MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

Disaster stuck the St. Croix river in the 1800s. Loggers were battling giant piles of timber stacking up and causing jams. It was nature’s pressure cooker.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a beat. Sign up f...

Engineer Wen Ping Pan helped relocate Hibbing in the 1920s after iron ore was found beneath the town, redesigning the city and guiding residents through the move.  Producer: Faaya Adem Editorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt Aamodt Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Wen Ping Pan [credit: University of Minnesota Archives] Music: "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" by Arizona Dranes, from...

The tallest snowman in the state came from an unlikely source of inspiration…and isn’t technically made from snow. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates...

From commercials to his own TV program, Clellan Card was a beloved comedian in the Twin Cities during the late 1900s. Axel and His Dog became a favorite program among children and adults alike.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN...

Many Minnesotan’s claim Pierre Parrant was the first resident of St. Paul… but the reality is a little murkier. Autumn Haeg debunks the myths of "Pig's Eye" Parrant. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a beat....

Albert Abdallah opened the Calhoun Candy Depot, a bustling shop that quickly became a community favorite. Rebranded as Abdallah Candies, the business grew into a Minnesota treasure, now delighting customers all over the state. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social med...

For more than 25 years the Bisexual Organizing Project (BOP) has helped champion Minnesota's bisexual, pansexual, fluid, and queer communities. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: BOP logo [credit:  Image by: Bisexual Organizing Project] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.f...

Bob Asp was a teacher in Moorhead, MN with Norwegian heritage. In the 1970s, Bob decided he wanted to sail from Lake Superior to Norway on a homemade Viking ship. He spent the next ten years recruiting friends to help him build a ship based on the 800 CE ship Gokstad. His ship, named the Hjemkomst ("homecoming" in Norwegian), is now on display to the public at the Hjemkomst Center in the Historica...

Owatonna, Minnesota is home to one of legendary architect Louis Sullivan’s finest works: the National Farmers’ Bank.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: National Farmer's Bank [credit:  MNopedia] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a beat...

 Many towns in Minnesota name their streets after flowers, numbers, or the last names of Presidents. But Makato’s streets tell a story.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Mankato, Minnesota [credit:  MNopedia] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Ne...

At the very top of Minnesota, where forest meets water and maps get complicated, lies one of America’s strangest corners: the Northwest Angle. Pop art pioneer Keith Haring made colorful marks on Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center when he visited in 1984.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editor: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt Aamodt  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: The...

Every year, hundreds of people attend the Hmong Freedom Festival to celebrate Hmong culture and history in Minnesota.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editor: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt Aamodt  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image:  Qeej (Hmong wind instrument)  [credit: MNopedia] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://ww...

Pop art pioneer Keith Haring made colorful marks on Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center when he visited in 1984.  ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editor: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt Aamodt  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Exterior façade of the Walker Art Center. Photograph by Robert Jacobson, ca. 1960s.  [credit:  MNopedia [ https://www.mnopedia.org/multimedia/walk...

Eddie Rogers (Ay-Nay-Way-We-Dung) was an Ojibwe football star who exchanged his prowess on the gridiron into a law degree and a successful career as a lawyer and county attorney. ----- Producer: Dan Ninham Editor: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt Aamodt  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Bronze bust of Eddie Rogers in Walker (1997) [credit: Dan Ninham] ----- For t...

Happy Chef was a beacon for hungry travelers all over the Midwest. Today, one original still stands, flipping pancakes and memories in Mankato. Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: The Happy Chef statue in Mankato, MN. [credit: Autumn Haeg] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.face...

She soared on the court and shook up the courtroom. Maya Moore didn’t just change the game, she changed lives. Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: A basketball sitting stationary on an outdoor concrete basketball court. [credit: Emily Krumberger] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://w...

From the sandlots to the Metrodome, Kirby Puckett was more than a ballplayer. He was the heart and soul of the Minnesota Twins. Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news,...

Where giant puppets meet powerful protest, Minnesota’s In the Heart of the Beast Theater brings stories to life with color and courage.  Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: In the Heart of the Beast Theater, Minneapolis, MN. [credit: Autumn Haeg] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://w...

Before all the stars and glamor, the iconic Minneapolis music venue had several other purposes. Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Greyhound Bus Depot, located at First Avenue North and Seventh Street, Minneapolis, ca. 1935. [credit: Charles W. Howson Company, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society] Music: "River Deep – Mou...

In a small town in the southwest corner of Minnesota, you'll find Blue Mounds State Park, one of the few places in the state that visitors can see the historic bison up close and in a natural habitat year-round.  Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger & Britt Aamodt Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image: Bison ca 1880 [credit: Collection of the Minnesota Historical Soc...

Madonna and Nirvana were just two of the many fan-favorite acts shown on MTV during the 80s and 90s. But one small town in Minnesota was not entertained. Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image by: Autumn Haeg ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/ Never miss a b...

Many high school students learn about photosynthesis in their biology classes. However, some may not know about one Minnesotan who was crucial to discovering plant life cycles.  Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger  Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood [Image credit: Autumn Haeg] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.facebook....

Minneapolis faced one of its most tragic events in 1878 after a cloud of flour dust got mixed up in a fiery situation.  Producer: Autumn Haeg Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Image:  Photograph altered by an artist to illustrate the Washburn A Mill explosion, 1878.  [Credit: Minnesota Historical Society] ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media.  https://www.f...

What if the songs of a culture could disappear forever? Frances Densmore of Red Wing, Minnesota wanted to ensure they didn’t. A pioneer in ethnology, Frances Densmore helped preserve Indigenous stories and songs across the state. Image:  Portrait of Frances Densmore, 1928. [credit: Minnesota Historical Society]

After fears of drowning were rising among his customers, Peter Markus knew it was up to him to invent a new way of staying afloat should a boat capsize.