Publisher's Note

Minnesota History magazine marks the 175th anniversary of the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Winter 2024–25 issue of the Minnesota History magazine is a celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). MNHS staff present a curated tour of our shared history—across the state and inside the MNHS—with contributions ranging from a close look at one of the most significant artifacts in the MNHS archaeology collections to a fascinating essay that traces the impact of professional historians employed by the Society. The centerpiece of this special issue features 25 objects selected by five curators with compelling narratives that showcase the wide range of our collecting history and the amazing, difficult, and transformational history of our state.

As director of MNHS collections Cecily Marcus writes in the introduction to the special section, “For this milestone anniversary, five of the MNHS’s curators took up a nearly impossible challenge: Choose five objects apiece that reflect the breadth, depth, diversity, and surprise of Minnesota history and all its peoples from MNHS’s collections of more than one million books, artifacts, images, and objects.” Membership in MNHS includes a subscription to Minnesota History. Basic individual memberships are $65; for more information contact the Membership Office at membership@mnhs.org or call 651-259-3131.

New Releases

We are excited to publish the paperback edition of Patty Wetterling's bestselling memoir this month. 

Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope

Patty Wetterling with Joy Baker
Tens of thousands of readers embraced Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope when it was first published in hardcover in 2023. Although the 1989 kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling and the following search for answers has been widely covered by news media, this volume tells the whole story for the first time in Patty's own words. The memoir covers not only the circumstances of the crime and the prolonged investigation that followed, but also the ways the family coped with grief and, thankfully, managed to carry on with their lives. It includes the story of a remarkable friendship between two women, the coauthors of this book, and how their efforts instigated resolution for Jacob’s case and several others. The paperback features a new afterword, and links to an online reader's guide. Pub date: January 14.

Events

Twin Cities Metro

1/15/2025 , 6:30 PM, Jokeda "JoJo" Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms, Fireside Reading Series, Rondo Community Library, St. Paul

1/16/2025, 6:30 PM, (virtual), Christopher P. Lehman, It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom, in conversation with Mary Moore Easter, author of Free Papers, Writer to Writer, Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis

1/22/2025, 6:00 PM, Bruce White and Melanie Benjamin, They Would Not Be Moved: The Enduring Struggle of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to Keep Their Reservation, Next Chapter Booksellers, St. Paul

1/30/2025, 6:00 PM, Jokeda "JoJo" Bell, Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms, Next Chapter Booksellers, St. Paul

2/1/2025, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, John Coy and Chris Park, So Cold!, First Free Saturdays, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Greater Minnesota

2/8/2025, 10:30 AM, Cathy Coats, To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota, Blue Earth County Library, Mankato

In the Media

Chan Poling and Lucy Michell, author and illustrator of The Moons, were featured in Mpls StPaul Magazine, "Essential Minnesota Books to Read from 2024."

John Coy and Chris Park, author and illustrator of So Cold!, were featured in A Fuse 8 Production blog, School Library Journal, "31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Informational Fiction for Kids."

Chan Poling and Lucy Michell, author and illustrator of The Moons; John Coy and Chris Park, author and illustrator of So Cold!; and Bodil Stenseth and Kari Lie Dorer, author and translator of Muus vs. Muus: The Scandal that Shook Norwegian America, were featured in Racket, "A Maudlin Holiday Gift List of 2024 Books by MN Authors."

John Coy, author of So Cold!, was interviewed on WDIO TV, "'So Cold! A book that's fitting for the weather." 

Noteworthy

MNHS Press Cosponsors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Event

Sweet Potato Comfort Pie hosts its tenth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday of Service on January 19, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM, at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley, featuring musical performances, an auction, conversation, and more. The organization describes the celebration as "a chance to share your voice. Join in heartfelt conversations on freedom, history, and how we can come together as we conclude the first quarter of the 21st century." MNHS Press is a proud cosponsor of the event. Sweet Potato Comfort Pie was founded by MNHS Press author Rose McGee, whose picture book Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama!, including illustrations by Christopheraaron Deanes, was released in 2023. 

In Memoriam: Bruce Joshua Miller

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bruce Joshua Miller, a longtime sales representative of Minnesota Historical Society Press as principal of Miller Trade Book Marketing. Bruce was dedicated to supporting university presses and independent bookstores across the Midwest. MNHS Press is proud to have published Curiosity’s Cats: Writers on Research, which he edited, in 2014. Bruce's contributions to the publishing industry will be remembered fondly, and we share our condolences with his family, friends,  and many colleagues. 

New in MNopedia

Civic Caucus

The Civic Caucus is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization that serves as a forum for citizens to learn, analyze, and debate critical public issues in Minnesota. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Minneapolis, the caucus has conducted nearly 600 interviews with civic and business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, elected officials, researchers, academics, and other thought leaders from Minnesota and around the United States to glean their expert knowledge on policy challenges.

Frontenac State Park

Frontenac State Park stretches over 2,600 acres along the widening of the Mississippi River known as Lake Pepin. The park is located in Goodhue County on the Mississippi Flyway, one of four major migratory bird routes in North America. With more than 260 bird species recorded within its boundaries, the park is a prime destination for Minnesota birders.

Forthcoming Releases

The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War, 1914–1920

Greg Gaut
Americans went to war in 1917 literally against Germany but also figuratively against each other. The US decision to send an army to France came during a tumultuous time when, among other social tensions, farmers and workers challenged the wealthy, African Americans struggled against Jim Crow, and women campaigned for suffrage. This book portrays a period when the North Star State witnessed bitter polarization, nativism, flagrant disregard for democratic norms, and intense, occasionally violent, confrontations. Pub date: March 4.

Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing

Molly Beth Griffin, illustrations by Claudia McGehee
Although childhood may be a happy time, sometimes the process of growing up is confusing and unsettling. In Rings of Heartwood, twelve poems about woodland, wetland, and prairie dwellers explore different kinds of growth. From bugs to bats to  bears, the natural world shows readers young and old how to embrace transformation as part of life. In words and art, this book encourages readers of all ages to appreciate the challenge of change and the seasons of life, and to feel a deep kinship with the natural world. Pub date: March 11.

Home Club: Up-and-Comers and Comebacks at Acme Comedy Company

Patrick Strait
Home Club is the story of the Acme Comedy Company in Minneapolis and its owner, Louis Lee, who came from China to Minnesota as a teenager and worked his way from busboy to club owner. Lee spent years hustling, negotiating, and sometimes cutting corners just to keep the business afloat. Today, Acme is one of the most iconic comedy venues in Minnesota, and one of the most respected in the country. It launched the careers of some of Minnesota’s biggest comedians, including Mitch Hedberg, Maria Bamford, and Nick Swardson. Pub date: March 25

Bestselling Backlist

A Guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald's St. Paul by John J. Koblas	The St. Paul Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald by F. Scott Fitzgerald	Tell Me True edited by Patricia Hampl