Ep.01- The Mystery of Slunky Norton
- Alex Weston
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
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.
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 work together at the Minnesota Historical Society, and during their time there they came across the incredible story of Slunky Norton—a chimney sweep, entertainer, bugler, Santa Claus, philanthropist, radio host, and beloved local celebrity.
But wait! There’s more!
Our original edit of this episode was about twice as long, mostly because we went on a deep dive into the broader history of chimneysweeps. We talked about the evolution of the profession from its origins in the 1500s through the 20th century, and looked at regional differences between chimney sweeping in Britain, the US, and continental Europe.
Ultimately, we decided to cut most of this background material and keep the episode focused on Slunky and Saint Paul. However, we think it was a really interesting conversation full of fascinating discoveries and one that really helps put Slunky in the context of a long history of chimney sweeps who doubled as entertainers. So we’re going to be releasing that conversation as a special Bonus episode in just a few days. We think you’ll enjoy it. Be sure to subscribe or follow in the podcast app of your choice so you don't miss it.
Meanwhile, we’ll be back next Wednesday with another all-new topic.
Shownotes:
This was a quote-heavy episode, with our hosts reading from quite a few primary sources, (Don't worry, most episodes won't have us reading so much.)
The quotes that first drew our attention to the existence of Slunky were from the diary of Mary T. Hill, wife of Great Northern Railway President James J. Hill:
Wednesday, May 31, 1899:
“Mary and James have had novel amusement this forenoon. Slunky Norton is cleaning the chimneys and from their tops he every little while blows a blast or plays a tune on his horn. Mary feels grieved this afternoon her Parrot has died.”
Wednesday, April 30, 1902:
“Slunky Norton is cleaning the chimneys to-day—and consequently James is rather glad that he is at home to witness the performance.”
Our next major source was an article by Albert Lindeke, Jr., “Slunky Norton: The Chimney Sweep Who Rocked the Rafters with His Buglers.” (Ramsey County History. 37:4, Winter 2003)
From there, it was further and further down the rabbit hole as we searched digitized newspaper databases. Eventually we found an interview with the man himself, published in the Saint Paul Globe in 1898, which we quoted from extensively. You can find that whole article here.
Here is a full list of the newspaper articles we consulted, in chronological order:
-Saint Paul Globe, October 21, 1883, page 3.
-Brainerd Dispatch, September 7, 1888, page 4.
-Griffin, Aletha. “Chimney Sweep’s Hat,” Minneapolis Journal, March 18, 1889, page 20.
-Fargo Daily Argus, September 7, 1889, page 8.
-Fargo Daily Argus, September 15, 1889, page 8.
-Great Falls Leader, March 3, 1892, page 8.
-Minneapolis Daily Times, June 8, 1893, page 2.
-“She Owned the Earth,” Star Tribune, June 8, 1893, pages 5,6.
-“Protestant Asylum: Santa Claus Gladdened the Hearts of the Orphans.” Saint Paul Globe, December 26, 1895, page 2.
-“Doran is Named,” Saint Paul Globe, April 12, 1896, page 1, 5.
-Star Tribune, November 9, 1896, page 5.
-“To Be a Work of Art,” Saint Paul Globe, January 3, 1897, page 4
-”With Future Magnates,” Saint Paul Globe, May 11, 1897, p. 5.
-Saint Paul Globe, January 20, 1898, page 8.
-“Descendant of Schiller: Slunkey Norton, St. Paul’s Chimney Sweep,” Saint Paul Globe, April 17, 1898, page 1.
-Griffing, Aletha. “The Chimney Sweep’s Hat,” Minneapolis Journal, March 18, 1899, page 20.
-“Chimney Sweep Wanted,” Saint Paul Globe, October 2, 1899, page 7.
-Gillette, C. M. “By the Mighty Mississippi,” The Vermont Watchman, April 14, 1897, page 2
-Saint Paul Globe, December 25, 1902, page .
-“With the Amateurs,” Saint Paul Globe, June 24, 1904, page.6.
-Saint Paul Globe, July 19, 1904, page 6.
-Peterson, Inez. “The Man With A Horn,” Minneapolis Journal, April 21st, 1907, page 38.
-Minneapolis Journal, September 22, 1917, page 12.
-“Radio Programs,” Minneapolis Tribune, December 22, 1924, page 9.
-“Chimney Sweep Dies,” Minneapolis Star, December 23, 1930, page 2.
-“Louis A. Stolpp Dies,” Minneapolis Tribune, December 23, 1930, page 2.
-Light, Paul. “Slunky Norton Lore,” Pioneer Press, June 19, 1944, page 8.
-“LOOKING BACK: ‘Good Old Days’ aren’t quite gone,” Star Tribune, April 4, 1981, page 14.
Other Sources Cited:
Cullingford, Benita. British Chimney Sweeps: Five Centuries of Chimney Sweeping. Bloomsbury: New York. 2001.
“Foyer and Vestibule,” Minnesota Governor’s Residence Website. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://mn.gov/admin/governors-residence/inside/virtual-tour/foyer-vestibule/
Lindeke, Albert, Jr. “Slunky Norton: The Chimney Sweep Who Rocked the Rafters with His Buglers.” Ramsey County History, 37:4, Winter 2003. https://rchs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/RCHS_Winter2003_Lindeke.pdf
Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017, “Stolpp, Louis A.”
Phillips, George Lewis. American Chimney Sweeps: An Historical Account of a Once Important Trade. Trenton: Past Times Press, 1957.
Phillips, George Lewis. “Street Cries of the American Chimney Sweepers,” New York Folklore Quarterly, 8:3, Autumn 1952, pp. 191-198.
Saint Paul City Directories, 1880-1930.
US Census Bureau, United States Federal Censuses, 1850-1940.
Podcast Credits:
Minnesota Unknown is produced, hosted, written, and researched by Alex Weston, Hannah Norton, and Josie Bergmann. This episode was edited by Alex Weston. Our theme song is by Union Shakedown. This episode is copyright 2025 by Minnesota Unknown, LLC. All rights reserved.
If you would like to cite this episode in a scholarly work, use the following:
Weston, Alex, Hannah Norton, and Josie Bergmann. “Ep.1 - The Mystery of Slunky Norton.” Minnesota Unknown. Produced by Minnesota Unknown LLC. October 22, 2025. Podcast, mp3 audio, 23:29. https://rss.com/podcasts/minnesota-unknown/2281066/
If you have questions, comments, corrections, complaints, or compliments, or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please email us at info@minnesotaunknown.com. We’d truly love to hear from you!