Irvine Park in 1854: Its Homes and the People Who Once Lived There See article on page 20 Spring, 2004 Volume 39, Number 1 ‘High and Dry on a Sandstone Cliff’ St. Paul and the Year of the Chicago and Rock Island’s Great Railroad }Excursion —Page 4 This postcard dated 1909 shows St. Paul’s Lower Landing where the Great Railroad Excursion came ashore 150 years ago. From historian Robert J. Stumm’s collection and used with his permission. See articles beginning on page 4 and page 20. RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY Executive Director Priscilla Farnham Editor Virginia Brainard Kunz RAMSEY COUNTY Volume 39, Number 1 Spring, 2004 HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS James A. Russell THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Chair ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN JULY 2OO3: Marlene Marschall The Ramsey County Historical Society shall discover, collect, President George A. Mairs preserve and interpret the history of the county for the general public, First Vice President recreate the historical context in which we live and work, and make W. Andrew Boss available the historical resources of the county. The Society’s major Second Vice President Judith Frost Lewis responsibility is its stewardship over this history. Secretary J. Scott Hutton Treasurer CONTENTS Duke Addicks, Charles L. Bathke, W. An­ drew Boss, Norlin Boyum, Joseph Camp­ 3 Letters bell, Norbert Conzemius, Anne Cowie, Charlton Dietz, Charlotte H. Drake, Joanne 4 ‘High and Dry on a Sandstone Cliff’ A. Englund, Robert F. Garland, Howard St. Paul and the Year of the Great Railroad Excursion Guthmann, Joan Higinbotham, Scott Hut­ ton, Judith Frost Lewis, John M. Lindley, Steve Trimble George A. Mairs, Marlene Marschall, Laurie Murphy, Richard Nicholson, Marla Ordway, 20 Irvine Park in 1854: Its Homes and the Marvin J. Pertzik, Penny Harris Reynen, People Who Lived There 150 Years Ago David Thune, Glenn Wiessner, Richard Wil- hoit, Laurie Zenner, Ronald J. Zweber. Robert J. Stumm Richard T. Murphy, Sr. 24 A Quilt and a Diary: The Story of the Little Girl Director Emeritus Who Rode an Orphan Train to a New Home EDITORIAL BOARD A nn Zem ke John M. Lindley, chair, James B. Bell, Thomas 27 Growing Up in St. Paul H. Boyd, Mark Eisenschenk, Tom Kelley, Laurie Murphy, Richard H. Nicholson, Paul D. Nelson, Mechanic Arts—An Imposing ‘Melting Pot’ David Riehle, C. Richard Slade, Steve Trimble, High School that Drew Minorities Together Mary Lethert Wingerd. Bernice Fisher HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD 30 Books Elmer L. Andersen, Olivia I. Dodge, Charlton Dietz, William Finney, William Fallon, Robert S. Hess, D. W. “Don” Larson, Publication of Ramsey County History is supported in part by a gift from George Latimer, Joseph S. Micallef, Robert Clara M. Claussen and Frieda H. Claussen in memory of Henry H. Cowie, Jr. Mirick, Marvin J. Pertzik, James Reagan, and by a contribution from the late Reuel D. Harmon Rosalie E. Wahl, Donald D. Wozniak. RAMSEY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS A M essage from the Editorial Board Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, chairman Commissioner Susan Haigh amsey Country Historical Society is celebrating two major events this spring. The first Commissioner Tony Bennett Ris the sesquicentennial of the Great Railroad Excursion in June of 1854 that heralded the Commissioner Rafael Ortega completion of the railroad to the Mississippi River at Rock Island, Illinois, and the opening up of Commissioner Janice Rettman the trans-Mississippi west to settlement. In the lead article in this issue, historian Steve Trimble Commissioner Jan Wiessner deftly reports what the historical record tells us about St. Paul in 1854. Then Robert Stumm, an David Twa, manager, Ramsey County avid collector of historic postcards, takes us on a tour of present-day homes in Irvine Park that Ramsey County History is published quarterly have their origins in the era of the Grand Excursion and explains what those buildings tell us by the Ramsey County Historical Society, about the people who lived in them. 323 Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth Street, St. This issue of Ramsey County History completes forty years of unbroken publication. Begun Paul, Minn. 55102 (651-222-0701). Printed in in 1964 under the editorship of its founder, Virginia Brainard Kunz, our magazine has won two U.S.A. Copyright, 2004, Ramsey County His­ awards for excellence from the American Association for State and Local History. Ramsey torical Society. ISSN Number 0485-9758. A ll County History has also demonstrated that local history, especially when it concerns the history rights reserved. No part of this publication of Ramsey County and St. Paul, can be a rich source of materials for authors, historians, and read­ may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced ers. Given the pleasure and enlightenment that this magazine has provided to all who have read without written permission from the pub­ it over the years, we thank the many authors who have contributed the fruits of their research and lish e r. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors. Fax 651- writing to RCHS. In addition Virginia Kunz deserves special thanks for her sterling editorship of 223-8539; e-mail address [email protected].; this history magazine for the past forty years. web site address www.rchs.com John Lindley, Chair, Editorial Board 2 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY ‘High and Dry on a Sandstone St. Paul and the Year of the Chicago and Rock Island’s Great Railroad Excursion Steve Trimble s the new year dawned in January, 1854, Minnesota was still a territory in the Northwest. Many had considerable on the northern reaches of the great Mississippi, St. Paul was its capital, financial resources to start businesses, Aand its citizens greeted the passage of the old year with all the fervor of a including dealing in real estate. They community that would be ice-bound until April. As the Minnesotian noted in its brought a vision of how a city should January 7 edition: look, how it should be run, and they passed on their practical knowledge of New Year’s Eve was generally celebrated by the ladies and gentlemen of St. Paul in the usual how older metropolitan areas had dealt way. We have never known “calling” more general or receptions more cordial and well pro­ with their problems. vided for. All appeared to enjoy themselves to their heart’s content. The following accounts, based on the Little did they know that the following moved westward and chose to build their words of journalists, travelers, and ordi­ spring would bring them the “most no­ cities first, rather than till the soil. As his­ nary citizens who lived there, document table event” of that new year. Although torian Richard Wade wrote in The Urban twelve months in the life of St. Paul as it the event commemorating it in this year Frontier, cities rather than open land were was 150 years ago. of 2004 is called the Grand Excursion, it “the spearheads of the frontier,” develop­ ‘How Changed the Scene!’ was known in its own time as the “Great ing “in advance of the line of settlement.” Railroad Excursion” because it cele­ St. Paul’s 1854 population of around Five years ago the present location was a brated the completion of the Chicago and 5,000 was quite large, considering that wilderness, where civilized man seldom or Rock Island Railroad’s first line in the the total number of European-American never trod, where nought but nature in her Northwest to reach the Mississippi. In the residents in the territory was estimated as most rugged state met the eye, and where .the meantime, the about-to-be incorporated just over 30,000. untutored Savage roamed in pursuit of food, or city’s Yankee settlers went about intro­ St. Paul, as the territory’s center of loitered lazily beneath the shade of the forest ducing into their young community some commerce, communication, and culture, trees. How changed the scene! The trees have of the graces they had carried in from held an importance to the region that fallen beneath the axe of the pioneer [and] the back East. One of them was the handing went beyond the size of its population. soil has been made subservient to the wants of out of calling cards as they progressed With its two steamboat landings or le­ civilization. from home to home that New Year’s Day. vees—one at the foot of Jackson Street —J. W. Bond, Minnesota and Its Resources While calling cards might seem out-of- in Lowertown and the other at the foot “Bringing civilization to the wilderness” place on the frontier, they nevertheless of Chestnut Street in the Seven Comers was a frequent theme of discussion in represented a touch of formality that neighborhood of Upper Town—the city early St. Paul. It was written into the was exactly what the influential New also was head of navigation on the Mis­ 1854 newspapers, preached from the Englanders hoped to introduce into their sissippi. All water-borne products and pulpit, spoken at public gatherings, and new home. people had to be loaded or unloaded at echoed in letters and travel journals. Although the Yankees were in the its levees and both time and money were Ironically, the same issue of the Pioneer minority among St. Paul’s citizens in spent in town before new arrivals moved that published J. W. Bond’s statement, 1854, they already possessed much of on. As the territorial capital and the seat also reported a fatal assault on two men the money, power, and influence that of Ramsey County’s government, the whose skulls were fractured in several was alive in the city, and they were de­ community drew visitors and shoppers.