At Home and Abroad, St. Paul’s Impresario Cut a Swath How Nettie Snyder Put the City on the Musical Map Winter 2012 Volume 46, Number 4 Roger Bergerson —Page 14 From Boom Times to the Great Depression Two Stolpestad Men in St. Paul Real Estate, 1886–1936 James A. Stolpestad Page 3

A roadside directional sign points the way to Stolpestad, a farming community located near Ringsaker in north central . There the homestead of Stolpestad East Farm, center, marks the place from which Andrew Hansen Stolpestad emigrated to St. Paul in 1884. In the photo on the right, a fourth-generation descendant of Andrew, James A. Stolpestad, right, did family research on his Norwegian roots with his cousin, Signe Lund, in 1999. All three photos courtesy of James A. Stolpestad. RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY RAMSEY COUNTY Executive Director John M. Lindley Founding Editor (1964–2006) Virginia Brainard Kunz Editor Hıstory John M. Lindley Volume 46, Number 4 Winter 2012 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY the mission statement of the ramsey county historical society BOARD OF DIRECTORS adopted by the board of directors on december 20, 2007: Paul A. Verret President The Ramsey County Historical Society inspires current and future generations Cheryl Dickson to learn from and value their history by engaging in a diverse program First Vice President of presenting, publishing and preserving. William Frels Second Vice President Julie Brady Secretary C O N T E N T S Carolyn J. Brusseau Treasurer Thomas H. Boyd 3 From Boom Times to the Great Depression Immediate Past President Two Stolpestad Men in St. Paul Real Estate, 1886–1936 Anne Cowie, Nancy Randall Dana, Joanne A. Englund, Howard Guthmann, James A. Stolpestad Richard B. Heydinger, Jr., John Holman, Kenneth H. Johnson, Elizabeth M. Kiernat, 14 At Home and Abroad, St. Paul’s Own Impresario Cut a Swath David Kristal, Carl Kuhrmeyer, Father Kevin M. McDonough, How Nettie Snyder Put the City on the Musical Map Nancy W. McKillips, Susan McNeely, Laurie M. Murphy, Robert Muschewske, Roger Bergerson Richard H. Nicholson, Jay Pfaender, Jeffrey Slack, Ralph Thrane. 27 Louis Hill to Henry Ford: “No Deal!” Directors Emeriti Henry Ford and the William Crooks W. Andrew Boss Richard T. Murphy Sr. Brian McMahon EDITORIAL BOARD Anne Cowie, chair, James B. Bell, Thomas H. Boyd, John Diers, John Milton, Publication of Ramsey County History is supported in part by a gift from Debra Mitts- Smith, Laurie M. Murphy, Clara M. Claussen and Frieda H. Claussen in memory of Henry H. Cowie Jr. Paul D. Nelson, Richard H. Nicholson, and by a contribution from the late Reuel D. Harmon Jay Pfaender, David Riehle, Steve Trimble, Paul A. Verret, Mary Lethert Wingerd. HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD William Fallon, William Finney, George A Message from the Editorial Board Latimer, Joseph S. Micallef, Marvin J. Pertzik, James Reagan, Rosalie E. Wahl. istorian Doris Kearns Goodwin has observed that a person remains alive RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS as long as others continue to remember him or her with stories. In this Commissioner Rafael Ortega, chair H Commissioner Tony Bennett issue we have some of those stories. Jim Stolpestad recounts the family history Commissioner Toni Carter Commissioner Jim McDonough of Andrew Stolpestad, a Norwegian immigrant who built a successful real es- Commissioner Jan Parker tate career in St. Paul during its boom years of the 1880s, and his son, Annar, Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt Commissioner Janice Rettman who worked as a real estate officer with the Hill family atNorthwestern Trust, Julie Kleinschmidt, manager, forerunner of First Trust. Roger Bergerson presents the tale of Nettie Snyder, Ramsey County an energetic and colorful personality who brought to St. Paul in the Ramsey County History is published quarterly by the Ramsey County Historical Society, 323 early . And Brian McMahon reminds us that artifacts have stories, too. Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth Street, St. Paul, MN 55102 (651-222-0701). Printed in U.S.A. Copy- Who knew that the William Crooks, the first locomotive used in , right © 2012, Ram sey County His torical Society . almost left the state to join Henry Ford’s collection in Michigan? We’re lucky ISSN Number 0485-9758. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted these stories have been preserved; we hope they will strike a chord as you or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher. The Society revisit some of your own memories. assumes no responsibility for state ments made by contributors. Fax 651-223-8539; e-mail address: [email protected]; web site address: www.rchs.com Anne Cowie, Chair, Editorial Board

2 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY At Home and Abroad, St. Paul’s Own Impresario Cut a Swath How Nettie Snyder Put the City on the Musical Map

Roger Bergerson hen and the stars of the New York siduously as his wife sought it. As he had Company took the stage at the brand-new St. Paul Auditorium in previously in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the spring of 1907, the arias soared and so did civic pride. and Mankato, Minnesota, Fred Snyder W operated a successful hotel in downtown St. Paul. Named the Frederic, probably in “The great building was filled for every honor of its proprietor, it catered to the performance and the audiences made a opera stars, music hall performers, actors, brave display in the way of and and vaudevillians of the day. The couple jewels,” the St. Paul Dispatch enthused. lived there and Mrs. Snyder maintained “The assemblages were representative a studio in which she gave voice lessons, of the whole Northwest—representative held recitals, and hosted gatherings for of its riches and of its culture. Life in her artistic friends and visitors to town. the Minnesota capital seemed suddenly The spring of 1907 was a very good to develop a new charm and a new fra- time for Mrs. Snyder. She brought grand grance—something that had been dif- opera back to St. Paul after an absence fused but now was brought together in a of almost a decade, served as the busi- 1 congenial setting.” ness manager of the newly formed St. Credit for making this lustrous event Paul Symphony Orchestra, and booked possible went to a forty-six-year-old performers for her own promotions. dynamo, Mrs. F. H. (“Nettie”) Snyder, And construction had started on the rapidly building a reputation as the only When Nettie Snyder, seen here in a sketch Snyders’ impressive country home, The female concert promoter in the entire from the St. Paul Daily Globe, studied voice Crossroads, out in Rose Township at the country. A “breezy, enthusiastic Western in Florence, Italy, in 1891, she left her new husband behind. Photo courtesy of the intersection of Snelling and Larpenteur woman, with the manner that immediately Minnesota Historical Society. Avenues. makes a friend of the most diffident,” was This was also a time of transition for how a New York writer described Mrs. her. While continuing to teach voice, April’s two-day opera “season,” the term Snyder. The hometown press weighed in Mrs. Snyder was gradually ending her used for such visits, no matter how short with, “A live-wire,”. . . a “living contra- own appearances as an operatic soprano. diction of the eight-hour idea. . . .” their duration. Governor John Johnson, But the array of contacts she had devel- Mrs. Snyder was a master of public re- and prominent families such as the Hills, oped at home and abroad served her well lations before the term was invented. In the Kelloggs, and the Ordways, as well as she concentrated more on the busi- advance of the New York Met’s arrival, as the Heffelfingers and the Peaveys ness aspects of music. Several personal she sternly informed a newspaper re- from Minneapolis, all purchased boxes. qualities also made her well suited for porter that she did not like what she was The newspapers marveled at the this managerial role, including resiliency seeing at the box office. “I have already “. . . and the diamonds!” Reserving a box and a steely resolve. Warm and friendly sold more season tickets in Minneapolis for herself and her friends, Mrs. Snyder as she was with friends and allies, Mrs. than in St. Paul, and a whole lot of enthu- was resplendent in black lace over ivory Snyder became an implacable foe when siasm seems to be in the outlying towns , her opera a mandarin of crossed. rather than here at home,” Mrs. Snyder black satin embroidered with gold. She Although she left behind no personal said. “St. Paul must remember that it is was on friendly terms with many of the papers, much of Nettie Snyder’s life getting more grand opera—three perfor- lead performers, including Caruso, “the played itself out on the pages of various mances—than Milwaukee, which will world’s greatest ,” who St. Paul was newspapers. There, she was remarkably have but one night, and many other im- seeing for the first time. forthright about a wide range of issues, portant cities.” Her husband, Fred, was likely at her including her lifelong mission to foster The chiding paid off. Large crowds side, although he was something of an in- an appreciation for good music. It was turned out for each performance over that visible man, avoiding the limelight as as- a journey that began in Reedsburg, Wis.,

14 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY many years before. Over time, she tended that bespeaks her a most accomplished machines for a time. After John Fuller to shave a few years off her age, but it ap- artist. She received a lovely floral lyre as took his own life in a Minneapolis board- pears that Electa Anette Root was born a testimonial and responding to a most ing house in early 1886, she grew close on December 9, 1859, near Point Bluff, generous encore, sang ‘At the Concert’ to a traveling salesman named Fred Wisconsin. She was raised in Reedsburg, with a chic and vivacity of expression Handy Snyder. Employed by a dry goods about fifty miles northwest of Madison. that was absolutely charming.”2 company, Snyder was a native of Lake The Root family likely struggled finan- Mrs. Fuller also made frequent out- Geneva, Wisconsin, where his father was cially, because her father was wounded in of-town appearances, returning on sev- a hotelkeeper. the Civil War and never fully recovered. eral occasions to Albert Lea, where she The two were married in April She showed an interest in the perform- once sang before an audience of 3,000 1889 by a minister at Fuller’s home on ing arts early on: at the age of ten, she ap- attending a Civil War veterans’ jubilee. Wabasha Street in St. Paul with friends peared in a school play at the Reedsburg Robert Tallant Laudon, professor emeri- and family present. Evidence that there town hall and at fifteen directed a chil- tus of Musicology at the University of would be a degree of independence in the dren’s concert in La Crosse. After her Minnesota, Minneapolis, explains it was marriage came early, with yearlong ab- father’s death in 1875, the family may common for churches at the time to have sences in 1890–1891 and 1892–1893 as have dispersed. At any rate, by 1879 she quartettes rather than choirs, often with a “Mrs. Fuller Snyder” pursued voice stud- was living in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and lead singer. Mrs. Fuller was lead soprano ies in Florence, Italy. This was an era, had become acquainted with John E. for various churches and synagogues; says Laudon, in which it was considered Fuller, a young photographer with a stu- the most prominent among these was the necessary for Americans who were seri- dio in nearby Spring Valley. They mar- People’s Church at Chestnut and Pleasant ous about professional careers to obtain ried just after her twentieth birthday in Avenues, in the vicinity of today’s United advanced musical training in Europe.3 December 1879, and she gave birth to a Hospital complex. Organized in 1888, It may have been the singer herself son, Harry Victor, in October of the fol- the huge non-denominational church fea- who provided the St. Paul Daily Globe lowing year. tured a 2,000-seat auditorium renowned with the translation of a review of one The marriage must have come apart for its superb acoustics. For the better of her concert performances in Florence: rather quickly, because by late 1883 part of fifty years it was one of St. Paul’s “The Signora Snyder, an American so- Mrs. Fuller had moved to St. Paul, sup- primary cultural centers. prano of pure blood, sang with all the porting herself by taking a “church posi- Although she continued her own train- breadth, all the soul, all the warmth of an tion” and pursuing her dream of a sing- ing, Mrs. Fuller began to teach voice in Italian. Seldom have I heard an artist (and ing career. It is possible that her young her rented living quarters. She could a foreigner) with a method of singing son remained with in-laws in Albert Lea not have been particularly well fixed fi- so perfect, a voice of such sympathetic at this point, although he subsequently nancially, because she also sold sewing quality, of such great range and so well lived with his mother. In an early public concert in St. Paul, Mrs. Fuller sang a dif- ficult aria with so much style and expres- sion that one member of the audience, W. Nelson Burritt, the leading voice teacher in the city at the time, was amazed to learn that she lacked formal training. By then she already was in her early twen- ties, seemingly getting a late start on a singing career. Her first performance rating a news- paper mention was at a “musicale soiree” at the conservatory of a Miss Geist, with whom she studied. In the following years, she went off on her own, appearing in a variety of local productions and quickly becoming a favorite. After she appeared at the Grand Opera House, the St. Paul Daily Globe reported, “Mrs. Nettie Fuller next sang ‘Many Miles Away’ with a touching pathos and delicacy of expres- sion that sent a thrill through every heart. Mrs. Fuller’s voice was in excellent Mrs. Snyder booked many performers into the 2,000-seat People’s Church, located at Chestnut and Pleasant Avenues, seen here about 1900. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota quality and she sang with a faultlessness Historical Society.

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 15 managed, with sentiment so exquisite this city will be welcomed by those espe- given his strong performance. Recalled and beautiful.”4 cially interested in art and music, as the the Mankato Free Press later, “While the During an interlude back home, Mrs. lady possesses rare musical ability that hotel is one of the leading hostelries in Snyder let it be known that she was re- has won for her an enviable reputation.” Southern Minnesota, it has not proved a ceiving offers from eastern promoters to Again, Mrs. Snyder established the gold mine to any of its proprietors, ex- appear on the operatic stage. It’s not clear hotel as one of the centers of cultural life cept Mr. Fred Snyder, who conducted it why she chose not to pursue them. Later in the community, inviting Sans Souci several years ago. . . . Mr. Snyder was a in life, she implied that the responsibili- and others to join her in concerts there thorough hotel man and had the ability of ties of marriage and homemaking forced and bringing orchestras to the Mankato conducting a first class house and at the her to put aside her own ambitions, but Theatre on several occasions. She opened same time making money.” that does not ring exactly true. Given a voice studio in the Saulpaugh, where The Snyders left the Saulpaugh at the the fact that she was now in her thirties, one of her students was eleven-year-old end of April 1903 and in mid-summer de- it may have simply been a case of time Florence Macbeth, who would go on to parted for Europe. At some point during passing her by. opera fame. And she managed the hotel’s their four-month stay, Mrs. Snyder was Another puzzle is how Fred made Moorish Café. No wonder, then, that Mrs. invited to sing for the internationally re- the transition from traveling salesman Snyder made an impression on town folk, nowned and reported that to hotel manager, although he may have including a young girl who would grow the operatic superstar had been highly been able to cite experience working in up to be Maud Hart Lovelace, author of complimentary about her performance. his father’s hotel. At any rate, in 1894, the enduringly popular Betsy-T acy se- If Mrs. Snyder still was clinging to her accompanied by his wife and stepson, ries of children’s books. The character dream of a stage career, it must have been he took over the Cataract Hotel in Sioux of Mrs. Melborn Poppy, wife of the hotel an increasingly tenuous grasp, since she Falls, South Dakota. The Cataract had proprietor in the books, is believed to be was now forty-two, several years older been refurbished a few years earlier and partly based on Mrs. Snyder.7 than Melba herself. was regarded as the town’s primary meet- During this period Mrs. Snyder be- Returning to Mankato in late fall, the ing place and the hub of activity. came an active member of the Minnesota couple announced they would winter As she would do elsewhere, Mrs. State Music Teachers’ Association, a in Seattle, Washington, and likely re- Snyder plunged into the social and mu- group that lobbied college trustees and settle there. Instead, they were back in sical life of the town, bringing in artists, school boards to place more emphasis Mankato within a month, still with an eye including Teresa Carreno, an internation- on the teaching of music. This organiza- out for a good business opportunity. In ally known pianist. She also gave her tion and others led by women, such as the early 1904, it presented itself in the form own performances and on several occa- Schubert Club in St. Paul, sought to en- of a new hotel in St. Paul under construc- sions was joined by a dear friend with the courage their respective communities to tion on the northeast corner of Fifth and improbable-sounding name of Gertrude favor serious music, based on European Cedar Streets, to be ready for occupancy Sans Souci. It was a convention of the classical forms, over what they perceived on July 1. Fred Snyder signed the lease time for performers to adopt names de- to be low-brow, popular styles.8 and announced that the Frederic would signed to convey a sense of the foreign A leader in this movement and prob- be a “European” hotel. There were ninety or exotic. For example, Olga Samaroff, able role model for Mrs. Snyder was the rooms, elegantly appointed with mahog- whom Mrs. Snyder would later book into formidable Anna Schoen-René, who had any furniture, forty of them with a bath- St. Paul, was actually Lucy Hickenlooper, arrived in Minneapolis from Europe in room en suite. Every room had hot and a Texas native. Sans Souci, however, was 1893. During the ensuing sixteen years, cold water and a phone, and rates started an authentic family name.5 Shoen-René organized and directed a cho- at $1 a day. Fred Snyder’s four-plus years at the ral group at the University of Minnesota, Mrs. Snyder opened a voice studio Cataract apparently were successful, and staged music festivals, and brought in in the Frederic, and, after a decade’s ab- by the fall of 1898, he was ready for an- internationally known performers, or- sence, the St. Paul Dispatch predicted, other challenge. He leased Mankato’s chestras, and opera companies. She, too, “her return to the city’s musical life will Saulpaugh Hotel, a four-story, 100- taught voice and in 1898 may have been be hailed by a large number.” She joined room edifice that was regarded as one of the first female orchestra conductor in the the St. Paul Choral Club and performed Minnesota’s finest. How far he had come country. Her work laid the foundation for regularly at the People’s Church, both in a short time was reflected in the news- Minneapolis to become the first city of as a soloist and with others. The church paper description of him as “one of the its size to establish its own professional was also the setting for Mrs. Snyder’s best known and experienced hotel men in orchestra, the Minneapolis Symphony, in first promotional endeavor in St. Paul, the the northwest” and one who understood 1903.9 booking of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, “the the needs of business travelers.6 His wife In that same year, Fred Snyder’s lease most distinguished of all living pianists,” was also received favorably. Commented at the Saulpaugh Hotel expired. It is not according to her advance publicity, in the Mankato Daily Review, “Mrs. Snyder clear why it was not renewed, but he February 1905. is known in Mankato and her removal to may have demanded more liberal terms, A writer for the St. Paul Globe sug-

16 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY gested that perhaps there was the need nesslike and thoroughly capable manager lacked, but a much needed boost to civic for a local impresario [technically, in this in Mrs. F. H. Snyder—one who has the pride at a time when St. Paul was clearly case an impresaria] to bring in talent. success of the organization so much at lagging behind the progress of its rival, “The city will owe Paderewski’s appear- heart that she does not exact or look for Minneapolis. ance here to Mrs. Fred Snyder and should any remuneration for her work; the direc- Millett has particular praise for the his recital secure the patronage it de- tors may well congratulate themselves of ingenious interior arrangement of the serves, Mrs. Snyder’s effort may encour- having her assistance.”10 Auditorium. He writes that it was “one age her to repeat the experiment. . . .” Apparently the testimonial was a of the most sophisticated multipurpose The pianist drew good crowds and Mrs. veiled reference to an internal disagree- auditoriums of its day in America . . . Snyder was on her way. ment at the symphony, because in early which allowed it to be configured in three distinct spaces, depending on the As a founding contributor, Nettie January 1907, Mrs. Snyder abruptly re- type of event being hosted, with seating Snyder also played an important role signed her position. One paper hinted from 3,000 to 10,000.”11 The facility was in helping St. Paul establish a civic that tickets were too expensive and that built for about $500,000, half of it raised through donations from the public, and this quickly became a sore point. In late February, the St. Paul Dispatch revealed that it would cost $250 to rent the building for a night, in the paper’s words, “a prohibitive price.” Critics, Mrs. Snyder among them, argued that the building had been constructed with tax dollars and donations and was intended to improve the appreciation of the arts, not to make money. And money was always an issue with grand opera. The cost of staging these productions, with their elaborate sets and casts of highly paid stars—Caruso earned $2,500 per performance, about $55,000 in today’s dollars—was enormous and touring was fraught with difficulties. In March 1907, Mrs. Snyder signed a Fred Snyder leased the new Frederic Hotel at Fifth and Cedar Streets in 1904. It was patron- contract with Heinrich Conried, manager ized by many of the entertainers who visited St. Paul and Mrs. Snyder maintained a studio of the New York Met, to bring the com- there where she taught voice. Fire destroyed the hotel in 1961. Photo courtesy of the pany to St. Paul the following month. She Minnesota Historical Society. had hoped that the opera’s performances would coincide with the official opening symphony, an aspiration ever since the church had been only half full for of the new building, but that was not to Minneapolis had started its own in 1903. most of the performances. The incident be. Instead, the dedication on April 2, In August 1906 she was introduced to was a portent of conflicts to come, but it 1907, included a concert by the St. Paul the public as the manager of the new St. did not slow Mrs. Snyder’s business ac- Symphony and a grand ball. But these Paul Symphony. Much was made of Mrs. tivities. To the contrary, she was just hit- festivities in no way diminished anticipa- Snyder’s wide acquaintance in the world ting her stride. She continued to bring an tion of the Met’s upcoming arrival. of music and her ability to bring in top independent slate of artists to St. Paul and In this pre-Hollywood era, the lives of opera stars, their comings and go- performers to appear with the orchestra began planning an operatic revival to co- ings, romantic entanglements and in- in its first home, the People’s Church. incide with the much-heralded opening discretions excited enormous interest And that she did, starting with Ruggero of the St. Paul Auditorium in April. (The and were followed avidly. For example, Leoncavallo, the composer of Pagliacci, site of that building, later known as Stem when Caruso was accused of pinching a in November. Hall, is now occupied by the Ordway woman in New York’s Central Park, the That’s why an item appearing in the Center for the Performing Arts.) St. Paul newspapers carried stories for St. Paul Dispatch midway through the in- In his book, Lost Twin Cities, Larry weeks. And now a collection of these augural season seemed to be answering Millett states that the new building not exotic creatures was coming to town. an unasked question: “The orchestra has only provided the city with the large At the Union Depot, travelers, work- been very fortunate in having a very busi- public meeting and exposition hall it had men, and idlers watched as the trains

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 17 discharged performers and crew. The St. Paul Daily News described the arrival of Caruso: “His black stiff , with dome- shaped crown and tight-rolled brim, his glistening hair, his swarthy complex- ion, proclaimed him a foreigner. His debonair air, his long line of attendants proclaimed him Caruso. ‘Caruso!’ ex- claimed the half dozen people and the depot truckmen gathered a little closer to the smiling Italian. No man was asleep at the switch this morning. They were all watching the Caruso whom they had read about, talked about, joked about, perhaps, [an apparent reference to the pinching incident] during the re- cent winter.” As would become her habit, Mrs. Snyder met the opera company’s trains and was greeted by Caruso. (The two were said to know each other from their days as students in Italy, a questionable claim.) “Ah, mio, signorina! So vera glad, Signorina Snyder,” he cried. “You the great artist, the impresario. It is this you tell me, you bring me to your hotel? How many things you be?”12 Horse-drawn carriages conveyed the performers, maids, valets, and baggage to the hotels. The more lowly performers in the chorus and orchestra set off for up- town boarding houses and hostelries on A photographer for the St. Paul Dispatch took this photo of Enrico Caruso, the famous tenor, foot. Many of the stars stayed, of course, enjoying a “light” breakfast at the Frederic Hotel while discussing business with Mrs. Snyder, at the Frederic Hotel and the newspapers left. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. provided what insights they could as to how they spent their time there, includ- a few years earlier, so the management opera “season,” the papers typically pre- ing what they had to eat. For example, position was understandable. But Mrs. dicted that the production had probably several of the big names consumed a Snyder would have none of it, contend- broken even or made a slight profit be- dinner one night that included steamed ing that the aisles of the new building yond the guarantee. This never proved oysters, mutton chops, salad, and French were spacious and the structure fireproof. to be the case, as expenses were just pancakes. The sturdily built Caruso dis- (She was particularly incensed when she too high. With praise for her efforts still cussed business with Mrs. Snyder over a found out that standing room was sold for echoing, Mrs. Snyder relocated her voice “light” breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, cold a police benefit several days after the op- studio and business activities to her new roast beef and ham, country sausage, dill era’s close.) home in the country, The Crossroads, pickles, potato salad, rolls and coffee. Although it was not made public That aside, the mid-week opera perfor- where she would spend the summer of until later, what was to become an on- mances were warmly received and large 1907 and many more to follow. going feud between Mrs. Snyder and crowds saw Tannhauser, La Boheme, Despite the artistic success of the the Auditorium’s management had al- Pagliacci, and Hansel und Gr etel. But Met’s visit and Mrs. Snyder’s diligent ef- ready begun. Her request to sell stand- that did not necessarily mean that a great forts, St. Paul went without grand opera ing room tickets was flatly refused. This deal of money was made. During this for the next three years, with the ex- rankled, particularly in the case of the era, it was customary for a major opera ception of a single performance by the sold-out Caruso matinee. Still fresh in company visiting St. Paul to demand a second-tier San Carlo Opera Company people’s minds were the jammed aisles guarantee of $40,000. Mrs. Snyder would in 1908. The Met declined to return, cit- that contributed to more than 600 deaths sign up local businessmen who pledged ing the high Auditorium rent and ban on in ’s only to make up any shortfall. Following each general admission sales. Mrs. Snyder’s

18 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY negotiations with Oscar Hammerstein, and I am glad to be the means of bring- who go to the concerts, it may be once or manager of the New York ing these great artists to St. Paul, and if I twice a year, and buy 50-cent seats, are opera company (and grandfather of the do say so myself I know that I can bring the ones who do most of the talking. The Broadway lyricist), led nowhere. them here for less money than most any- men who put up the money have a perfect Meanwhile, she was hardly idle, one else.” right to suggest and to object, but I don’t bringing artists such as Jan Kubelik, the The impresario admitted to some think that the general public has.”13 violinist, and pianist Olga Samaroff (née frustrations, several having to do with With no major promotional oppor- Hickenlooper) to the People’s Church the city’s proud new civic building. “If tunities in sight and in need of an ex- and Park Congregational Church, respec- we had an orchestra hall, seating about tended vacation, Mrs. Snyder departed in tively, in the 1907–1908 season. And in 1,500, so that we could be closer to the October 1909 for Europe. Part of her time May 1908, she resumed management of artists instead of being scattered about would be spent in Florence, studying the St. Paul Symphony, booking appear- through our huge Auditorium, we would once again with her old teacher Vincenzo ances the next winter by Paderewski and have much more successful concerts,” she Vannini. Though her days of singing diva Emma Eames. said. “The trouble with a too large house in public may have been over, she still At the age of forty-eight, Mrs. Snyder is that you cannot force a sale. People needed to be able to demonstrate proper finally put aside her own musical aspira- do not have to buy their seats in advance technique for her own students. She also tions. Her last known public performance when they are sure there are plenty of traveled to to visit Anna Schoen- was at a December 1907 Schubert Club seats left on the day of the concert. Then, René, who had recently returned to her concert where she sang a half-dozen of course, if the weather is bad or if they native country from Minneapolis and was songs. feel the least indisposed, they pass up the now devoting herself to the teaching of The following March, she again re- concert, where if they had already bought voice. And there were visits to two vir- signed from the Symphony position. “So their tickets they would feel that they tuoso pianists, as well: Emil Van Sauer in Dresden, Germany, and Paderewski at his many people think I get a fat salary for ought to use them.” Swiss villa. the work I do for the orchestra,” she told And she was just getting warmed up. Mrs. Snyder had planned to return to the Pioneer Press. “Let me tell you, and “Another difficulty that we have to con- St. Paul in June 1910, but changes were I don’t mind if you print it, that I have tend with is that the public wants to dic- afoot that sent her rushing home weeks never received a cent for any of my ser- tate as to how the orchestra shall be run early. The New York Met had a new man- vices . . . I have done the work because and what music they shall play,” Mrs. ager, Giulio Gatti-Casazza, who decided I love it. It is fascinating and interesting Snyder continued. “Frequently those that the company would resume touring in 1910. Past grievances forgotten, St. Paul was on the list of cities being con- sidered for a visit. Local businessmen designated Hugh T. Halbert, a prominent attorney, to handle negotiations. He initially was de- scribed as the manager for the upcoming grand opera season. Once Mrs. Snyder was back in town, however, Halbert quickly faded into the background. The magazine Musical America interviewed Nettie when she docked in New York at the beginning of April and asked if there was any chance of a peaceful artistic re- lationship between Minneapolis and St. Paul. “It certainly would be a fine thing if they could unite for each other’s ben- efit,” she responded, “but there is no such prospect. They are the ‘Twin Cities’ and therefore each one thinks it must do all it can to outdo the other. We have a symphony orchestra of seventy players; Minneapolis has one slightly larger. If This aerial view of the intersection of Snelling and Larpenteur (the latter running left to right) St. Paul had one of a thousand players, Avenues in Rose Township was taken in the summer of 1919. The Crossroads estate, which Nettie and Fred Snyder built, sits on the southwest corner of the intersection, across from Minneapolis would be sure to have one of Curtiss Northwest Airport. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. a thousand and ten. Of course, competi-

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 19 tion brings good results. However all that tralto, had been pastor at House of Hope it allowed. “If a man who pays for the may be, we have captured the opera com- Presbyterian Church when she was a stage box chooses to come to his box with pany this year and a splendid subscrip- child. And although the flamboyant a brown , black hat and tan , the tion list for it, too.”14 diva Olive Fremstad had been raised in worst punishment that may be inflicted on The St. Paul Daily News observed that Minneapolis, what was mentioned in- him is a frown, or a shoulder- from Mrs. Snyder was the only woman in the stead in St. Paul was that “she was the some of his -crowned neighbors.”16 country involved in opera management. most famous woman in the world to In her efforts to get publicity about “. . . if the United States shelters another claim Minnesota as her home.” the upcoming performances, Mrs. woman impresario, she has kept her light In preparation for the grand event, the Snyder drew on the fact that there had under a bushel so successfully that the Daily News provided its male readers, or been news stories about Caruso being public has so far never heard of her,” it perhaps their wives, with tips on what a victimized by extortionists in New York said.15 gentleman should wear to the opera; for and came up with a quick and quotable Adding to the attractiveness of the example, white gloves in the evening, but angle for the local press. “Instead of tak- soon-to-arrive opera troupe were sev- pearl-colored in the afternoon. “Of course, ing money away from Caruso,” she said, eral local connections. The father of there is no ‘ suit’ string attached to “the advance sale indicates he will take Homer, the prominent con- any ticket purchased for the grand opera,” a substantial amount away from us.”

Music Was the Pulse of “The Crossroads” When Emmanuel Masqueray accepted buildings and occasionally took on a tion. The address of the new home was the commission to design a fine summer residential project. “Larpenteur, 1 west of Snelling.” home for Nettie and Fred Snyder, in a The $20,000 home had a limestone The house was ready for occupancy sense he also was being asked to create exterior on the first story and a “French in the fall of 1907. The Snyders would a concert hall. half-timbered effect” on the second. open The Crossroads in April or early The theaters and playhouses in A broad veranda extended the length May each year, and stay through the downtown St. Paul went quiet during of the house, with a porte-cochére at fall, unless they were traveling. Their the warm months in the early twenti- the south end. The interior featured a winters were spent at the Frederic Hotel, eth century, but not so The Crossroads, 60-by-20-foot living/dining room, as managed by Fred Snyder, in downtown as the mansion became known. It rang well as beam ceilings and stone fire- St. Paul. Mrs. Snyder became as well with the singing of Mrs. Snyder’s stu- places. The surrounding five acres in- known for her entertaining and gener- dents and the melodies of the informal cluded trees, shrubs and an Italian gar- ous hospitality at The Crossroads as she musicales she staged there for as many den, while the remaining land was used was at the Frederic. as 200 guests. for a truck garden. For example, the St. Paul Daily The Crossroads is emblematic of a In that era, the country homes of News told the tale of Katherine, a young lingering mystery about the Snyders: people of substance usually had names. German singer visiting relatives nearby where did they get the money to support Prominent St. Paul attorney Cordenio who heard of Mrs. Snyder and hoped their lifestyle, which included lavish Severance, for example, was renowned entertaining and international travel? for the entertaining he did at Cedarhurst she might help her find an engagement Fred Snyder had only been in the hotel near Cottage Grove. And the farm in opera or vaudeville. Mrs. Snyder in- business for about a decade, while home of territorial pioneer William G. vited the aspiring singer to stay at The Nettie Snyder was a voice teacher and Hendrickson, Comodale, was located Crossroads and the girl accepted, but she fledgling impresario. just south of the Snyder’s property, in insisted on paying her way as a house- Yet by 1906 they were able to pur- the vicinity of today’s State Fairgrounds keeper. “Often, when all the tasks are chase ten acres of land on the south- water tower. finished, she removes her and west corner of Snelling and Larpenteur The Snyder’s choice of the name The and joins Frau Snyder and her guests, Avenues in Rose Township, in what is Crossroads was appropriate, because and she sings the arias, the lieder, the today Falcon Heights. Further, they had the property was located, literally, at a ballads and even the saucy ‘Drum Song’ the wherewithal to hire no less than the country crossroads, surrounded by agri- to a very appreciative audience in the architect of the St. Paul Cathedral to de- cultural fields. Snelling and Larpenteur music room,” the paper noted. sign a home and grounds. Masqueray simply were graded roads and traffic Opera stars such as Olive Fremstad, was known mostly for his ecclesiastical was so light there was no need for so Marcella Sembrich, Geraldine Farrar work, but he also designed commercial much as a caution sign at the intersec- and Eleonora de Cisneros were guests

20 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY Max Hirsch, the Met’s traveling director, an afternoon performance in Chicago, scored a great personal triumph,” was the provided advance assurances. “We have “because I wanted to be in good voice for sentiment of one newspaper. The hope heard the most gratifying reports from St. Paul and I didn’t propose to disappoint was also expressed, as it was every time St. Paul about the grand opera season,” my good friend, Mrs. Snyder.” Standing grand opera came to St. Paul, that the city he said. “We’ve intrusted [sic] the local at her side, the impresario patted Farrar’s would be able to enjoy the spectacle on management entirely to Mrs. Snyder— shoulder and nodded thanks. The fact that an annual basis from then on. It seemed that means it cannot fail. We are bring- the opera season coincided with the open- a real possibility this time, even though ing our best artists to St. Paul . . . the ing of the recently completed St. Paul the Met was once again suspending tour- greatest voices in the world today. We Hotel only added to the excitement. ing, because a new company was being will give just as fine productions at your Farrar starred in Madame Butterfly, formed, one with which Mrs. Snyder had Auditorium this week as we gave last while Caruso played the vengeful Canio strong ties. Andreas Dippel, co-manager winter in the New York Metropolitan.” in Pagliacci at a Friday matinee. Other of the Met with Gatti-Casazza, was leav- On April 23, the Met’s train arrived, included Lohengren, Hansel und ing to form the Chicago Grand Opera with 300 performers and crew and eight Gretel, , and The Bartered Bride. Company and Hirsch would be joining cars of scenery. Geraldine Farrar told the Not surprisingly, the critical response him. St. Paul Dispatch that she had cancelled was enthusiastic. “Mrs. Snyder has By mid-summer 1910, Mrs. Snyder

(Crossroads, continued) The State Fairgrounds expanded parcel became the Hollywood Court as well, sometimes staying weeks at northward and Curtiss Northwest development. a time. Farrar wrote a letter to Mrs. Airport opened across Snelling from Mrs. Snyder bequeathed the home Snyder from Germany and closed with The Crossroads, but the Snyders stayed to her son, Harry Fuller, who sold it a wistful, “It must be lovely now at the on into the 1920s, although their mar- without ever having lived there. The Crossroads.” Actors and actresses vis- riage had begun to fall apart. Left own- Crossroads was only a little more than iting St. Paul and Minneapolis were ing the home outright, Mrs. Snyder twenty years old, but its condition rap- often guests for dinner, including announced in 1924 she was selling it idly declined. A resident of the Como Chauncey Olcott, writer and composer and moving to Italy; instead she rented Park area of St. Paul, who delivered of the perennial favorite, My Wild Irish out the house and sold the five-acre the newspaper there as a boy in the Rose. southern half of the tract. In 1928 this mid-1930s, recalls the interior of the house as ill-lit and dingy, the grounds unkempt. There were rumors that it housed a brothel at one point, and it was being used as a nursing home in 1944. The following year, the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association bought the property and tore down the house to clear the way for its new $600,000 art-deco style headquarters. Today that building is occupied by the TIES organization, a consortium of Minnesota school districts. Sources: “Ideal Country Home Near St. Paul,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, April 28 1907, third section, p. 7; “Farmers Union to Erect $600,000 Office Building,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, Dec. 2, 1945, second section, p. 1; and Larry Millett, Once There Were Castles: Lost Mansions and Estates of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis: In 1924, Mrs. Snyder rented out The Crossroads, sold five acres of adjoining property, and University of Minnesota Press, 2011), moved to Italy. St. Paul Daily News photo. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. 156–158.

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 21 was able to announce that the Chicago Company would appear at the Auditorium the following January, featuring John McCormack, the sensational Irish tenor then nearing the peak of his operatic ca- reer. That fall, Mrs. Snyder continued her independent booking, presenting per- formances by top stars such as Marcella Sembrich and Johanna Gadski, as well as an appearance by the Imperial Russian Ballet featuring Anna Pavlowa. In late October, however, controversy erupted when it became known that the January opera schedule would include ’ , performed by Mary Garden, the Scottish prima donna. Salome was notorious not only for the Dance of the Seven , but also for its shocking final scene in which Salome declares her love to the severed head of John the Baptist. The Ramsey County Methodist Lay- man’s Association was the first to decry the staging of Salome. Mrs. Snyder coun- tered that the opera had been presented by Miss Garden and the company in a number of other cities where it had been regarded as highly artistic. As the debate heated, the impresario denied having said she was a better Christian than the presi- dent of the Layman’s Association. Among others condemning the opera was the Rev. Harold Pattison, pastor of the First Baptist Church, who declared the very idea of presenting it was “disgusting.” When a reporter asked Pattison what he actually Mrs. Snyder’s reputation was at its peak in 1912. Among the operatic stars she, center right, knew of the opera, the minister responded brought to St. Paul was Geraldine Farrar, lower left, with whom she shared a genuine friend- that one did not need to commit murder ship. The St. Paul Pioneer Press provided ample coverage of the season that year. Photo to act as an intelligent juror in a criminal courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. case. Ultimately, Mrs. Snyder relented and a substitution was made, with Garden performing Thais instead. seats in the Auditorium were too small. Louis W. Hill, A.H. Stem, Lucius Pond The impresario worked out of a small With a reporter in tow, she pointed to Ordway, and Cordenio Severance. Max ticket office in the W. J. Dyer & Brothers one, stating, “Put a fleshy woman in that Hirsch of the Chicago Company told music store on Fifth Street, up the hill and she almost walks away with the seat a reporter afterwards that Mrs. Snyder from the Frederic. During the frantic when she tries to get out of it.” “. . . is one of the most wonderful women days that preceded the opera season, she Despite the furor, the three-day opera I have ever known and sometimes I think talked to a reporter there while holding season in mid-January 1911 again was you people of St. Paul don’t appreciate “a crescent-moon lettuce sandwich in deemed a huge success. In addition to her and what she has done for your city one hand and a bottle of cold coffee in the Thais, performances included Tales and state. Her business ability and tact other.” Once again she complained of the of Hoffman, , The Girl of the are marvelous and she has, in addition, high rent at the Auditorium, threatening Golden West, and Louise. At the close, what most of us lack—a most winning to take the production to Minneapolis, Mrs. Snyder was called to the stage for an personality.”17 but the building management would not ovation and presented with a huge bou- The Snyders took a winter vacation budge. And Mrs. Snyder agreed with quet of roses with a note of appreciation in Palm Beach, Florida, and opened The the oft-voiced criticism that many of the signed by such prominent civic leaders as Crossroads for the summer season in

22 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY May. By July, Mrs. Snyder was able to an- nounce that the Chicago Company would return to St. Paul in January 1912. Prior to that, her fall booking season would in- clude a song recital by the New York Met’s Geraldine Farrar and violinist Kubelik. To prepare for the January season, there was a series of lecture/recitals at the Schubert Club to educate people about the operas they were about to see. Assisting was one of Mrs. Snyder’s more promising stu- dents, Alma Peterson of St. Paul. The Chicago Company would be per- forming several operas in English, it was Mrs. Snyder customarily held an annual recital for her students at The Crossroads. In this photo from the gathering in 1912, she is fifth from the right. Her friend, Gertrude Sans Souci, disclosed, including Victor Herbert’s is fourth from the right, and student Alma Peterson, who went on the sign a contract with the Natoma with its Native American theme, Chicago Grand Opera Company two years later, is second from the right. St. Paul Pioneer featuring Mary Garden in the lead. The Press photo. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul Daily News commented that this trend was due to “musical ‘progressives’ United States could do. It is worth com- with its mad scene, ‘Traviata,’ with its who are promoting American opera and ing to St. Paul to meet her again.”19 coughs, and ‘Pagliacci,’ with its gasps. American composers.” As the opera season came to a close, Ugh! The fools.”21 (She either did not Mrs. Snyder was incensed once again Mrs. Snyder was said to be “on the war- know or did not care that Pagliacci was when both the Auditorium management path” over treatment by the Auditorium a favorite in St. Paul.) More temperate and the city building inspector refused to board and management and declared that in his words, Charles W. Gordon, a pros- allow the sale of standing room tickets. she would have no further dealings with perous milliner, who had led the drive to When she learned that a nearby theater them. “I’ve not only been harassed and raise the guarantee fund, was highly sup- was doing so, she tried without success hindered in the task of preparing for the portive of the impresario. He declared, “I to get the manager arrested. “But don’t opera here, but I’ve been insulted over don’t believe anybody would do it as well think for a minute that I am giving up this and over again,” she said. In turn, Albert as Mrs. Snyder.” fight,” she told a reporter. “I’m going after H. Lindeke, board president, apparently Leaving the controversy behind, the them when I get more time and I’m going having had enough of this outspoken fe- Snyders departed for a European vaca- to make it hot for somebody.’” She also male, retorted that it was not Mrs. Snyder tion, stopping in Zurich, where her son, was angry that the Auditorium manage- who brought opera to the city, but the Harry Fuller, was graduating with a sci- ment allowed cuspidors in the foyer and businessmen who put up the guarantee. entific degree from the University of vowed that if they were there when she He also dismissed her claim that the Switzerland. The couple also spent sev- arrived opening night, she would “throw Auditorium rent was too high, “… the eral weeks in , visiting with friends them out the door.” It is not known if she rent is very reasonable,” he said, “consid- and performers, including Emma Eames. kept her promise. ering that the grand opera company takes They sailed for home from Southampton, The impresario continued her practice $40,000 out of St. Paul.”20 England, in April 1912, a week after the of meeting the opera company’s trains. The guarantee was essential, com- departure of the Titanic. It was reported that conductor Cleofonte mented Andreas Dippel, and although he The 1912–1913 season was again a Campanini greeted her with particular and the Chicago Grand Opera Company busy one for Mrs. Snyder and the St. Paul warmth, “The moment the maestro saw would “regret exceedingly” if Mrs. Daily News raved that she had “reached Mrs. Snyder he threw out his arms and Snyder were no longer involved, he would right out and picked the choicest fruit there was a resounding smack, not a stage be willing to work with anyone who met in the world’s musical vineyard, and as kiss, but the real article. This was fol- his terms. Mary Garden, however, was a result St. Paul will hear … the rarest lowed by some very choice Italian while far less circumspect about the prospect music, interpreted by the most gifted mu- the crowd at the depot door cheered.”18 of opera in St. Paul without Mrs. Snyder. sicians.” Holding to her words of the pre- Olive Fremstad offered an assessment “Do they think for a minute that a half vious January, Mrs. Snyder had nothing of Mrs. Snyder: “She’s a wonder-woman dozen business men will give the time to further to do with the Auditorium, using to have accomplished as much as she did it that this wonderful woman does?” she the People’s Church and the Shubert (not in bringing the opera west. Women are demanded. “Do they think they can stir to be confused with Schubert) Theater hampered, you know, handicapped by up the enthusiasm, decide on a repertoire at Wabasha and Exchange Streets for traditions and prejudices against their and make the affair the artistic success performances. Attractions included sex, but Mrs. Snyder rises above these; that this season has been? I can see them Geraldine Farrar, Olive Fremstad, billed she has done what no other woman in the now, picking out ‘Lucia di Lammermoor,’ as the “Queen of the Wagner Operas,”

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 23 John Phillip Sousa and band, Jan Kubelik, and Gottfried Galston, “the greatest pia- nist since Paderewski.” She also booked a series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas at the Shubert, but no grand opera was slated for St. Paul in 1913. Instead, undoubtedly as a sort of “in your face” gesture to the Auditorium management, Mrs. Snyder brought the Chicago Grand Opera Company to Minneapolis in April of that year. A St. Paul contingent attended, including Louis Hill. Some of its members chose to stay at the Radisson Hotel in Minneapolis rather than endure the “tiresome” trip back and forth. Mrs. Snyder also arranged for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company to run special streetcars from St. Paul to Minneapolis for each performance. But that was the end of it. There was no for- mal announcement and perhaps her plans were not final, but Mrs. Snyder’s days as an impresario were over. She and her husband left for a six- month European tour in fall 1913, spending several weeks in France and Switzerland, then proceeding to Milan to visit Florence Macbeth, formerly of Mankato, who was preparing for her January debut with the Chicago Grand Opera Company. The couple went on to China, where Harry Fuller was teach- ing chemistry at a major university and stayed the winter with him and his wife. They returned to St. Paul in late spring 1914 via Manila, Honolulu, and . The fact that Mrs. Snyder delayed her return until after the Chicago Grand Opera Company’s April performances in St. Paul provides a strong indication that she was still holding a grudge. In In 1911, Mary Garden was a flamboyant Scottish soprano. Seen here in a publicity still, she doing so, she missed the homecoming played the lead in Natoma, an American opera said to evoke Native American themes. Photo of her protégé, the twenty-three-year-old courtesy of the . Macbeth, who was regarded as an emerg- ing opera star. Macbeth and her parents stayed at the Frederic and an estimated at the conclusion of its run. The St. Paul ing a regular winter concert series at the 500 supporters from southern Minnesota Pioneer Press reflected afterward that Auditorium. Mrs. Snyder faithfully sup- were said to be in the Auditorium as the two men who co-managed the opera ported these events, as she did other mu- she opened the season. Under ordinary season had done good work, even though sical attractions booked by the promoters circumstances it would have been a tri- they lacked the inside knowledge that who gradually took her place in the years umphant occasion for pupil and teacher Mrs. Snyder had acquired during her leading up to World War I. alike. Adding to the poignancy of Mrs. years on the job. She remained socially active, often Snyder’s absence was the fact that an- The St. Paul Symphony succumbed hosting events for entertainers in town, other of her students, Alma Peterson, to financial difficulties in 1911, and the both at the Frederic Hotel and The signed a contract with the opera company Minneapolis Symphony began play- Crossroads. In March 1915, for instance,

24 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY the St. Paul Daily News reported and brought her fiancé, “such a that she had staged “one of the good-looking English officer. . . ,” most delightful events of the Mrs. Snyder wrote back home. Lenten season” when she gave In September, Fred Snyder, the a tea for Florence Macbeth in only manager that the Frederic her studio at the Frederic. Vases had known in its fifteen years and bowls filled with yellow tu- of existence, announced that he lips and jonquils decorated the was retiring from the hotel busi- room and a huge bouquet of yel- ness. The papers reported that the low blossoms served as the cen- Snyders would retain their sum- terpiece on the tea table. Guests mer home and spend winters in motored over from Minneapolis New York. Mrs. Snyder leased a and out-of-towners attended, as studio in Manhattan near Central well. Park and some of her students A few years later, Caruso re- from the Twin Cities followed. turned to St. Paul after an absence Her husband, however, moved to of almost a decade. Demand for California. Mrs. Snyder kept the tickets was so heavy that the pro- Manhattan studio for the better moter expanded the configuration part of four years, returning to of the Auditorium from 3,000 St. Paul and The Crossroads each seats to 8,000. Caruso, accompa- summer, hosting entertainments nied by his new wife, a New York that were invariably covered in socialite, made it clear that he the society pages, but she disap- had little time available for social peared from “the prints” in the gatherings during his stay. The spring and early summer of 1922, Carusos had tea, however, with perhaps while bracing herself for As a child, Florence Macbeth received her first voice lessons Mrs. Snyder at the Frederic. from Mrs. Snyder in Mankato. Macbeth went on to a success- what was to come. Grand opera continued, al- ful international career and the two remained life-long friends. In late July, the news broke though seemingly with less im- Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. that she had accused her husband pact on the city’s consciousness of infidelity, as well as mental than a decade earlier. As one such and physical cruelty. She was appearance approached, a St. Paul Daily and China, where she again visited her said to be seeking a “limited divorce” or News writer sounded almost jaded com- son. By the time they returned, the United legal separation in one account, a divorce pared to his predecessors: States had entered World War I. She in another. Fred Snyder was alleged to hosted a “distinctly patriotic program” have been cavorting, in the form of “wild Speaking of grand opera singers, they, their at The Crossroads that fall, inviting 200 parties” and “escapades,” in California, dogs, their tired maids and their anx- guests. All of the musical numbers were as well as at The Crossroads. In the latter ious secretaries, not to mention their high- works by composers from nations allied case, he was said to have “held high car- priced voices, will soon be in St. Paul. with the United States; no Wagner was nival” with an unnamed married woman, Geraldine Farrar, small, determined, mar- heard. serving her “intoxicating liquors” during velously gowned, is really all that is nec- It may not have been apparent at the his wife’s absences.23 essary to give an air of smartness to any time, but in 1919 Mrs. Snyder was be- The matter never went to trial, the occasion. . . . ginning yet another transition, to her couple apparently agreeing on a settle- has always been too much “New York years.” She spent three weeks ment that left Mrs. Snyder well fixed fi- engrossed with babies to expend much en- coaching members of the Chicago Grand nancially and owner of The Crossroads. ergy on dogs and tantrums, so she lacks Opera Company in their home city, and In 1924, she announced that she was some of the commoner characteristics of her then continued with them on to New closing her New York studio and sell- profession. Alma Peterson, St. Paul’s contri- York where the organization staged a ing The Crossroads. Based on the lim- bution to the ensemble, hasn’t yet developed season at the Lexington Opera House. ited records that are available, it appears them—perhaps her good sense will permit She informed the St. Paul papers that that she instead sold some of the adjoin- her to escape them entirely. she was staying in New York at The ing property, retaining ownership of the But, erratic as they are, it’s a dull sea- Commodore, “newest of New York’s big house itself. son that doesn’t bring at least one visit from hotels,” and had hosted a tea there for She told a reporter that Italy was “the these much-spoiled songbirds.22 100 people, most of them singers from coming country,” now that Mussolini was In early 1917, Mrs. Snyder and a either the Chicago Company or the New in charge and she would settle in her be- friend left for a four-month trip to Japan York Met. Florence Macbeth attended loved Florence. With her usual sense of

RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 25 the dramatic, Mrs. Snyder purchased the as that of several of his students, and who worked in her office became a music ancient Villa Galileo there, where she ran promised to attend one of their upcoming manager herself. a voice studio for the better part of the performances.26 The characteristic that stands out next four years.24 The house, also known On October 20, 1929, just short of her above all others, however, was her deep as “Villa il Gioiello” (The Jewel), had seventieth birthday, Mrs. Snyder died desire to develop an appreciation in oth- been the astronomer’s retreat following in Hollywood. She was buried in the ers for the music she so loved. A com- his trial for heresy in 1633. He died there sprawling Hollywood Memorial Park ment she made when booking a sec- in 1642.25 (today the Hollywood Forever Cemetery) ond-tier opera company is instructive: “Although the company carries many She returned to the United States in on Santa Monica Boulevard adjacent to noted stars,” she declared, “it will appear 1928—now in her late sixties—and visited Paramount Studios. Her will, handwrit- friends in St. Paul, as well as her son, Harry, in St. Paul at popular prices. . . . This will ten on Villa Galileo letterhead, left her give everybody a chance to hear the clas- who had returned from China to accept a 27 entire $22,000 estate to her son. The sic operas, and that has been my ambition faculty position at Valparaiso University in St. Paul newspapers carried obituaries, Indiana. By early 1929, Mrs. Snyder had all the time, to give all the people, not a as did those in Albert Lea and Mankato. settled in Hollywood, California, where few people, an opportunity to hear grand “Mankato friends will remember her as 28 she once again opened a voice studio. She opera.” an inspirational friend and teacher,” said experienced a health reversal of some sort Bravo, Nettie Snyder, bravo. the Mankato Free Press. about this time and a family friend later re- In a former life, Roger Bergerson was a called that she never fully recovered from Both parts of that comment are worth emphasizing. For Mrs. Snyder, friend- reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press the surgery it required. and is still writing but for other pub- ships were for life and she put a tremen- Nettie Snyder never lost the urge to lications. His most recent article in promote the cause of good music, how- dous amount of energy into maintaining Ramsey County History appeared in the ever. In the summer of 1929, Mrs. Snyder them. As a teacher, she helped scores Summer 2010 issue. A long-time resi- was guest of honor at a luncheon and re- of girls and young women develop as dent of St. Paul, he gives special thanks cital held in the south Los Angeles home singers. At least two of them, Florence to Donna Lange, researcher extraor- of a socialite in the African-American Macbeth and Alma Peterson, had suc- dinaire with the Sauk County (Wis.) community. There she was highly com- cessful professional careers. As a busi- Historical Society, and Robert Tallant plimentary of the musicianship of nesswoman in an era when there were Laudon, professor emeritus of Musicol- Professor William T. Wilkins, proprietor not many, she also was a role model and ogy, University of Minnesota, for their of the Wilkins Piano Academy, as well mentor. At least one of the young women help with this article.

Endnotes 1. “Music and Musicians,” St. Paul Dispatch, April 27, Musical Pioneer,” Minnesota History, 48, no. 8 20. “Opera Without Mrs. Snyder Sure,” St. Paul 1907, p. 1. For a history of opera in St. Paul at a later (Winter 1983): 332–38. Daily News, January 31, 1912, p. 1. time, see Steve Trimble, “Curtain Up in 1933: The 10. “Music and Musicians,” St. Paul Dispatch, Dec. 21. “Mary Garden Puts on Real Dagger Act When Legacy of the St. Paul Opera Association,” Ramsey 29, 1906, fourth section, p. 2. Excited,” St. Paul Dispatch, February 1, 1912, p. 2. County History, 39, no. 4 (Winter 2005): 4–18. 11. Larry Millett, Lost Twin Cities (St. Paul: 22. “The Keyboard,” St. Paul Daily News, 2. “Manager Scott’s Benefit,” St. Paul Daily Globe, Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1992), 284–85. September 17, 1916, p. 8. February 11, 1887, p. 2. 12. “Grand Opera Arrives in St. Paul,” St. Paul Daily 23. “Mrs. Fred Snyder, Music Leader, Sues For News, April 23, 1907, p. 2 3. Robert Tallant Laudon, “Gertrude Sans Divorce: Accuses Prominent Woman,” St. Paul Souci (1873–1913) and her Milieu: Building a 13. St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 28, 1909, Books, Dispatch, July 27, 1922, p. 1. Musical Career,” University of Minnesota Digital Drama, Music section, p. 1. 24. “Mrs. Snyder Here Selling Out Home, The Conservancy, 2003. http://purl.umn.edu/44896, p. 23. 14. “News of the World of Music,” St. Paul Pioneer Crossroads,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 13, 1924, Press, April 10, 1910, fifth section, p. 3. 4. “Music and Musicians,” St. Paul Daily Globe, p. 1. January 11, 1891, p. 4. 15. “Woman Manages Engagement,” St. Paul Daily News, April 10, 1910, p. 10. 25. Harold Donaldson Eberlein, Villas of Florence and 5. Laudon, p. 34. Tuscany (Philadelphia and London, J. B. Lippincott 16. “Expert Tells What to Wear at Opera,” St. Paul 6. “Change at the Saulpaugh,” Mankato Daily Review, Co.; New York, The Architectural Record Co., 1922), Daily News, April 10, 1910, p. 10. September 29, 1898, p. 3. 99–112. 17. “Permanent Opera Season for City,” St. Paul 7. Sharla Scannell Whalen, The Betsy-Tacy Pioneer Press, January 16, 1911, p. 5. 26. “Prof. Wm. T. Wilkins Honored by Noted Companion: A Biography of Maud Hart Lovelace Musician,” California Eagle, June 21, 1929. 18. “Mrs. Snyder Kissed by Maestro Campanini,” St. (Whitehall, Pa.: Portalington Press, 1995). Paul Daily News, January 29, 1912, p. 8. 27. Ramsey County Probate Records. 8. Laudon, pp. 10–11. 19. “Premier [sic] of Opera Season is Ready,” St. 28. “English Grand Opera Season Now Assured,” St. 9. Janis White Dees, “Anna Schoen-René: Minnesota Paul Daily News, January 29, 1912, p. 8. Paul Daily News, November 26, 1911, p. 1.

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Between 1954 and 1962, the William Crooks, the first steam locomotive to operate in Minnesota, was on display at the St. Paul Union Depot. This postcard from that time period shows the well-preserved engine close up. For more on the William Crooks, see page 27. Postcard from the collection of Brian McMahon.