RAMSEY COUNTY Growing Up in St. Paul The Andahazy School of Classical Ballet A Publication o f the Ramsey County Historical Society Page 16 Winter, 2006 Volume 40, Number 4 “The Greatest Single Industry” Crex: Created Out of Nothing This 1901 American Grass Twine publicity photo shows a room furnished and decorated almost entirely with wire grass products. The company processed all of the raw material and manufactured the floor coverings in St. Paul. It made the wicker items in New York. The wall matting and picture frames were probably made specially for this photograph. American Grass Twine later became Crex Carpet pig Company. Photo from Creating New Industries in the Minnesota Historical Society collections. B® Virginia Brainard Kunz RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY 1921-2006 Executive Director Priscilla Farnham Founding Editor (1964-2006) Virginia Brainard Kunz Virginia Brainard Kunz, editor ! Editor of Ramsey County History for John M. Lindley Volume 40, Number 4 Winter 2006 more than forty years, died 72B RAMSEY COUNTY on January 7, 2006, in HISTORICAL SOCIETY THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Minneapolis. Members and BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN JULY 2003: supporters of the Ramsey \ V Howard Guthmann County Historical Society will \ Chair The Ramsey County Historical Society shall discover, collect, W. Andrew Boss preserve and interpret the history of the county for the general public, miss Virginia’s deft editorial hand, her nearly encyclopedic President recreate the historical context in which we live and work, and make Judith Frost Lewis knowledge of St. Paul history, available the historical resources of the county. The Society’s maJor First Vice President and her talent as a writer. responsibility is its stewardship over this history. Paul A. Verret Born in 1921 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Virginia Second Vice President Joan Higinbotham graduated from Iowa State University in 1943 with Secretary CONTENTS a degree in Journalism. Shortly thereafter the 3. Scott Hutton Minneapolis Tribune hired Virginia. Her work with Treasurer 3 Letters the newspaper involved cropping and sizing photos Duke Addicks, Charles L. Bathke, for news stories, writing short articles, and crafting W. Andrew Boss, Thomas H. Boyd, 4 “The Greatest Single Industry?” headlines. These skills would serve her well when in Norlin Boyum, Carolyn Brusseau, Norbert Conzemius, Anne Cowie, Charlton Dietz, Crex: Created Out of Nothing 1962 she became the Ramsey County Historical Joanne A. Englund, Robert F. Garland, Paul D. Nelson Society’s executive secretary. Two years later, Virginia Howard Guthmann, Joan Higinbotham, founded Ramsey County History. At the time the John Holman, J. Scott Hutton, Judith Frost 16 Growing Up in St. Paul Society’s magazine came out twice a year. It expanded Lewis, George A. Mairs, Laurie Murphy, My Years at the Andahazy School of Classical Ballet Richard H. Nicholson, Marla Ordway, to quarterly publication in 1989. In 1973 the Society Marvin J. Pertzik, Jay Pfaender, James A. Sandra Snell Weinberg made Virginia its executive director, a position she Russell, David Thune, Paul A. Verret, Glenn Wiessner, Richard Wilhoit, Laurie Zenner. 22 Rabies Scare in St. Paul held until her retirement sixteen years later. Richard T. Murphy Sr. “Mad Dog on the Loose”: Panic Prevails During her tenure as executive director, Virginia Director Emeritus as Fear Rips the City in 1901 oversaw the Society’s move from offices at the Gibbs EDITORIAL BOARD Susan Dowd Farm Museum (now the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer Anne Cowie, chair, James B. Bell, John Diers, and Dakotah Life) in Falcon Heights to larger Thomas H. Boyd, Tom Kelley, Laurie Murphy, 25 Book Reviews quarters in the Landmark Center in downtown Richard H. Nicholson, Paul D. Nelson, Jay St. Paul. In the 1970s she was one of a number of Pfaender, David Riehle, G. Richard Slade, Steve Trimble, Mary Lethert Wingerd. civic-minded leaders who were involved in persuading Publication of Ramsey County History is supported in part by a gift from St. Paul and Ramsey County officials to restore the HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD Clara M. Claussen and Frieda H. Claussen in memory of Henry H. Cowie Jr. old Federal Courts Building and convert it to the Olivia I. Dodge, William Fallon, William and by a contribution from the late Reuel D. Harmon Finney, Robert S. Hess, George Latimer, Landmark Center. A skilled manager, Virginia also Joseph S. Micallef, Robert Mirick, Marvin oversaw the growth of the Society from operating two J. Pertzik, James Reagan, Rosalie E. Wahl, afternoons a week on an annual budget of $10,000 Donald D. Wozniak. A Message from the Editorial Board to more than 1,200 members and a budget that RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS n this era when we seek to use natural products in new ways, we will enjoy reading Paul exceeded $500,000 at the time of her retirement. Commissioner Tony Bennett, chair Nelson’s lead article depicting a once-flourishing Ramsey County industry that manufactured Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt I In addition to all the responsibilities she had as twine, furniture, and carpet from a forgotten resource: wire grass! A modem-day visit to Crex Commissioner Toni Carter executive director of the Society, Virginia found time Commissioner Rafael Ortega Meadows in Wisconsin will evoke memories of workers harvesting this dense material, which Commissioner Janice Rettman was twisted and bent into wicker furniture that once graced the porches of St. Paul neighbor­ (continued on the reverse) Commissioner Jan Parker hoods. A detailed portrait of the founders of the Andahazy dance studio, an account of an early Commissioner Jim McDonough rabies outbreak, and two book reviews round out this diverse issue. David Twa, manager, Ramsey County We welcome as our new editor John Lindley, who takes the position following his tenure as editorial board chair. John brings to his new Job years of professional publishing experience and Ramsey County History is published quarterly a practiced; conscientious approach to the complex task of producing this magazine on a quar­ by the Ramsey County Historical Society, terly basis. Under his committed leadership we will maintain the high standards of content and 323 Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth Street, St. Paul, Minn. 55102(651-222-0701). Printed in production that have garnered Ramsey County History two national awards. As we greet John, U.S.A. Copyright, 2006, Ramsey County His­ we dearly miss our founding editor, Virginia Brainard Kunz, whom we profile in this issue. Her torical Society. ISSN Number 0485-9758. All keen intelligence, lively curiosity, and abiding compassion have long guided our interest in local rights reserved. No part of this publication history, and she will always live on in our hearts. may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the pub­ lisher. The Society assumes no responsibility Anne Cowie, Chair, Editorial Board for statements made by contributors. Fax 651- 223-8539; e-mail address [email protected].; web site address www.rchs.com 2 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY North Western Grass Twine Co.’s booth at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898, in Omaha. North Western was the prior name of American Grass Twine. Omaha Public Library photo. “The Greatest Single Industry?” Crex: Created Out of Nothing Paul D. Nelson “If you were asked to make a guess as plied goods for the entire Northern Plains ings, and ambitious plans. And though to the largest single industry in St. Paul, from their warehouses near the river; the grand plans would soon be given up, would you reply, ‘The American Grass government, banking, and insurance had the company prospered (mostly), and Twine Company?’” been foundations of the local economy dominated its industry for the next thirty This rhetorical challenge rang out from for half a century. Had American Grass years. Greatness is subJective. the pages of Book of Minnesota, published Twine, an infant enterprise not five years The American Grass Twine Co. grew by St. Paul’s Pioneer Press in 1903.Then old, somehow surpassed them all? up from a business concept of beauti­ came the answer: In a word—no. At that moment Ameri­ ful simplicity and power: Take a cheap, can Grass Twine ranked fifth as an em­ plentiful, and local material, add value by Probably not. But you would thereby dis­ ployer of St. Paul workers, far behind turning it into consumer goods, then ship play your ignorance, for this concern is, in railroads and meatpacking, and it would those goods to ready markets around the truth, the greatest single industry in St. Paul soon fall much lower. country. today.... No other single manufacturing in­ But the claim, “greatest single indus­ The raw material, wire grass (botani­ dustry in Minnesota can approach it in the try,” amounted only to puffery—not true cal name carex stricta), grows wild and volume of its manufactures, the scope of its yet not entirely false either. For in 1903 tall in the peat bogs of the Upper Mid­ enterprise or the size of its payroll.1 American Grass Twine was in fact St. west. From the beginning of time it had Could it be true? In 1903 both the Paul’s biggest manufacturing employer, no practical use. Animals do not eat it; Great Northern and Northern Pacific rail­ with nearly nine hundred full-time work­ Native Americans made nothing from it. roads had their headquarters in St. Paul; ers, hundreds more seasonal employees, Apart from occasional placement in land­ three big shoe companies operated fac­ four factories in three states— its two big­ scaping, it has no use or value today. tories downtown; wholesale outfits sup- gest in St. Paul—huge real estate hold­ But for one historical moment, roughly 4 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY Company from two companies they al­ ready controlled, Wisconsin Grass Twine and North Western Grass Twine.