Early years in St. Joseph, Minnesota (1863-1880). This sketch of the layout of the first church/school/convent complex in St. Joseph was drawn in 1930 by Sister Paula Bechtold, OSB, from her memory of St. Joseph's Convent where she had lived as a young sister. This complex became the home of the Benedictine sisters when they moved from St. Cloud to St. Joseph in 1863. Gradually a small campus to the west of the complex developed -- consisting of laundry, bakery, summer house, chicken coop, barn, woodshed, and a well. Though the primary purpose of the sisters' coming to St. Joseph was to teach the children of the parish, the site served well as the beginnings of St. Benedict's Convent which continued to flourish in St. Joseph. Varied projects were begun in this simple convent complex: the school (the beginnings of the academy), care of orphans, and the Industrial School for Indian girls. In 1886, the old complex of log church and school was completely destroyed by fire. Although new housing had to be found for the orphans and the Industrial School, a new convent/academy had already been built in 1881-1882. With the completion of that new building, the name was changed from St. Joseph's Convent to St. Benedict's Convent (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives; McDonald, pages 59-62, 70-72, 120-122).
St. Benedict's Mission, White Earth Indian Reservation (White Earth Band of Ojibwe). The various American Indian bands living in Canada and the Northwest Territory fought among themselves and the white settlers as Indian hunting grounds continued to be lost. The Dakotas finally settled farther west and the Ojibwe made land treaties with the U.S. government which reserved land around specific lakes in northern Minnesota for them. However, in 1867, the U.S. government ordered the Ojibwe to give up their scattered settlements and gather in one large reservation at White Earth. The reservation was then divided into agencies with government officials placed in charge. The bishop of the Northwest Territory sent Father Ignatius Tomazin to serve the Catholics at White Earth. Father Tomazin was a missionary from Yugoslavia who had worked among the Ojibwe for some years in the Crow Wing area and was known for his zeal in protecting their rights. While he was courageous in protesting the evils of discrimination practiced by the government agents, he perhaps lacked patience and diplomacy in his confrontations. As a result, Father Tomazin was forced off the reservation and transferred to Red Lake. In 1878, Abbot Rupert Seidenbusch, OSB, who had been appointed bishop of the newly-formed Northern Vicariate, asked St. John's Abbey to provide a priest and St. Benedict's Convent to provide teachers for White Earth. Fathers Aloysius Hermanutz and Joseph Buh from St. John's and Sisters Philomena Ketten and Lioba Brau from St. Benedict's were sent to meet the challenges of White Earth. Six days after they arrived, the sisters opened a day school for 15 pupils (12 girls and 3 boys), which increased to a total of 40 during the following week. (*The American Indian band in northern Minnesota prefer the name Anishinabe -- "Anishinaabeg" meaning "First People" -- while the French settlers called them Ojibwe, which is the more familiar name used in these records; and the government referred to them as Chippewa.) The sketch of the mission shown here is mounted on a card with the name, L. Bergman, Louisville, Kentucky, stamped on the back (SBMA, McDonald, pages 227-232), Pamphlet: "St. Benedict's Mission History, White Earth, MN, 1878-1978, as told by Benno Watrin, OSB (Printed by St. John' Abbey), 1978]
This drawing shows the condition of Minneapolis Mill Company's dam and mill pond in regards to the build-up of silt and debris from the previous winter near St. Anthony Falls.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
This drawing was done in the aftermath of October 5, 1869, Eastman Tunnel collapse. A tunnel connecting Nicollet and Hennepin islands collapsed on that day causing the need for considerable repair to be done to Hennepin Island and St. Anthony Falls. The repair work was finished in 1884, creating a protective apron over the falls.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library
A pen and ink drawing of St. Joseph's Academy at its new location on Marshall and Western. This school, with later building additions, was the successor to the log cabin Bench Street school. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet owned and operated the school until 1971.
A pen and ink drawing of the new four-story St. Joseph's Hospital on Exchange Street. This hospital replaced the log cabin hospital on Bench Street (now Kellogg Boulevard).
St. Paul, Chicago, and New York City are shown standing in front of Uncle Sam, holding U. S. Postal Savings account books. Nearby, the Minnesota Gopher holds a sign that reads, "See our Paul gopher the savings."
1914 American highest production farm crops--apples, rye, barley, oats, wheat, potatoes, and corn--are caricatured as royalty, with King Corn in the lead. In the lower right corner, a sign states, "1914 farm crop values $5,066,742,000 which is $104,000,000 more than 1913."
Published in the Thursday, May 12, 1904, edition of the Minneapolis Journal with the caption "The Hoosier School Boy," this cartoon refers to the Indiana Democratic state convention, where Hearst followers challenged the convention majority, which had supported Judge Parker, by claiming unfair treatment. The claims were defeated, and the convention "instructed for" Parker. National Committeeman Thomas Taggert is portrayed as the teacher, while Hearst and the Indiana Democratic Convention are portrayed as school boys, one a privileged prankster, the other a poor pupil who reads aloud the instructions for Parker and Taggert.
The March Lion, having just eaten the Spring Lamb, licks his chops. The cartoon reads, "Maltese cross indicates location of the lamb." Published March 6, 1915, this cartoon pokes fun at the harsh weather that often characterizes Minnesota's late winter.
Published on December 10, 1908, this cartoon shows the Egg and the Potato addressing each other, "The Egg--'Hello, Small Potatoes and Few in a Hill, you needn't be so fresh. I knew your folks when you weren't worth 30 cents a bushel.' The Potato--'No one would accuse you of being fresh, and that's no joke. No doubt you can remember a good way back, all right, all right!'" The Egg's waistcoat is marked "Eggs 50 cents Doz." and the Potato's is marked "Potatoes 85 cents Bu." This dialog might be related to an article, published in the same edition of the newspaper, telling about the Minnesota Potato Growers and Shippers Association winning the support of the Interstate Commerce Commission for their demand that railroads provide heated cars for shipping perishable freight in freezing weather.
Published on June 2, 1910, this cartoon shows streetcars as "Official photograph taken at eleven a.m. by street railway co. for council committee" and "Snapshot, by most any of us, at time we have to use the street cars."
Published on November 10, 1913, this cartoon portrays General Huerta, President of Mexico, crouching under a gun, labeled "Arms for the Constitutionalists," suspended from above by the words "US embargo on arms."
Published in the Tuesday, March 29, 1904, edition of the Minneapolis Journal, this cartoon is a reference to the efforts of several powerful American trusts to be allowed to move their legal headquarters to Havana in order to evade U. S. tax laws. A figure with octopus-like tentacles and representing New Jersey-based trusts is shown carrying baggage and other gear past a mosquito, who is sharpening his "stinger." A sign at the traveler's feet points to Cuba.
Published on July 14, 1913, this cartoon shows the Underwood Simmons Tariff Bill being pushed onto the U. S. Senate stage by Senator Simmons, while the audience pellets the bill with eggs and vegetables labeled "Antagonist," "Criticism," and so on. Sen. Simmons, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, had arranged for the controversial bill to be introduced to the Senate for debate on July 14.
nautical; soundings; St. Louis river; Lake Superior; Minnesota Point; Oneota; shoreline; This map forms an inset to the larger map entitled, Survey of Lake Superior by Lieut. Henry W. Bayfield R. N. assisted by Mr. Philip Ed. Collins, Mid., between the years 1823 and 1825 Sheet 1. Scale of original inset is 1:49,300, or 4,108 ft. to 1 in. Scale of this photograph is 4,800 to 1 inch. J. H. Darling, April 22, 1904
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathryn A. Martin Library, Northeast Minnesota Historical Collections
This cartoon pokes fun at the driving habits of the citizens of Minneapolis. A Minneapolis family is out for a spin; a farmer hauling a load of hay on his tractor honks at a man in a horse-driven wagon; a stylishly-dressed woman addresses her chauffeur; and a Minneapolis Messenger Service driver reads at the wheel.
Permanent Tariff Commission, appointed by President Taft, sits waiting, while Uncle Sam advises the Congress to turn over tariff work to the Commission. The Commission is portrayed as a young woman with a valise labeled "Recommended by Pres. Taft, White House," while Congress is portrayed as an older matron.