The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer.” While this sounds like an adage uttered by an 18th century figure like Ben Franklin, it is in fact an inscription found in Dendera, Egypt, dating back to 2200 B.C. Egyptians drank beer on a daily basis. Furthermore, getting drunk was the norm during … [ Read more]
The Inimitable Robert ‘Fish’ Jones: The dandy zookeeper of Minneapolis
You’re walking down a busy street in Minneapolis in the late 1800s. You have a list of items that you need to purchase, are juggling the parcels you have already picked up, and you are scanning your list to figure out the next place you need to stop. With your head down, ready to fall … [ Read more]
8 Under-the-Radar Minnesota Music Landmarks by Bike
Any tourist can find First Ave, and a quick Google search will take you straight to the house where The Replacements shot their “Let It Be” cover. If you’re a Minnesota music fan ready to take a deeper dive, though, hop on your ride and follow this trail through Minneapolis to just a few of … [ Read more]
Parks—and Water—For the People: The history of Minneapolis’ hand-pump drinking wells
When Minneapolis resident Jessica Rosenberg was a little girl, she and her brother had a special ritual they shared with their grandparents. They would load up the trunk of the car with empty plastic milk jugs and drive from their St. Louis Park home to Lake Harriet. Once there, they’d unload the jugs and walk … [ Read more]
The (not so) complete history of Pierre “Pig’s Eye” Parrant
Given St. Paul’s colorful past, it shouldn’t be surprising that the city’s first resident of European descent was a bar owner with legal troubles, and the first building was his eponymous bar. Pierre “Pig’s Eye” Parrant’s early years are shrouded in mystery. Here are things the historical records seem to agree on: He was born … [ Read more]
A Minnesota foods timeline
Curious about the roots of Minnesota’s diverse food traditions, The Growler embarked on a trip back through time, starting with the state’s earliest inhabitants, to understand the moments in history that shaped how and what Minnesotans eat today. 9000–5000 BC: Paleoindians in this part of the world hunted large game animals, such as mammoth, mastodon, and … [ Read more]
When the NFL came to Duluth: The story of the Eskimos
Minnesota has a long and rich history of professional football. For most of the state’s fans, the mention of pro football immediately conjures images of the icy breaths of the Purple People Eaters suspended in the chilly Metropolitan Stadium air, of Randall Cunningham firing off 60-yard touchdown passes, of missed kicks and four Superbowls. But … [ Read more]
Play ball: Returning to the roots of America’s pastime
Across the northlands each summer people flock to ballparks big and small to revel in the American tradition and pastime of the game we call baseball. They set up their folding chairs along grassy third-base lines, settle into cushioned seats under flashy jumbotrons, or relax on rickety bleachers behind home plate. This tradition dates as … [ Read more]
Ancient tablets reveal life in first-century Roman London
Wooden tablets found under a 1950s office block in the heart of London are the oldest handwritten documents to ever be unearthed in the UK, reports The Guardian. The site was being cleared for a huge new European headquarters for Bloomberg when the tablets were found. The tablets bear the faint marks of words written on bees wax … [ Read more]