Saturday, December 29, 2012
Local photographers, age 8 and older, may submit up to two photographs reflecting the theme "Human Faces of Dakota County" for the chance to have their pictures hung in a gallery.
Editor's Note: The following is a news release from Dakota County about its annual photography contest. Photographers looking to display their work can submit their original photos to be considered for a new exhibit planned for March 2013. Photographers, age 8 and older, must live in Dakota County and may submit up to two photographs reflecting the theme "Human Faces of Dakota County". The submission deadline has been extended and submissions are now due by Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. The photography exhibit is one of the ways the Dakota County Public Art Citizen Advisory Committee, in partnership with the Dakota County Historical Society, is working to make local art more accessible to residents. The committee will review the submissions and…
Saturday, August 25, 2012
A 1945 ad for an insurance agent addresses the new Minnesota Motor Vehicle Responsibility Law.
June 1, 1945: In 1945, State Farm was there. Local State Farm Insurance agent Roy Harmer's ad in the Dakota County Tribune attempted to drum up business from automobile owners by mentioning the new Minnesota Motor Vehicle Responsibility law. Though the first car insurance legislation in Minnesota was passed in 1933, the 1945 law that replaced it "required a driver or owner involved in a motor vehicle accident causing personal injury, death, or property damage in excess of fifty dollars to furnish security in an amount sufficient to satisfy any judgment against the driver or owner arising from the accident," according to the paper "A Primer on Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance" by William Mitchell College of Law Professor Michael K. …
Saturday, July 14, 2012
In 1952, a last-minute switch among Minnesota delegates to the Republican National Convention propelled Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to capture the Republican nomination for president.
July 18, 1952: While they might not have realized it at the time, the Minnesota delegation to the Republican National Convention in 1952 played a significant role in determining the next president of the United States. Twenty-eight Minnesotans ventured to Chicago in July that year to cast their votes, with a choice between Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Minnesota's own Harold Stassen. Their original split was 19 for Eisenhower, nine for Stassen, which likely would've propelled Ike to victory anyway, but "at the crucial moment," the nine Stassen-ers switched their votes, which clinched the nomination for Eisenhower, the Dakota County Tribune reported at the time. In November, Eisenhower won by a mile (or maybe more), with 442 electoral votes…
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Pluto was discovered in 1930, beginning its brief stint as a bona fide planet.
Follow Lakeville Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter April 25, 1930: Readers of the West St. Paul Booster and Dakota County Globe learn more about the recently discovered ninth planet in the solar system. This yet-to-be-named planet is a fraction of the size of Neptune, and according to the graphic, is thought to be a similar diameter as earth. The dark and distant planet was eventually dubbed "Pluto," the Roman name for the Greek god of the underworld. In the 1970s, atronomers were able to determine that the ninth planet is a fraction of the size and mass of earth. It was all downhill from there. In 2006, Pluto was demoted from planet status to "dwarf planet" for not being the dominant object in its…
Saturday, May 26, 2012
How large was your town 82 years ago?
June 6, 1930: Preliminary numbers are in for the 1930 Census, and Dakota County is growing. County-wide, the population increased by 5,618 over the previous 10 years, reports the West St. Paul Booster and Dakota County Globe. Most of that growth was centered in West St. Paul, South St. Paul and Hastings. Smaller towns such as Lakeville (pop. 999) Rosemount (pop. 692) and Burnsville (pop. 490) also recorded modest growth. Apple Valley was still called Lebanon, Mendota Heights had yet to be incorporated, and the village of Mendota boasted 173 residents—shockingly, only 25 fewer residents than it reported in the 2010 census 80 years later.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Lakeville high school students in 1945 sold more than enough war bonds to buy a $1,165 Jeep.
May 18, 1945: High school students in Lakeville took part in the World War II effort from home, selling war bonds to their peers and teachers to raise a total of $1,426. This photo from the Dakota County Tribune shows student council members in the $1,165 vehicle they decided to purchase—what their intentions were for the Jeep in the long term, however, the photo caption does not say. Pictured are student council members, from back row left: Marilyn LeVelle, Gene Tragar, Floyd Hartman, Dick Gephart; middle row: Cecelia Streefland, Milly Murphy, Marcella Dawson, JoAnn Cahill, Phyllis Yung; front row: Dean LaVelle, Marshall Airhart, Bob Steele. Oh, and just in case you were wondering: That $1,426 raised in 1945 has the same buying power as $…
Saturday, May 12, 2012
This vision eventually became one of the most distinctive architectural features in the country.
Aug. 8, 1930: An architect's rendering of the proposed Golden Gate Bridge makes the front page of the Dakota County Globe and West St. Paul Booster. Construction would not start for another three years, and would not be complete until 1937. The bridge spans over the San Francisco Bay's outlet to the Pacific Ocean, and was, at the time, the longest suspension bridge ever built. Its distinctive orange paint can be found in countless vacation photos from travelers around the world. You can check out more events, exhibits and archives at the Dakota County Historical Society, 130 Third Avenue N, South St. Paul. Lakeville Patch loves
Friday, August 12, 2011
This Dakota County attorney rose to leave his mark on international affairs.
Harold Stassen was born in West St. Paul on April 13, 1907. By the age of 22, Stassen had already received both bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Minnesota. Always the upstart, Stassen organized the law firm of Stassen, Ryan & Olson in South St. Paul in 1929. Just one year later, Stassen was elected to be Dakota County attorney. Following two terms as county attorney, Stassen was elected the 25th governor of Minnesota in 1937, becoming the youngest governor in the nation at age 31. Minnesotans re-elected Stassen in 1939 and again in 1941, even after Stassen told voters he planned to seek active military duty if war erupted. The escalation of World War II prompted Stassen to resign on April 26, 1943 and report to Great …
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Born in Hastings, this Minnesotan became the first female chief librarian in the United States.
Gratia Countryman was born in Hastings in 1866. She graduated from Hastings High School in 1882 at the age of fifteen and from the University of Minnesota in 1889. Countryman was one of only two women to receive bachelor's degrees from the University of Minnesota in 1889. Immediately after college, Countryman was hired as an assistant librarian at the Minneapolis Public Library. Countryman was influential in helping create the State Library Commission in 1899. After fifteen years as assistant librarian, Countryman was made chief librarian of the Minneapolis Public Library, becoming the first female chief librarian in any major United States city. During her 32 years as chief librarian, the Minneapolis Public Library grew tremendously. The …
Saturday, June 18, 2011
A former Georgia slave started a new life on General William LeDuc's estate in Hastings.
Born into slavery in Georgia between 1829 and 1845, George Washington Daniels went on to serve on both sides of the Civil War, work in Minnesota, and become a prominent and respected farmer in South Dakota. Forced to serve in the Confederate Army, Daniels escaped in the aftermath of a battle by pretending he was dead and then sneaking across the Union army lines. It was around this time that Daniels first met General William LeDuc, for whom he would work for the remainder of the war. With the conclusion of the war, LeDuc hired Daniels to transport his horses from Washington, D.C. to Hastings. Upon arriving in Hastings, Daniels moved into the carriage barn at the LeDuc mansion and served as a hired hand. Daniels’ working relationship …
Marcus Anderson
11:57 am on Saturday, May 12, 2012
Excellent new feature, combining my love of history to my desire of local news in my new hometown of Lakeville, MN in Dakota County. Great idea, the Patch is so underrated. Thanks for the great work! more ›