Becoming the Twin Cities : swindles, schemes, and enduring rivalries /
Reveals the political scheming, social rivalries, and utopian dreams behind the failed attempts to merge Minneapolis and St. Paul. Traces how ambition, partisanship, and powerful personalities shaped their lasting divide and distinct civic identities.Beginning with the story of Fort Snelling's...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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St. Paul, MN :
Minnesota Historical Society,
[2025]
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| Summary: | Reveals the political scheming, social rivalries, and utopian dreams behind the failed attempts to merge Minneapolis and St. Paul. Traces how ambition, partisanship, and powerful personalities shaped their lasting divide and distinct civic identities.Beginning with the story of Fort Snelling's founding and Joseph Plympton's expansion of a reserve around it, Ross follows up with the land-grabbing and moneymaking schemes of Henry Rice and Franklin Steele, explores the rivalries between local Republicans and Democrats (and their partisan newspapers), and details the battles over the locations and significance of the capitol, the state fair, and the Midway neighborhood. Figures like Lieutenant Zebulon Pike and tavern keeper Stephen Desnoyer, visionary architect Horace W. S. Cleveland, religious leader (and land speculator) Archbishop John Ireland, and the pugnacious publisher Bill King--all had a hand in the push-pull tension that has fundamentally shaped the Twin Cities to this day. |
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| Physical Description: | 272 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-258) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781681343235 1681343231 |