Featured Stories
Discover the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary
A thousand years ago the area around the confluence of Trout Brook and Phalen Brook near the Mississippi River was a marshy flood plain. By the early 1900s, the entire delta had been expanded by…
Gita Ghei: Bubblicious, 2014
Bubblicious 2014 Material: steel, aluminum, solar lighting This sundial-inspired artwork evokes the visual imagery of creatures whose bodies are comprised of 90% or more water - jellies, rays, and…
"Where Two Waters Come Together": The Confluence of Black and Indigenous History at Bdote
Minnesota doesn’t typically come to mind when you think about slavery and the Civil War. It’s also not a place that’s figured into the national imagination when it comes to Black activism, either—at…
Take a Tour
Historic Lowertown
22 Locations ~ Curated by The Saint Paul Historical TeamLayers of history give Lowertown its unique appeal. The Saint Paul neighborhood that sprouted at the "Lower Landing" on the Mississippi River grew into a major warehouse and distribution center serving the entire Upper Midwest. Lowertown's railroad, manufacturing, and wholesaling companies expressed their sense of pride and permanence in the structures they erected nearly a century ago. In 1983 Lowertown was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, giving the area protection under the…
African American Heritage: Points of Entry
16 Locations ~ Curated by The Saint Paul Historical TeamMinnesota's African American history begins with pioneers who trapped, traded and developed lasting relationships with the Indian nations. In the 1790s, Pierre Bongo (Bonga or Bungo), a free black fur trader, came to the territory and married an Ojibwe woman. Their son, George Bonga, born in 1802, was Minnesota's first recorded African American birth. George became a fur trader, too, as well as an important interpreter who helped negotiate agreements between the Ojibwe and the U.S.
From…
Selby Avenue: Labor History
5 Locations ~ Curated by The Saint Paul Historical TeamThe “Selby Avenue” neighborhood got its label in the 1960's, after the construction of Interstate 94 largely destroyed the African American district known as “Rondo,” so called after its main thoroughfare. The demolition and clearing of a block-wide swath between Rondo and St Anthony Streets containing most of the black owned businesses and other institutions displaced hundreds of African American residents, and cut out the heart of the community. Prior to its destruction, Rondo, as the axis of…
Frogtown: School Days
9 Locations ~ Curated by The Saint Paul Historical TeamFrogtown has been home to more than a dozen public, parochial, and charter schools over the years. In the early days Frogtown children went to school close to home years ago and almost always walked to school.
Most of the first schools were too small for each grade to have its own classroom. Two or more classes shared a room, with one teacher to help the pupils.
In early schools desks were bolted to the floor, with inkwells for the older children to dip their pens into. (Sometimes a…
Dayton's Bluff: Along East Seventh Street
8 Locations ~ Curated by The Saint Paul Historical TeamSeventh Street has been the neighborhood’s main arterial since its origin. Starting in the 1880s, a streetcar ran along Seventh, attracting businesses on each side for many blocks. Most of the old companies are gone and their places have been taken by a diverse mix that includes a strong Latino and Asian presence.
About
Saint Paul Historical
A project by Historic Saint PaulSaint Paul Historical is a free mobile app that puts Saint Paul's history at your fingertips. Explore the people, places, and moments that have shaped the city's history. Click on any point on the interactive map to read historical narratives and to view images. Take curated historical tours of Saint Paul and share our stories and your experience using social media. This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota through the Minnesota Historical Society from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. This site is powered by Omeka + Curatescape, a humanities-centered web and mobile framework available for both Android and iOS devices.
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