Minnesota Then
The Big Story
The Beer Baron's Palace on Cable Avenue
Theodore Hamm built one of St. Paul's grandest homes on a brewing fortune. Within a single lifetime, the city was fighting to save it from the wrecking ball.
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On This Day
A Daily Dispatch from Minnesota's Past
Every date on the calendar holds a Minnesota story. Here's what happened on this one.
Today in Minnesota History
Pulling today's dispatch…
Then & Now
The Sign That Refused to Go Dark
The Grain Belt Beer sign has watched over the Mississippi since the 1940s — outlasting the brewery, the bottling line, and very nearly itself. Drive along West River Parkway today and it's still there, still lit, a piece of 1940s Minneapolis hiding in plain sight.
See how it survived
Lost Minnesota
Places That Aren't There Anymore
Minnesota Then exists because so much of Minnesota doesn't. These are a few of the places worth remembering.
Demolished 1956
The Ballpark Comiskey Built
Two grandstand fires and 59 seasons couldn't kill Lexington Park. A parking lot finally did.
1893
The Night Northeast Nearly Burned Down
A single blaze reshaped entire blocks of Minneapolis in one long night.
Retired 1999
The Mascot Every Minnesotan Remembers
For decades Hamm's Bear sold beer with a grin. Then the brand, and the bear, quietly disappeared.
Dismantled 1914
The Log Jam That Built a State
For nearly 60 years the St. Croix Boom sorted 15 billion board feet of timber. Today the site is a quiet riverside park along the same water.
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Collections Worth Getting Lost In
Follow a thread across dozens of stories at once.
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