Thanks to Jack for this. Interesting, because here is how I responded to
Wizard's reply/question(s):
> As one who came here as an adult, the twin cities are more fraternal twins
> than not. The Census Bureau wants to make life easier for it's purposes,
> but the twins are "our" cities. I don't think I want the Census Bureau to
> change my name. To carry that to a farther conclusion, of course, the
> names would be in Dakotah--and probably were once. Is there any advantage
> to either St. Paul or Minneapolis to letting the Census Bureau have its way
> with us? Wizard Marks, Central
Well, Wizard, the history of these "fraternal" twins is not pretty,
starting with the 1890 census when both cities cheated the hell out of the
numbers, padding them with dead folks and double-counting employees who
didn't live in the cities. St. Paul thought it had caught Minneapolis with a
raid on its counting room, but it backfired when an investigation caught St.
Paul in the headlights as well.
It was bad karma for both and, thanks to newspapers inflaming the wars and
fights among the elite, like Washburn and Lowry in Minneapolis and James J.
Hill in St. Paul for control of the area economy and transportation. All
attempts at reconciliation fell apart as each power broker tries various
ways to step on the others' toes as the decades wore on between 1880 and
1920. It didn't help that St. Paul capitalists lost their shirts twice
during the city's development - in 1857 and 1893. Bad timing all 'round.
St. Paul only had one earlier name: Pig's Eye, named for a French,
liquor-peddling rascal, Pierre (Pig's Eye) Parrant, who was shoved downriver
from the Fort Snelling compound along with several other early settlers
around 1820, 1830 for "security" reasons. Parrant's bar along the lower
levee was sort of city central until Father Lucien Galtier established his
small mission church of St. Paul up the street, and the settlement there
took on the church's name.
Minneapolis is a concoction born of the milling elitists from New England,
who combined the Chippewa/Ojibway name for water - Minne - and the Greek
word for city - polis - to arrive at Minneapolis - City of Lakes. Minnehaha
is Ojibway for "laughing waters."
It's left to us whose vision is broader to heal these wounds, right? :-)
Andy Driscoll
St. Paul Lover of Minneapolis Too.
--
"Whatever keeps you from your work is your work."
Albert Camus
> From: "ferma001" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 16:14:41 -0500
> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: What's in a name - St Paul
>
> Andy put up an interesting bit of St Paul history. Here is another bit,
> tho 40 years later.
> *****************************
>
> THE CENSUS WAR WITH ST. PAUL
>
> Illustrative of the varying elements in city building was the census war
> of 1890 between- Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some of the solidest citizens
> of Minneapolis were involved in that conflict; some of the results of
> their enterprise included invasion and counter-invasion; and linked with
> forcible seizure of census schedules by St. Paul was the expedition of
> Minneapolis men which culminated in recovery of the kidnaped enumerators
> and stolen schedules after one of their number, he asserted, had been
> "kicked sixteen feet." It was inevitable that a recount by the Government
> followed, and the conclusion which the inspector of the census drew was
> that Mlinneapolis and St. Paul had each been the scene of a conspiracy of
> over-zealous citizens to "pad" the returns. Minneapolis, it was
> asserted, had listed 20,000 too many inhabitants, and St. Paul had shown
> enterprise in proportion to its relative population total. Out of the
> warfare sprang up intensity of feeling which endured for many- years;
> which for a decade made united action by the two cities impossible, and
> which still flares up occasionally, but quite too frequently, in
> inter-city contention.
>
> ****************** end of quote***************
>
>
>
> John Ferman
> Harriet Avenue
> Kingfield Neighborhood
> Minneapolis
> Ward 10 Pct 10
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
