A Look Back at a Kid’s View of Williams Hill
Wolfie rides a bike tour of the historic Williams Hill area in St. Paul, MN.
Category: History
A Look at the Coolest Garage In Saint Paul
Garages serve many utilitarian purposes. One Highland Park couple has a garage that does so much more including serving as a neighborhood hangout, restaurant, bar and workshop.
A Bicycle Tour of Twin Cities Lift and Swing Bridges
From the beginning, the key to coexistence of rail and river traffic has been a half dozen movable swing and lift bridges. Unlike Duluth’s and Stillwater’s lift bridges, many Twin Cities lift and swing bridges operate in underappreciated obscurity. Let’s take a bicycle tour!
When the Twin Cities Had Streetcar Boats
Late last month, one of the most unique chapters in Minnesota’s transportation history was permanently enshrined in the public record through the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. The newly-listed steamboat Minnehaha is the lone survivor of the Twin City Line’s once-famous “streetcar boat” service. […]
The Mosquito Hunter
Seeing St. Paul by bike is an enriching view.
Take it on Down to Highway 61: A Book Review
Nathan Johnson’s Highway 61 Through Minnesota is published by Arcadia Press in their Images of America series. The series has, according to their website, a whopping 8,223 titles. Just 69 of these are from Minnesota. It’s a proven format, almost certainly a commercial success, and yet I’m sad to report it doesn’t really work for […]
Icons of the North End and Folks Who’ve Hung Out There
Seeing a neighborhood via bike, with a camera, conveys a true sense of place.
Embracing Ruins as Historic Preservation
We tend to ignore ruins or look at them as failures, awaiting either a visionary creative reuse or the wrecking ball. What if we preserved them as they are instead?
Neighborhood Character Is a Myth. Long Live Neighborhood Character
What good is “neighborhood character” if it contributes to climate change, car culture and lack of affordable housing?
Historic Paving Tour of the Minneapolis Warehouse District – Sunday, May 16th
Minneapolis has oft been accused of not having done enough to preserve its historic structures, particularly in reference to the loss of the Gateway District, and especially when contrasted with successful efforts to save ornamentally clad buildings in Saint Paul. The jeers have endured decades of evolution or devolution in the Twin Cities, depending upon […]