Minnesota History

South St. Paul history teacher mourns demolition of stockyard landmark
The Armour Gates that stood in South St. Paul for over a hundred years are coming down despite efforts to save them. Social studies teacher Mark Westpfahl got his students involved in the push for preservation.
'Water's got power': MPR archive interview with local sailor day after Edmund Fitzgerald sank
On Nov. 11, 1975, MPR News reporter Claudia Hampston spoke to a boat engineer of the Harbormasters’ Club about what he thinks happened to the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sinking: Remembering the Great Lakes shipwreck 50 years later
50 years ago, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, killing 29 men. MPR News guest host Dan Kraker talks with a Great Lakes historian about the ship’s final, fateful voyage and what the ore carrier’s shocking sinking means to Minnesotans. 
50 years later, the legacy of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald looms as large as ever
The exact cause of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking is still a mystery, but the lasting legacy is this: There were more than 6,000 shipwrecks on the Great Lakes in the century prior to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Not one commercial vessel has sunk since.
New documentary follows divers down to wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald
Executive producer Joe Augustine joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Thursday to talk about making the short film and the divers’ theories behind the Fitzgerald’s fate.
Record attendance expected for Edmund Fitzgerald memorial ceremony at Split Rock Lighthouse
Organizers of the annual Edmund Fitzgerald memorial ceremony at Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota’s North Shore say next month’s event is now sold out — with record-breaking attendance expected on the 50th anniversary of the wreck.
Huge crowd expected for 50th anniversary memorial of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Two thousand people are expected at the 50th anniversary commemoration of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald at Split Rock Lighthouse on the North Shore of Lake Superior on Nov. 10.
Minnesota’s Norwegian history: A primer as the crown prince visits
In preparation for the prince’s visit, a professor provides a primer, or perhaps a refresher, on Norwegian history in Minnesota. Visiting assistant professor of Norwegian at St. Olaf College Caitlin Sackrison spoke to Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Tuesday.
Little Falls community hopes to reopen Lindbergh’s shuttered home before centennial of historic flight
Since Labor Day weekend, visitors have been able to follow a self-guided interpretive trail on the property, but the buildings are no longer open. The closure was a disappointing blow to the Little Falls community, whose identity is intertwined with the famous aviator.