In my search for the root of organized crime in Minneapolis, I signed up for an online service which gives me access to newspaper clippings which I have  been prowling through.  Why not, I thought, share some of these articles, starting at the earliest clippings and working or way up to give us some historical context?  Take this one, for instance, which is from the Boston Herald, 1854, which was one of the earliest references I have found so far to Minneapolis.

An “OLD INHABITANT.” The St. Anthony’s Express says that in the town of Minneapolis, Iowa, an old mud turtle was recently captured, upon whose venerable back was found the date “1765″ in legible figures. The inscription it is supposed was carved upon his shell, eigthy-five years since, by some of the early French voyageurs. 

- Boston Evening Transcript

How fun is that?  I tried to find a Minneapolis, Iowa, just in case there was such a place, but nothing popped up. I’d take a deeper look at the content and break it down historically, but I just got a call from my friend, Melanie, and she wants to go out and hit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts which I haven’t seen for a while.   Gotta go.

It’s fun to hear nice things about a book I’ve written, but it is an entirely different story to have to hear the painful truth about my errors or misconceptions.  I have read several reviews of my first book, Hidden History of the Minnesota River Valley which point out inaccuracies about the Native American history portion of the book. And although it may look like I’m being an adult about this as I post the following comment, inside I’m feeling about five years old. 

I recieved the following posting from Daniel:

“I recently read exerpts of your book and found several innacccuracies.  I am a trained Historian and Historical/Cultural Geographer who has spent seventeen years researching Minnesota history with specialization in the Minnesota River Valley and southern Minnesota.  Several of the people that you have interviewed are friends of mine whom I have worked with numerous times.  I am discouraged that in many instances you have taken only one perspective and written it down as fact, this can be a very dangerous thing to do.  Your data is also questionable such as your comment that the Dakota population was reduced by 95% as a result of the Dakota War – I know for a fact that this is not true and I have the data to back it up.  I would suggest that you interview a wider collection of experts as well as additional Dakota people before you make your findings public because I have several friends within the Dakota Community who would take umbrage with some of your claims. 
Myself and other experts have worked hard for many years to try and interpret and then tell a balanced and accurate history which includes the polyvocal nature of the region.  Therefore it is important that when one of us find inaccuracies or errors in a public forum we seek out the source and try and help.”

I hate the thought of insulting the Dakota Community, if anything, my intention was quite the opposite.  Thank you Daniel, for your taking the time to share your insights. You made some very important points.

I’ll be going to my bedroom now to suck my thumb.

I headed out to Granite Falls in southwestern Minnesota to visit my childhood friend Cindy yesterday.  The routine when I make this two-and-a-half hour trip is an hour of catching up at Cindy’s house, then off to The Grinder Coffee House for lunch.  We love, love, love that place!

The day was overcast with a storm threatening, and sure enough, while we ate our sandwiches made with croissants, the rain began and we sat contentedly watching from our cozy table. When we were finished with a dessert of stout coffee and chocolate chip cookies, we dodged the rain and ran to my car so we could browse at the local dollar store and antique shop on main street where I picked up a couple of music CD’s and a little tiny antique crock.

I then got the brilliant idea of driving up to the City Cemetery where I was hoping to get a look at Andrew Volstead’s grave – the man who helped push the eighteenth ammendment through congress to establish the prohibition of liquor. Cindy and I have always gotten a sort of thrill out of graveyards and yesterday was no exception. Here’s the thing.  we never did find the Volstead grave, but we discovered something remarkable.

We found what looked like a Civil War memorial and as I got closer to it, while snapping a few photos,  I was suddenly startled. There, before me, were two bright blue eyes looking out of the soldier’s stone face. It was unsettling.

I reckon we hadn’t had quite enough thrilIs just yet and continued touring the cemetery where we were surprised to find a tombstone memorializing a young woman named Minnie Sota, wife of A. J. Daves who died December 3, 1880 at the age of 19 years and 11 months.

 I assured the dead that I meant no disrespect taking photos, then Cindy and I returned to her house where we joined her husband Bill in his man-cave to watch the movie ”The Burbs.” That was kind of spooky too in a funny kind of way. We were saying how lucky we were that we hadn’t yet stirred up any malevolent spirits in our pursuits and Cindy reminded me how the movie “The Exorcist” had scared us to pieces when we were in high school.

On the way home I stuck one of the Dollar Store CD’s into my player and was enjoying a variety of music when what should suddenly fill my car but the strains of Tubular Bells – also known as the “Theme from the Exorcist.”

No kidding. True story.

Historian Gary Anderson with his father’s 1920′s banjo.

My friend and historian Gary Anderson from Richfield, Minnesota was kind enough to perform at my presentation in the Special Collections Section of the Hennepin County Library in downtown Minneapolis.  The topic was the history of Organized Crime in Minneapolis which began really taking on a life of its own in the 1920′s with the onset of prohibition.

Gary reeled off songs from the 20′s and he looked the part in his two-tone shoes and his derby hat.  In case you were wondering, Gary is available to perform at local functions and is a font of historical information. He can be contacted at dozinggoat@hotmail.com.

It was a wonderful day with a great turnout to share my research with. The audience was bright and attractive, with great questions and comments.  The library, for its part, hosted us in their Special Collections room with plush chairs and a collection of Audubon Prints. All of my angst leading up to the event was for nothing.

Mr. X did not show up for the reading but I think he would have been pleased. I’ve got a ways to go before my manuscript will be completed, but even at that it took me an hour and a half to get through the information I had to present.

If the audience was bored, they were polite enough not to show it.  But then most of them were from Minnesota, so you can be certain they were raised right!

Log Cabin in Jordan, Minnesota.

My friend Melanie and I recently took a road trip to Jordan in the Minnesota Rivery Valley south the the Twin Cities. We go to Jordan every once in a while to get a taste of small town U.S.A. We’re just a couple of old farmers daughters still connected to the land. We discovered there are impressive horse farms around Jordan – did you know that?

The Vinery Floral Shop 

I am not a shopper, but Melanie is, so we stopped in a wonderful little shop called The Vinery Floral, but it was so much more than that. This shop is the perfect example of a woman following her bliss. The proprietor is full of life and enthusiasm.  Her business has that old-fashioned mercantile feel to it.

 Clothing for Sale. 

The store is full of things the she loves, and has made, and it turns out Melanie and I loved a lot them too.They carrry a line of clothings that is just this side of wild. Oh, if only I were 20 years younger!

Watkins Products

I found a section that was more my speed with familiar products that, lets face it, would look great just sitting on a shelf as memorabilia even if you never used it. We picked things up and considered them and then Melanie bought a pillow – her second one really - to match the one she had purchased the last time she was in town.

I know Melanie is a fan of The Vinery Floral because she has been there again since I took these photos.  Obviously, it’s just that good. 

My friend Marcie sent me an email saying I might be interested in a movie called  Spirits of St. Paul – The Gangster Era that was playing at the St. Anthony Main movie theater. So Big Carl and I made plans to attend.

We enjoyed it a great deal, though it lacked a soundtrack.  I can be fooled into thinking any movie is a good one if the music is powerful. I’d actually like to see it again. Who knew all of these shenanigans were going on under everyone’s nose?

Afterward we wandered down to the AsterCafe with its doors flung wide open onto the riverfront and the wind and fresh air flooding in. Here’s a tip. If you see a one o’clock matinee at the theater, you’ll be just in time for the happy hour special  at the Aster Cafe which includes half price off of their flatbreads and cheese plates – which is what Carl and I ordered.. The riverfront was as lovely as I have ever seen it and people were everywhere, rollerblading, riding those funny little segways . . . it was wonderful. Oh heck. ”Wonderful” isn’t a big enough word for the kind of afternoon we enjoyed.

Now, if only we had put money in the parking meter. Note to self: parking meters require money on Sunday afternoons on St. Anthony Main. If you forget, it’ll cost you $40 bucks.  And you can take that to the bank.

I received a voicemail from Mr. X, the organized crime member who is working with me on my new book about the history of organized crime in Minneapolis. In his message he told me that the author of Uncle Al Capone, Dierdre Capone, has read my book, Twin Cities Prohibition . . . AND she enjoyed it!  Mr. X calls me from a host of different phone numbers, and the only way I can contact him is by letter and then I wait to hear from him.

Some of my friends and family worry about me as I dig into the past, but I assure them I am not an investigative journalist and most of what I know is from sources available to the public, although one of my main sources of information is a cache of documents sent to me by the grandson of investigative journalist Walter Liggett.  My friend Kathy, at work, has suggested I stop my research at about 1940, but I told her there is so much more to write about, including the birth of the southern Minneapolis gang, the “Baldies,” of which Mr. X was once a member.

If any of you met Mr. X, you would find him extremely likeable.  I can’t help it, I must press on. It helps me understand a little bit better just how this big bad world of ours operates.

I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust Mother Nature.  I mean really, who has ever heard of nights too warm and humid to sleep  during the month of March in MINNESOTA?  That’s completely unreasonable and I don’t know why she’s doing it, but I can’t help thinking there is a big kick in the seat of the pants waiting for us in the form of a big old snowstorm. It may even be a bit of wishful thinking.

I don’t like heat.  My face gets bright red and my hair sweats and I get irritable.  And I can’t help worrying about how long and hot summer is going to be if we’re dealing with this nonsense already.  Of course Big Carl loves it, but he doesn’t know any better.And I can’t talk him out of enjoying it, so we have to agree to disagree. 

Thank goodness it has cooled down again to a reasonable temperature for the time being.

Am I wrong about this?