1898 kitty gogins 312 pages; soft cover; photos; $22.95 vived through the next administration, the University of Minnesota professors sent foundation was set. Prophetically, he con- 20 Where the Grass is Always Green a solicitation to faculty seeking to form REVIEWED BY GARY F. GLEASON cluded with these words that ring true even a golf club. The Founding of Midland Hills a Century Ago Susan Bartlett Foote has written an impres- today: “The world is in turmoil and crisis . yet hazards and uncertainties must not sap 1915 john hamburger sive book that combines a great story and exhaustive research about the early years our courage or paralyze us into action.” Articles of incorporation were fnalized of social welfare reform. The Crusade for For- Foote writes with intertwining complex- for the University Golf Club. Book Review gotten Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental ities that can seem overwhelming, as well 1919 The Crusade for Forgo$en Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Institutions, 1946–1954, won a Minnesota they are and continue to be. She concludes The newly named Midland Hills Country Institutions, 1946–1954 by Susan Bartle$ Foote Book Award in April and is seen through The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: Reforming Minneso- with considerations she believes must re- ta’s Mental Institutions, 1946–1954 by Susan Bartlett Club of Rose Township opened for play. the lens of several mental institutions, the main intact. Efective political leadership gary f. gleason Foote won the 2019 Minnesota Book Award for is crucial, the policy making process needs July 23, 1921 history of which dates from the late 1800s. nonfiction. The Book Awards is a program of The improvement, citizen advocates are critical Foote, a professor emeriti in the School Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Hollywood actors Bing Crosby and Bob of Public Health at the University of Min- to proper oversight, and the media has a re- Hope played an Army Navy fundraiser Message from the Editorial Board sponsibility to present information that the nesota, relates how society, religion, and • Engla Schey, daughter of Norwegian at Midland Hills. politics, meld and push key players beyond system doesn’t. In this issue, we mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the International In- immigrants whose father lived at a May 9, 1942 their comfort levels into a strong founda- While it might be tempting to assign full stitute of Minnesota. Krista Finstad Hanson brings us a comprehensive look at facility in Fergus Falls until his death. blame to the institutions themselves for Midland Hills Country Club celebrates tion still relevant today. Because of her father’s experiences, the conditions described, they did the best its centennial. that organization, which began under sponsorship of the YWCA a!er World Foote’s personal connection to this sub- Schey found a calling in caregiving they could with what they had, and what July 2019 War I and has assisted people of diverse countries and ethnicities as they come ject is signifcant. While closet cleaning one and worked in several Minnesota to live in Minnesota. For instance, the group sponsored Japanese Americans day in 2013, she discovered the personal they had was inadequate facilities and SOURCE: Midland Hills Country Club Archives facilities. equipment, untrained staf, and some trou- who were allowed to leave U.S. internment camps during World War II, and it papers of her former father-in-law, the Rev. • Arthur Foote, a young Unitarian minis- Most any new “great idea” often proves to be bled souls who worked and lived in these helped rese"le Eastern Europeans a!er that conflict. More recently, it’s been Arthur Foote, who was a Unitarian called to ter from the Twin Cities. a monumental efort, full of competing ideas, ministry at St. Paul’s Unity Church. Hand- conditions. Remarkably, Foote has crafted hurdles, and a bit of handwringing. John instrumental in providing support to the growing Hmong, Karen, and Somali • Genevieve Steefel, a social activist with written notes, newspaper clippings, and a stirring document that reminds us of the Hamburger’s article, Where the Grass is Always ties to the Unitarians. communities. The Festival of Nations, still going strong, reflects the compel- copies of speeches were primary sources work done and challenges us to continue Green: The Founding of Midland Hills a Century ling cultural heritage of many groups that have contributed to our county. In a • Geri Hofner Joseph, an award-winning on this foundation. Ago, tells the story of the early eforts and that led her to unearth an array of material, journalist invited by Rev. Foote to companion article, Ki"y Gogins provides a more personal view, sharing how the challenges in creating a course for University answering many of her own questions and report on the state institutions. of Minnesota faculty and other members. International Institute helped her Hungarian- i m m i g r a n t parents and reinforced providing convictions for the future. Gary F. Gleason holds a B.A. in American • Luther Youngdahl, the state’s Republi- studies from Hamline University and an See page 20. rich family traditions as she grew up in Roseville. The other article in this issue While relating sometimes tedious de- can Governor from 1947–1951, known as M.S. in social services from Minnesota State tells a different suburban story: Midland Hills Country Club emerged from farm tails, the author provides welcome nar- the Minnesotan who found himself in on the cover rative that creates a compelling story. Mankato. He built a career in executive fields in the early 1900s to provide an opportunity to play the newly popular the midst of social reform. Institutions then were known to be places management, leading community-based game of golf. Club member John Hamburger has delved into club archives to where people were sent for social control, This disparate group called for dras- services for individuals with intellectual and illustrate how the organization became a reality, despite the difficult process of not for treatment. Most were committed tic improvements, each with a signifcant developmental disabilities. He also served in acquiring land and raising money from sponsors. Even construction was hard. involuntarily, and all were sorted by behav- role in moving from treating people with an executive role with the Episcopal Church Designed by prominent golf architect Seth Raynor, the course was completed ior, not diagnosis. To these circumstances mental illness as disgraced and incurable in Minnesota. with rocks removed by hand and fairways cut with a horse-drawn hay mower! come fve key individuals: criminals to Youngdahl’s proclamation that Anne Cowie Chair, Editorial Board Karen dancers at the Festival of Nations, sponsored by the International Institute and held in the St. Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, The Ramsey County Historical Society thanks Board Member James A. Stolpestad and affiliate AHS May 3–5, 2013. The Karen people are an ethnic Legacy Fund for supporting the updated design of this magazine. Publication of Ramsey County minority from Burma (Myanmar) who first arrived History is also supported in part by a gi" from Clara M. Claussen and Frieda H. Claussen in memory as r e f u g e e s to Minnesota in 1994. Courtesy of of Henry H. Cowie Jr. and by a contribution from the late Reuel D. Harmon. Thanks also to Midland International Institute of Minnesota. Hills Country Club and International Institute of Minnesota for their financial support. RCHM_Spring249060_Covers.indd 2019_COVER_F_revised-1_042519.indd 2 2 4/26/19 8:32 AM 4/25/19 11:54 AM Where the Grass is Always Green The Founding of Midland Hills a Century Ago john hamburger July 23, 1921 par-three Eden hole and head directly to an old t’s bright and sunny on this fine Saturday farmhouse—now clubhouse—which has been Imorning. What a wonderful day to play golf! remodeled and covered with a fresh coat of white Temperatures are expected to reach the upper paint with green trim. 80s, and there’s no rain in the forecast.¹ The main floor contains a large porch from A new golf course in Rose Township along the which golfers are seen completing their rounds northern edge of St.