Tipis stand at Mni Owe Sni (Coldwater Spring), a sacred site for the Dakota and other tribes, across from the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in the Unorganized Territory of Fort Snelling. (Kerem Yücel | MPR News) Bdóte, the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, has been a site of incalculable spiritual, cultural, and historical significance to the Dakota people for centuries. However, today this sacred landscape is contained within an area officially kno

Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, as "drawn from remembrance by a phsyiognomist" in 1892. Credit: MNHS “Did you know the city of Saint Paul used to be called ‘Pig’s Eye’?” It’s a favorite “fun fact” repeated by local know-it-alls, (note: as “know-it-alls” ourselves, we use that term with respect), confirmed by every book written to date on the history of Saint Paul. It’s a great story. There’s just one problem with it: most of it is not true. Join us as we learn the TRUE story of “

Illustration from the Minneapolis Daily Times , June 19, 1904, Page 27. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there have been zero recorded fatal bear attacks in Minnesota. However, that’s not technically true. Join us for the harrowing tale of the fatal bear attack THEY don’t want you to know about, which occurred in Mankato in 1934. (Content Warning: animal death, fatal bear attack) Images Here is a postcard showing the SIbley Park Zoo in the early 19

A pigeon being placed in the nose cone of the Pelican bomb developed for Project Pigeon, 1943. During WWII, one of the most daunting engineering challenges facing the military was how to design a bomb that could actually hit its intended target. University of Minnesota professor of psychology B. F. Skinner believed that he had the answer: the US could train pigeons to guide missiles. Aiding him in this Quixotic quest would be an unlikely partner: General Mills (yes, the cerea

Rescue crews returning after finally reaching the surviving crew of the S.S. Mataafa , November 29th, 1905. This week, the Witch of November has come stealin' again as we bring you the truly EPIC tale of a storm that was remembered for decades by residents of Minnesota’s North Shore as the “Storm of the Century.” An inland cyclone blew across Lake Superior on November 27th, 28th, and 29th of 1905, sinking 29 ships and claiming 36 lives. This episode has everything, from the m

Every Man Knew , by David Conklin, 1995. Credit: Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. "The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy..." -Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Fifty years ago this week, the iron ore freighter S.S, Edmund Fitzgerald sank beneath the icy waters of Lake Superior, claiming the lives of 29 sailors. In this episode, we recount her harrowing final voyage, and examine why, out of the hundreds

The Chauncey Griggs mansion at 476 Summit Ave, in St. Paul, MN. Photo: Alex Weston. Welcome everyone, to part two of a two-part series on what are alleged to be Minnesota’s most haunted houses. If you haven't listened to last week’s episode , we recommend that you do so, as this one picks up pretty much where that one left off. (Content Warning: suicide, death, and a brief allusion to sexual assault) Now, as a refresher, last week we discussed the Forepaugh mansion in St. Pau

The Forepaugh mansion was built in 1870 for dry goods merchant and shoe manufacturer Joseph Forepaugh and his wife Mary. Today, the mansion is famous for two things: fine dining, and being among the most haunted places in the state. (Content Warning: suicide, death, depression, sexual exploitation) The Forepaugh mansion in 2024. Photo by Alex Weston. Rumors of a haunting started soon after the historic mansion was converted into a restaurant in 1976. Customers and staff alike

From the St. Paul Globe, June 19, 1887, p. 7. Welcome to a very special BONUS episode of Minnesota Unknown! This is a companion piece to our first episode , which covered a bugle-playing chimney sweep named Skunky Norton who was a beloved local celebrity in St. Paul at the turn of the 20th century. You don’t necessarily have to have heard our first episode to understand this one, though we do hope you’ll check it out if you haven’t already. Our original edit of the first epi

At the turn of the 20th century, the most beloved celebrity in St. Paul, Minnesota was a bugle-playing chimney sweep named Slunky (or Slunkey) Norton. Portrait of "Slunkey" Norton published in the Saint Paul Globe, 4/17/1898 For our inaugural episode, hosts Hannah, Alex, and Josie provide an origin story for Minnesota Unknown  by bringing listeners along with them down a research rabbit hole that has long been an obsession for these local history nerds. The three used to wor

Introducing Minnesota Unknown, a brand-new local history podcast.