RAMSEY COUNTY The Bungalow Craze And How It Swept A Publication of the Ramsey County Historical Society The Twin Cities— Page 15 Winter, 1996 Volume 30, Number 4 St. Paul Curling Club’s Colorful History The St. Paul Curling Club in 1892, a sketch by T. de Thulstrup for Harper’s Weekly. See page 4 for the history of curling in S t Paul. RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY Executive Director Priscilla Famham Editor Virginia Brainard Kunz WARREN SCHABER 1 9 3 3 - 1 9 9 5 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Ramsey County Historical Society lost a BOARD OF DIRECTORS good friend when Ramsey County Commis­ Joanne A. Englund sioner Warren Schaber died last October Chairman of the Board at the age of sixty-two. John M. Lindley CONTENTS The Society came President to know him well Laurie Zehner 3 Letters during the twenty First Vice President years he served on Judge Margaret M. Mairinan the Board of Ramsey Second Vice President 4 Bonspiels, Skips, Rinks, Brooms, and Heavy Ice County Commission­ Richard A. Wilhoit St. Paul Curling Club and Its Century-old History Secretary ers. We were warmed by his steady support James Russell Jane McClure Treasurer of the Society and its work. Arthur Baumeister, Jr., Alexandra Bjorklund, 15 The Bungalows of the Twin Cities, With a Look Mary Bigelow McMillan, Andrew Boss, A thoughtful Warren We remember the Thomas Boyd, Mark Eisenschenk, Howard At the Craze that Created Them in St. Paul Schaber at his first County big things: the long Guthmann, John Harens, Marshall Hatfield, Board meeting, January 6, series of badly- Liz Johnson, George Mairs, III, Mary Bigelow Brian McMahon 1975. Photo courtesy of Jan Geisen, Ramsey County needed restoration McMillan, Laurie Murphy, Richard T. Murphy, Records manager. Sr., Thomond O’Brien, Robert Olsen, Sally projects at the Gibbs Robins, Vicenta Scarlett, Evangeline Schroeder, 19 Growing Up in St. Paul Farm Museum, which Charles Williams, Jr., Anne Cowie Wilson. Down St. Albans Hill in a Wooden Coaster Wagon he steadfastly supported, both as chair of the County Board’s Finance Committee and as EDITORIAL BOARD Arthur Me Watt John M. Lindley, chairman; Thomas H. chair of the board itself. We also remember Boyd, Thomas C. Buckley, Laurie M. the little things, such as the time squirrels, Murphy, Dr. Thomas B. Mega. 23 Books, Etc. trapped in the school house, chewed through the window sills and emergency funds were HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD Seth Eastman, A Portfolio of North American Indians desperately needed for repairs. That brought a Elmer L. Andersen, Olivia I. Dodge, Charlton Dietz, William Finney, Clarence Dahkotah, or Life and Legends of the Sioux Around chuckle from Commissioner Schaber as he Frame, Otis Godfrey, Jr., Ronald Hachey, Fort Snelling supported our request. Reuel D. Harmon, Robert S. Hess, Ronald While he was skilled at directing the M. Hubbs, Fred T. Lanners, Jr., Don Larson, Reviewed by Colles Baxter County’s budgetary process, he also was a George Latimer, Lewis Lehr, David Mars- den, Robert B. Mirick, Samuel H. Morgan, warm, generous man who understood the role Marvin J. Pertzik, J. Jerome Plunkett, Peter history should play in the community he S. Popovich, James Reagan, Rosalie E. A Message from the Editorial Board served so well. One of his great loves was the Wahl, Donald D. Wozniak. City Hall/County Courthouse, and he was amily roots are an important part of the texture of history in St. Paul and Ramsey RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISIONERS the driving force behind the $48 million FCounty. Recently the Board of Directors of the Ramsey County Historical Society restoration of that art deco jewel where he Commissioner Hal Norgard, chairman learned that the late Mary Daggett Sheehan (Mrs. Cyril Sheehan) made a bequest to the Commissioner Susan Haigh spent his political life. For our part, we Society in her will in memory of her grandparents, Daniel W. and Mary Collins Kelly. Commissioner John Finley documented the restoration, as well as the Commissioner Rafael Ortega Bom in Ireland in 1839, Daniel Kelly came to the United States about 1844. Initially he Commissioner Richard O’Connor history of the Courthouse itself, in the Fall, Commissioner Brenda Thomas and his brothers lived in New Jersey, but four Kelly brothers, including Daniel, mi­ Commissioner Richard Wedell grated to St. Paul in 1856. There Kelly completed high school and then worked as a 1993, issue of Ramsey County History. He also was instrumental in negotiating Terry Schütten, manager, Ramsey County contractor hauling supplies to the West. Later he was successful in the hotel, real estate, and insurance business. Daniel Kelly died in 1922. with West Publishing to have the current Ramsey County History is published quarterly Government Center West building donated to by the Ramsey County Historical Society, 323 The Ramsey County Historical Society greatly appreciates the generosity of Mrs. Mary Ramsey County. The center houses Ramsey Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth Street, St. Paul, D. Sheehan. The lead article in this issue of our magazine tells the story of the St. Paul County’s records, whose preservation is of Minn. 55102 (612-222-0706). Printed in Curling Club. Given the population of St. Paul in the 1880s, many of the early members U.S.A. Copyright, 1996, Ramsey County His­ of the Curling Club probably knew Daniel Kelly as a business associate. Together the immense importance to historians. torical Society. ISSN Number 0485-9758. All Warren Schaber was, in the words of John rights reserved. No part of this publication memory of Daniel Kelly and our article recall a prosperous era in St. Paul's history that may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced could enthusiastically support the formation of a sporting institution such as the Curling Finley, his fellow commissioner, “. the best without written permission from the pub­ Club just over a century ago. of what you see in Ramsey County and St. lisher. The Society assumes no responsibility John M. Lindley, chairman, Editorial Board Paul.” He epitomized what people think of for statements made by contributors. Minnesotans, and he will be missed. V. B. K. 2 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY Books, Etc. Seth Eastman, A Portfolio of erous trustees of this material. They MacMillan, in his forward, states his goal of presenting Eastman’s drawings North American Indians have not only seen to this tandem publi­ cation that enhances our appreciation to a wide audience. His generosity is Forward by Duncan MacMillan and understanding of the Seth Eastman spurred by the conviction of their mon­ Preface by Sheila ffolliot and Shepard watercolors and what they represent umental worth both as works of Ameri­ Krech III historically and culturally, but MacMil­ can art and as documentary evidence of Essays by Sarah E. Boehme, Christian lan, following his wife’s death, has lent primarily Dakota and Ojibwa life in F. Feest, Patricia Condon Johnston the majority of these sketches to the Minnesota during the 1840s. Eastman’s Afton Historical Society Press, 1995 Minneapolis Institute of Arts where a unromanticized, objective observation 195 pages, 100 illustrations (85 color) selection is currently on view and of what he saw is noted as exceptional $75 (cloth) where the rest can be seen by appoint­ for his time. In their preface, Sheila ffolliot and Dahkotah, or Life and ment in the Department of Prints and Drawings. It is well worth the trip. This Shepard Krech III, the great grand­ Legends of the Sioux reviewer encourages anyone interested daughter of James J. Hill and the great Around Fort Snelling in the history and culture of the Plains grandson of one of Hill’s friends and Mary Henderson Eastman Indians in general and the Lakota in business associates, recount the Octo­ Preface by Rena Neumann Cohen particular, or anyone interested in the ber, 1994, sale of the Seth Eastman wa­ Afton Historical Society Press, 1995 medium of watercolor and the mar­ tercolors and related books from the 229 pages; $45 (cloth) velous examples of an accomplished Hill Reference Library. These holdings hand working in that medium, to go see on the history of North America, Min­ Reviewed by Colles Baxter these wondrous works. Further, for the nesota, and the American Indian repre­ geographer or historian interested in the sent “virtually all the rare materials he publication of Seth Eastman, A lay of the land in these parts during the from [the library’s] original collec­ TPortfolio o f North American Indi­ 1840s, these watercolors, washes, and tions,” the authors note. Assured that ans, in tandem with Dahkotah, or Life drawings represent the only means of the “more significant” volumes are du­ and Legends of the Sioux Around Fort seeing what this territory once was. plicated in neighboring institutions, one Snelling is the manifestation of good Seth Eastman, A Portfolio of North still feels sadness that this repository of will benefactors who last fall rescued an American Indians reproduces fifty-six Hill’s original collection, the very historical collection from being sold of the sixty-two Seth Eastman watercol­ books and documents he envisioned down the proverbial river.* When the ors and drawings that James J. Hill col­ making available to those interested in James J. Hill Reference Library in St. lected. The majority of these were exe­ our local, national, and native history, Paul determined the need to sell its col­ cuted between 1841 and 1848 when may soon be totally dispersed. lection of Seth Eastman watercolors, Captain Eastman was stationed at Fort Because this wonderful collection of the largest assemblage of this artist’s Snelling and later served as models for Eastman’s watercolors was assembled drawings anywhere, and more than 600 his illustrations of Henry Rowe School­ by James Jerome Hill, it is James books, Duncan MacMillan and his wife, craft’s six volume work, Historical and Jerome Hill as railroad magnate, the Sarah, stepped forward to ensure that Statistical Information Respecting the sometime business partner and corre­ some of these treasures would remain in History, Condition and Prospects of the spondent of J.