Early years in St. Joseph, Minnesota (1863-1880). Mother Aloysia (Helen) Bath, the first American-born prioress of St. Benedict's Convent, was born in Addison, WI in 1849. Helen entered the community of the Sisters of St. Agnes in Baron, WI, in 1864 and was given the name Sister Agatha. She transferred to the community in St. Joseph, MN in 1871, changed her name to Aloysia, and professed vows there in 1875. Two years later, she was appointed prioress of the community in St. Joseph by Abbot Rupert Seidenbusch, to fill out Mother Antonia Herman's term. Mother Aloysia resigned shortly before her term ended. However, nine years later, she was elected by the community to serve another term as prioress. Though of frail health, Mother Aloysia led the community in beginning the construction of a new convent and academy building in St. Joseph, in accepting four new schools in Minnesota, the American Indian mission in White Earth, MN, and a school in Bismarck. ND. She was an experienced teacher who had been in charge of several schools, including the large school in St. Joseph's Parish in Minneapolis. Mother Aloysia's greatest efforts were spent staffing schools in the face of school controversies and in developing a teacher-training program in the community so that young sisters would be sent out as certified teachers. Her contemplative spirit inspired the sisters to work for a balance in their work and prayer (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives; McDonald, pages 73-78, 89).
Schools in south-central Minnesota (1876-1909). In 1875, St. Joseph's parish, situated in the heart of Minneapolis, opened a small school for 50 pupils under the care of the Sisters of Charity. The following year, because of an expected increase in enrollment, the Benedictine Sisters from St. Joseph, MN, were asked to assume charge of the school. By 1882, a large new parish school was built. Within 30 years, the enrollment increased to 400 with 8 sisters teaching (Saint Benedict's Monastery Archives).
Cabinet photograph of Truman Elwell Rickard (1881-1948) in winter attire. In 1904, as a University of Minnesota student, Truman Elwell Rickard (composed the music and wrote the original words for "Hail! Minnesota," which became the Minnesota state song in 1945. Rickard later married Grace Larson, a daughter of L.W. Larson, a prominant early Fosston settler.
Controversy over the doctrine of election (or predestination) rocked the Norwegian Synod in the 1880s. A group called the "Anti-Missourian Brotherhood" split off from the Synod and formed its own seminary in Northfield, Minn. The Norwegian Synod then moved its seminary, Luther Seminary, to Robbinsdale, Minn., in 1888. The seminary was housed in the building depicted here which was destroyed by fire in 1895. After the fire, Luther Seminary temporarily met nearby at the Hotel Georgia.
This house at 44th and West Broadway was a rental property owned by Andrew B. Robbins. Pictured out front are from left to right, Alfred Parker, Mrs. Raliegh Parker, Fred Baker Jr. Bakers's Aunt Mrs Guptel and Mrs. Christensen, the blacksmith's wife. The house was struck by kightening and burned to the ground in 1902.
This cartoon shows Uncle Sam, the G.O.P. elephant and the Tariff catching Cold Storage in the act of raiding a pantry containing eggs, butter, and other foods.
Depositors are walking into the U. S. Postal Savings Bank, which is shown as occupying a giant Uncle Sam's hat. In the background are homes and factories.
This cartoon, published on April 11, 1903, in the Minneapolis Journal, portrays Tom L. Johnson, Cleveland mayor and Democratic contender for his party's nomination for both the Ohio governor's race and the presidential election. Johnson is shown driving an automobile labeled "Auto-Reform" past "Aunty Democracy." Johnson's car is kicking up clouds of dust representing his radical ideas and Socialism. Behind, the Democratic donkey plods along, his ears marked "Old Ideas Dem." The published cartoon's caption read, "A little too fast for Aunty," with the sub-caption, "Aunty Democracy--The odor's pretty bad, Tom--Your new-fangled rig may be all right, but I guess I'll stick to the old donkey yet awhile."
Minnesota Governor John Lind and Minnesota State Democratic Central Committee Chairman L. A. Rosing are shown standing outside the Parker Stables, hanging onto a rope attached to the Minnesota Democratic donkey, who is being tempted by William Randolph Hearst with a pail marked by a dollar sign and containing ears of corn. This cartoon appeared in the Friday, April 1, 1904, edition of the Minneapolis Journal and refers to Minnesota political attitudes toward two of the contenders for nomination to run for president on the Democratic ticket, Hearst and Judge Parker.
Published on the front page of the March 2, 1904, edition of the Minneapolis Journal, this cartoon depicts a husband and wife having coffee at their dining room table. The husband is shaking salt onto the front page of the "Daily Newspaper," whose headlines include "Gigantic Victory for Russian Arms." In the published version, which includes caption and dialog, the wife asks, "Why, John, what in the world is the matter?" He replies, "I'm just taking this St. Petersburg story with a little salt." This is a reference to public response to unconfirmed reports coming from St. Petersburg, Russia, that Russian army forces had overwhelmingly defeated Japanese forces in a land battle in northern Korea, and that a sea battle near Port Arthur had resulted in the sinking of Japanese boats.
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.
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.
Mr. Corwin, helper to Mr. Herman Schlink, poses at right with Herman Schlink, center, and Frank Schlink, brother to Herman and rough carver. Herman Schlink was the master craftsman for all the exterior stone carving on the Turnblad mansion. Completed in 1908, the Swan J. Turnblad mansion was built in the French Chateauesque style. The house became the American Swedish Institute in 1929.
Herman Schlink, stone sculptor for the mansion, poses on the left with his brother, Frank Schlink, who helped with the rough carving, and Mr. Corwin, a helper on the right. Almost completed mansion in the background. Completed in 1908, the Swan J. Turnblad mansion was built in the French Chateauesque style. The house became the American Swedish Institute in 1929.
A man wades through Lake Excelsior in the pouring rain as various animals comment on his plight. This cartoon appeared in the Minneapolis Journal on May 24, 1909.
Published on Thursday, May 6, 1909, this cartoon is divided into two frames. The upper frame shows wheat from Canada being led to flour mills in the United States by the "Tariff Provision by which Canadian wheat may be milled in the United States and have drawback of duty when exported as flour." Its caption reads, "The wheat must go to the mills." The lower frame shows United States flour mills running toward the Canadian border, where a smiling wheat figure beckons to them. Here, Uncle Sam, holding a shepherd's crook tagged "Any kind of a drawback," pursues the mills, hoping to hold them back. This frame's caption reads, "Or the mills will go to the wheat."