Regional History

The Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College has just released a study that finds Minnesotans are leaders in voting and volunteering in the United States. The study, which you can download, was cowritten by codirecter of the center Harry Boyte, who is also the author of The Citizen Solution: How You Can Make a Difference, a hands-on guide to community activism using examples from Minnesota.

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As Halloween approaches, here is another excerpt from Michael Norman’s new book, The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends, this time about possible hauntings at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Perhaps the next time you visit the MIA, you will see more than fine art!

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So, this week, everyone’s a Twins fan, but how well do you really know Minnesota baseball?

The first five people to answer the following questions correctly will win a free copy of our book Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History by Stew Thornley!

Send your answers to info-mhspress@mnhs.org. We will write you for a mailing address if you are one of the lucky winners.

Here we go:

1. What year did Kirby Puckett join the Twins?

2. On what date did Harmon Killebrew hit his first homerun for the Twins and how far did the ball go (estimate)?

3. In the spring of 1965, there was a lot of flooding. For the home opener, 4 members of the Twins were marooned on the wrong side of the swollen Minnesota River. They had to be flown to the game by helicopter. Name them.

Good luck all!

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In a recent article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Coen Brothers mentioned MHS book Suburban World by Brad Zellar as one of the inspirations for their new film A Serious Man:

“The Coens give most of the credit for the re-creation of the ’60s to their crew, but they say the look of “A Serious Man” is based partly on the Brad Zellar book “Suburban World: The Norling Photographs,” a collection of midcentury images of Bloomington, and on their own recollections.”

The release date for A Serious Man is October 2nd, but Suburban World by Brad Zellar is available now at a fine bookseller near you.

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I am not sure which is scarier–the lutefisk or the ghost–but you can read this excerpt from Michael Norman’s new book The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends and decide for yourself.

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The Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial nonprofit foundation has won a well-deserved  Nonprofit Mission Award for its role in fighting racism.

The memorial, dedicated to the victims of the 1920 lynchings in Duluth, was unveiled in 2003, but since then, the organization has remained active in developing programs for community education and school curriculum.

If you would like to read the history of the lynchings in Duluth, check out Michael Fedo’s The Lynchings in Duluth or try Warren Read’s memoir The Lyncher in Me about his being the great-grandson of one of the men responsible for the crime.

Minnpost ran an article yesterday about all of the Nonprofit Mission Award winners.

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Learn about Minnesota’s “otherworldly” history on the nationally popular radio show, Coast-to-Coast, tonight with special guest, Michael Norman, author or The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends as he talks with host, Ian Punnett. Michael has written numerous books about accounts of ghosts and hauntings in America and the Midwest. The show airs in the Twin Cities on KSTP-AM 1500 from Midnight to 4 AM. It also airs on other stations throughout Minnesota. (We won’t tell if you leave the lights on tonight while listening!)

To hear more great stories, and meet Michael in person, check out his extensive list of events and appearances.

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Iric Nathanson, contributor to MinnPost and upcoming MHS author just published a piece this week about efforts to revise the Minneapolis city charter. Nathanson’s upcoming book, Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century: The Growth of an American City, a political history of the city, examines in depth at the origins and issues of the Minneapolis city charter in the first chapter.

Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century will be availble this November.

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