On December 16th, 2011, the last Ford Ranger standard truck left the assembly line and paint shop and not long afterward the doors were chained and locked. Then it was my turn.
history under ground
Saint Paul-MN
Ford’s Twin Cities Plant & Sand Mines
Fort Snelling’s Upper Bluff
St. Paul, MN
Fort Snelling was first sold off in 1858, long after Minnesota had lost its status as a frontier state, but the Civil War and conflicts between settlers and the Dakota renewed the need for a […]
Hamm’s Brewery
Saint Paul, MN
For 133 years, Hamm’s brewed good, cheap beer. “From the land of sky blue waters,” their jingle went, never finishing the sentence: “Comes the corporate takeover.” This post packs a childhood memory, the story of Hamm’s from its founding to recent demolitions. So sit down, crack a cold one, and…
Island Station
Power Plant
Saint Paul, MN
This is my goodbye to a St. Paul power plant currently being demolished: ISLAND STATION. It served in a limited capacity from 1924 to 1973, but its iconic steel smokestack left an impression on me and thousands of other St. Paul residents, past and present.
Lowertown Depot
(The Standard Oil Warehouse)
Saint Paul, MN
Lowertown Depot is neither a depot, nor is it in Lowertown. Its past is equally obtuse, blending the history of a railroad, an oil company, and the sandstone bluffs of St. Paul themselves.
Municipal Grain Terminal
Saint Paul, MN
This 1931 barge loader irked the City of St. Paul for decades–it literally sits over the Mississippi River, making it troublesome to demolish. It turns out that this concrete tower lasted just long enough to get redeveloped. See how, and learn the whole story.
Palace Theatre
Saint Paul, MN
People live on top of it now, ever since the Francis Hotel was turned into apartments. There’s a chunk of the building that nobody can get into though, and it has been that way for a while. St. Paul’s lost stage.
Schmidt Brewery
Saint Paul, MN
After 150 years of digging, brewing and burning, Schmidt Brewery still rules the West Side. Here is a story of new beginnings, starring a cave and a castle. It starts in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1855…
Selby Streetcar Tunnel
Saint Paul, MN
The Selby Tunnel extended 1,500 feet under a chunk of downtown Saint Paul and some thought it was lost. It isn’t. Here’s what it looks like today.
Yoerg’s Brewery Cellars
Saint Paul, MN
When a brewery cave system from the 1870s opens its lungs for a breath of downtown air, you better jump in head first, or you might never get another chance. Journey underground to see the panoramic and multi-level cave with ceilings of sand and stairs of stone.