Minnesota History Magazine Spring 2025 (69.5)

Articles

Colonel Snelling’s Last Stand: The Challenge and Trial That Ended a Career
Hampton Smith

Retired MNHS reference librarian and Historic Fort Snelling expert Hampton Smith explores a little-known side of Colonel Josiah Snelling, who during the 1820s oversaw the construction of the US Army post that bears his name. Encouraging his officers to settle conflicts not only with their peers but also with him through dueling, the colonel represented an older, dying order within the US military. The practice came to a head in this telling of one aspect of life at Fort Snelling during its earliest days.

That Great Good Place: The Hungry Mind
Paul Nelson

A beloved St. Paul bookshop next to Macalester College rose to prominence in the waning decades of the twentieth century, gaining not only local attention but also national acclaim for its promotion of authors, poetry, and small presses, as well as for the welcoming, comfortable space it afforded anyone who entered the store. Paul Nelson portrays the supportive ecosystem created by founder-owner David Unowsky, while recounting the Hungry Mind’s journey from the flicker of an idea to its eventual demise in the new era of book superstores and e-commerce.

Democratic Will; Individual Cunning: The Secret History of Voter Registration in Minnesota
Rebecca Rubinstein

Rebecca Rubinstein traces the surprising story of creating voter registration laws in the state. Dating all the way back to 1860, a couple years after statehood was achieved, Minnesota’s law led the nation in establishing a statewide system that other states would emulate.

Departments

Editor’s Note
Pam McClanahan

Curator’s Choice
Kathryn Hujda
F. Scott Fitzgerald Letter to Luce’s Press Clipping Bureau

EyeWitness
John Rosengren
The Bremer Kidnapping

LandMark
Marsha Neff and Greg Gaut
Park Rapids Public Library, Hubbard County

Book Review
Hayden L. Nelson
Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack by Willa Hammitt Brown

Take Three/News & Notes/Letters

Highlighting MNopedia
Annette Atkins
Learning in the Land of Lakes: Minnesota’s Education History

Preserving > Sharing > Connecting
Ted Stamos: MNHS Volunteer