Minnesota

Driving on Highway 61 through Minnesota provides a rare opportunity for one to see virtually every type of landscape in the North Star State. Along the highway's path are pastoral farms and towering bluffs, as well as the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. There are picturesque small towns and populous cities, yet stretches of the highway have been abandoned. Despite Highway 61's east-west counterpart Route 66 getting more attention, the north-south byway is arguably the most fascinating stretch of road in the country. Throughout the highway's history, music lovers, foodies, and thrill seekers alike have discovered its fun and uniqueness. The 1,400-mile highway signals where the West begins and has a fabulous history that can be traced from the civil rights movement to the development of various genres of music, including jazz, blues, and alternative rock. Famous Americans such as Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Jessica Lange, and even Kermit the Frog keep the highway in the national psyche.

Like so many of the places that lined the route from St. Paul to Duluth, Forest Lake came of age as a railroad town and was first incorporated as a township in 1874. Situated on a lake by the same name, it soon became known as a resort town where many residents from the Twin Cities could leave their cares behind for some fishing and sunbathing. Because of its secluded nature, it also attracted well-known gangsters of the era. Minnesota native George "Bugs" Moran had a hideout near the lake, as did the Ma Barker gang. As the resort traffic dried up, progress soon took over, and with it came residential development and downtown revitalization. Today, Forest Lake's population has increased nearly twentyfold and continues to attract visitors to its pristine lakes.

Visitors and natives alike will find something new in this historical guide to Minneapolis’ many landmarks, figures, events and more.

Minneapolis began at the Falls of St. Anthony, the sole waterfall on the Mississippi River. The cataract, the great hydrological engine, propelled the city's economic growth and physical expansion, and two distinct municipal identities emerged. A city of seasons, Minneapolis celebrates winter flurries and chills with ice skating and hot chocolate at the annual Holidazzle Festival. In the sultry midsummer heat, the Aquatennial brings swimmers and boating enthusiasts to the Chain of Lakes and the river. Landmarks, too, define the topography—Spoonbridge and Cherry, the Stone Arch and Hennepin Avenue Bridges, the Foshay Tower and the IDS Center.

Join local authors Sherman Wick and Holly Day on a trip beyond the typical guidebook as they explore the architecture, parks and historical figures of the Mill City.

Named for the network of lakes and waterways stretching along the city’s western edge, the Lake District helps define Minneapolis as a place of great natural beauty.   With stately homes lining the parkways surrounding these bodies of water, the district may convey an image of affluence and prestige, but the district is not an exclusive preserve of the well-to-do. People from all walks of life flock to the area’s parks and lakes that serve as public playgrounds for the entire region. The Lake District was not always the public amenity that it is today. During the late 19th century, much of the area consisted of marshy swamps that had little recreational or economic value. It took a group of forward-looking civic leaders to recognize the undeveloped area’s potential. In the 1880s, they came together to form the Minneapolis Park Board, the public agency that would acquire and improve the lakes, preserving them for future generations. /Iric Nathanson tells the story of this appealing urban district using archival images from the Hennepin County Library Special Collections and the Minnesota Historical Society. Nathanson’s most recent work, University Avenue of the Twin Cities, was published in 2023 as part of Arcadia’s Images of America series.

Minnesota's caves have a deep history. Carver's Cave is the first to be described in the literature of North America after explorer Jonathan Carver visited it in 1766. The storied Fountain Cave was the birthplace of the city of St. Paul. Just after the American Civil War, Chute's Cave inspired an elaborate national hoax regarding an ancient civilization. Folklore surrounds Petrified Indian Cave, where a strangely shaped stalagmite was mistaken for a person turned to stone. Geologist and urban explorer Greg Brick, PhD, uses decades of research to uncover the secrets of geological wonders.

Part of Belt's City Anthology Series. The ultimate (literary) tour guide to the neighborhoods and wild places, history and politics, culture and cuisine, music and myths of the Twin Cities, a place I only thought I knew.--Benjamin Percy

In recent years, Minneapolis has become one of America's literary powerhouses. With over fifty poems and essays, Under Purple Skies: The Minneapolis Anthology collects some of the most exciting work being done in, or about, Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area, with narrative threads that stretch back not just to Scandinavia, but across the world.

Edited by Frank Bures (The Geography of Madness), the writers included here have won, or been shortlisted for, the Newbery Award, the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer, the Caldecott Award, the National Book Award, the Minnesota Book Award, and many others. The wide-ranging stories included here include:

- A tour through Prince's Minneapolis

- The story of the Metrodome's demolition

- A story of a Somali immigrant's journey to Eden Prairie

- Eating Halva on Lake Street.

Contributors include James Wright, Kelly Barnhill, Marlon James, Kao Kalia Yang, Michael Perry, Bao Phi, Danez Smith, Shannon Gibney and many more, alongside new and first-time writers.

A wonderful, literary portrait of the City of Lakes and the myriad ways it's changed in recent years.

Rochester is synonymous with one of its most famous landmarks, the Mayo Clinic, but there's so much more to the Med City. It began as a frontier town, struggling to make its mark in a sparsely populated wilderness. By the late nineteenth century, Rochester had expanded into a vibrant city, rich with business, educational and cultural opportunities. Rediscover the Dubuque Trail and the beautiful summer lake retreats, along with the Cook Hotel, the Central Fire Station and more. Author Amy Jo Hahn uncovers the lost beginnings of Rochester and brings the stories of this unique place to life.

Minnesotans are a tough lot, capable of pulling a house six miles by muscle alone or giving birth to a sixteen-pound boy. In 1921, young Phoebe Fairgrave set a parachute world record, stepping off the wing of a biplane 15,200 feet above the Twin Cities. In 1962, the last powerhouse Gophers football team brought home the Rose Bowl trophy. A year later, thirteen-year-old Jean Webb of Minneapolis risked arrest and refused to leave a segregated restaurant. In 1979, Gerry Spiess crossed the Atlantic alone in a 10-foot sailboat he built in his White Bear Lake garage. These inspiring stories and dozens more, culled from the Star Tribune newspaper archives, are presented in their original form by author Ben Welter, along with in-depth background, fresh interviews and more than seventy-five historic photos.

Crookston is in the heart of the fertile Red River Valley. Railroad baron James J. Hill positioned the city to be a hub of transportation, so Civil War veterans and railroad workers settled Crookston first. At Hill's behest, a long tradition of learning how to "farm smart" started with the Northwest School of Agriculture in 1906. Facing a short growing season, farmers stayed close to the soil and invented better implements to harvest the area's bounty. The tradition of improving technology continues from the century-old practices begun at the Experiment Station. Currently, precision agriculture is taught at the University of Minnesota, Crookston's "laptop university." Familiar family names from Crookston's retail sector have prevailed throughout the farmers' cycle of boom and bust. Many other talented personalities shine through, especially those skilled in sports and music. Also included in this volume are unsung heroes for their acts of kindness and volunteerism.

Throughout the history of Pine City, individuals have dreamed, struggled, and created a remarkable place of American culture. Legendary Locals of Pine City represents an amazing mix of talents and activities, sometimes with far-reaching effects. The Pine City story is told here in the faces of its people: the innovators who brought industry and commerce; generous people and institutions who have given back to the community in a variety of ways; participants in Pine City's thriving cultural life embracing a spectrum of interests and enthusiasms; and ordinary people living everyday lives who have done extraordinary things or had remarkable experiences. This book honors such individuals as the renowned Karla Nelsen, the world's most muscular woman; Anna Dickey Olesen, the first woman to break the glass ceiling and run for US Senate; and Shane Bauer's mom, Cindy Hickey, who worked diligently for more than two years to free her son from captivity in Iran, along with many other memorable people.

Canoeing the Boundary Waters Wilderness: A Sawbill Log continues the story of wilderness canoeing begun in A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time, this time offering historical information about black bear attacks on humans, loon calls and behaviors, lightning strikes on the waters, the experience of a woman going into labor while canoeing with her husband, the sighting of spectacular northern lights, and reflections on the wilderness experience. All the while Wilbers reflects on experiences canoeing with his family. As in the first book, quotes from some of Minnesota's well known wilderness authors appear throughout the manuscript.