While African Americans comprise just five percent of the total population of Minnesota today, the state boasts many successful, creative, and influential African American residents who have left and
Kevin Kling's first book, The Dog Says How, brought readers into his wonderful world of the skewed and significant mundane. Kling does it again in Kevin Kling's Holiday Inn, a romp through a y
Karhu the bear lives in the piney north woods near the bustling burg of Finn Town. When he sees a billboard advertising "Mukluk Ball: Come One, Come All," he wants to go! Unfortunately, a few obstacle
Throughout the twentieth century, department stores ruled the retail landscapes of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. More than just shopping centers, stores like Dayton's, Powers, Donaldson's
After serving in World War II, John Glanton returned home to Minnesota and began taking his camera around the streets, parks, clubs, restaurants, and private homes of Minneapolis, capturing the sights
In October 1943, sixteen-year-old Marilyn Barnes was told that her recent bout of pneumonia was in fact tuberculosis. She entered Ah-gwah-ching State Sanatorium at Walker, Minnesota, for what she thou
Odd S. Lovoll has spent his career chronicling the stories of Norwegian immigrants to the United States and Canada. He, too, was an immigrant at a young age, and like many international migrants retur
Somali Americans celebrate a shared heritage at mealtime. No matter how they found their way to America, members of this community come together over shaah, bur, and halwa (that is, tea, beignets, an
What goes through your mind when you’re dropped alone in the middle of the Alaska Range, the cold and darkness surrounding you without another human being for miles? Arctic explorer Lonnie Dupre had m
Step into nature, whether in a park, forest, prairie, or lakeland, and you are surrounded by edible wild foods–if you know where to look. Old traditions of foraging have seen a passionate resurg
The story of Albert Alonzo "Doc" Ames is perhaps the greatest political scandal in Minnesota history. As mayor of Minneapolis, Ames exposed the city to national humiliation–and helped
The story of "western expansion" is a familiar one: U.S. government agents, through duplicity and force, persuaded Native Americans to sign treaties that gave away their rights to the land.
The elusive Canada lynx bears kittens in Minnesota's northeastern woods. In the far southeastern part of the state, the succulent Leedy's roseroot clings to cold cliffs. On the northwestern gr
Swinging for the Fences tells the great stories of baseball's past, from establishment of the color line and the early formation of the barnstorming teams to dazzling hits by black heroes that led the
Jazz first churned its way into the Twin Cities on the Mississippi river excursion boats, which brought the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong to listeners on the levee—and it never left.
In June 1920, in Duluth, Minnesota, a mob of over 10,000 convened upon the police station, inflamed by the rumor that black circus workers had raped a white teenage girl—charges that would later be pr
In this haunting novel by celebrated Native American author Diane Glancy, an unnamed man driving a lonely Minnesota highway hears the voice of the land—but he can't make out what it has said. The man
Joseph A. Amato follows his own poor, obscure, and truly "mongrel" family through seven generations, revealing their place in the key events of America's past. Using powerful family traditions to clar
Frederick King Weyerhaeuser, eldest male of the Weyerhaeuser lumbering family's third generation, may not have matched his grandfather Frederick in fame or power, but among the progeny none was mo
"O'Connell presents an excellent biography of the first archbishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, who rose from poverty to become an internationally known clerical figure and friend of presidents. .
From the stories of our classic theaters to tales of industry and intrigue featuring the savvy and tough entrepreneurs of movie entertainment, this first-ever history of cinema in the Twin Cities reve
On April 19, 1997, in one of the most dramatic floods in U.S. history, more than 50,000 people abandoned their homes and businesses in Grand Forks, North Dakota. A nation watched as the heart of downt
Gardening in a northern clime has its own unique set of challenges. Yet, despite the shorter growing season, gardening remains a popular passion for millions of green thumbs in Minnesota and the Upper
During the 1970s and '80s, photographer Charles Chamblis captured the vibrant social and artistic life of the Twin Cities African American community. Musicians and other artists are shown performing,
In the Midwest, winter means freezing temperatures, shorter days, and piles of snow. For some, the logical response is to curl up under the blankets and hibernate until spring.But wait: where are all
One of the longest running clubs in American rock 'n' roll—and most recognizable venues in Minnesota—First Avenue in Minneapolis finally gets the rock-star treatment it deserves in print. This book ch
"Far greater even than the loss of land, or the relentless coercion to surrender cultural traditions, the deaths of over six hundred children by the spring of 1864 were an unbearable tragedy. Nearly o
One sunny day on his postal route, Vincent Wyckoff crosses the path of an elderly gentleman whistling for his lost parakeet. The old man is upset, and Wyckoff moves down the block slowly, looking high
In the early twentieth century, before the National Hockey League had established a presence in the United States, a team from St. Paul played at the highest levels of hockey in the country. Sports hi
For Jewish and non-Jewish customers alike, the Lincoln Del was a Minneapolis version of Cheers—at the Del everybody knew your name. Folks hardly minded waiting in line for the fresh caraway rye, the c
Hildebrand writes of landscapes in dispute: Native Alaskan groups are pitted against each other over oil development, Hmong emigrants jostle locals in a public hunting ground, farmers battle a formida
Recognized as one of the twin cities' best drink makers, Johnny Michaels is the cocktail connoisseur's answer to a gourmet chef. His home base is the James Beard award-winning La Belle Vie, but he's d
In the spring of 1912, Anishinaabe guide Billy Magee received a letter from future conservationist Ernest Oberholtzer asking Magee to accompany him on a journey. Soon after the two set off on a five-m
Today, Minneapolis is considered one of the most desirable places to live in the United States. However, like most cities, Minneapolis has its own checkered history.Iric Nathanson shines a light in da
The Minnesota State Capitol is both an architectural masterpiece and a revered public building. This beautiful Renaissance Revival structure is the heart of the state's civic life, a place for celebra
Beginning in the 1850s, thousands of immigrants from Nordic countries settled in Minnesota and quickly established themselves in the political life of their new home. These Norwegians, Swedes, Danes,
They were brothers from Norway's "Red County." One was a guerrilla leader, the other a president of a singing association. One emigrated to America, the other stayed home to fight for Norwegian indepe
"We drove for a hundred hours past a lake called Superior. It was as big as the ocean."Sadie is bold in her description of the view outside her car window, but as her family sets off on a wilderness a
July 19, 1918: The wounded were pouring into the four Hospitals of the town. . . . We have decided to double up for a few days—half of us work at the Canteen and half at the Hospitals, taking turns. I
"If we cannot name and recognize plants, how can we value them and realize how essential they are to our environment and our well-being as humans?" —from the IntroductionIn 2012 a committee of experts
