Saint Paul’s Municipal Menagerie
In 1873 the city of Saint Paul acquired 300 acres of land around Lake Como for use as a public park. Saint Paul’s experiment with a municipal menagerie began in 1897 when the city fenced pasture in the park to hold a gift of three deer. Como’s Art Deco zoological building was designed in [...]
Calhoun Boulevard and 36th
Originally called by the Dakota “Mde Maka Ska”, which meant White Earth Lake, settlers later named it with the Dakota name “Medoza” or Loon Lake. The United States Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, sent the Army to survey the area that would surround Fort Snelling in 1817. Calhoun had also authorized the construction of [...]
The James Doran House Then and Now
Built in 1893, the Colonial Revival James Doran residence at 745 Lincoln Avenue in St. Paul was designed by Charles Bassford. The big old brick house has a unique, terra-cotta decorative panel that replaces one of it’s second story windows. I’m guessing that’s where the tv is. Bassford became the St. Paul city architect at [...]
As unto the bow the cord is…
“As unto the bow the cord is, So unto the man is woman; Though she bends him, she obeys him, “Though she draws him, yet she follows; Useless each without the other!” Thus the youthful Hiawatha Said within himself and pondered, Much perplexed by various feelings, Listless, longing, hoping, fearing, Dreaming still of Minnehaha, [...]
Good Old St. Paul Poster Stamps
Here are five old poster stamps from a series of twenty 64 x 50 millimeter poster stamps issued under the direction of the St. Paul Association of Commerce in 1920. Poster stamps were usually advertising labels, a little larger than postage stamps. They became a collecting craze in the 1800 and remained popular up until [...]
