During World War II, a total of 165 men from Minnesota’s smallest towns gave their lives for our country. Several were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, and Bronze Star. All received the award no one wanted: the Purple Heart. Most of their stories have never been told publicly. Little Minnesota in World War II, by Jill A. Johnson and Deane L. Johnson, honors these brave men from the smallest rural towns. From John Emery (who died December 7, ...

The Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Harry S. Truman, whose presidency included momentous events from the atomic bombing of Japan to the outbreak of the Cold War and the Korean War, told by America’s beloved and distinguished historian.The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramati...

Lake Superior's North Shore—the vast stretch between Duluth and Grand Portage—is nearly 150 miles long, with an abundance of state parks, state and national forests, streams and rivers, and more than thirty distinct communities representing a broad range of ethnic and religious groups. Many visitors have made the famous drive along scenic Highway 61, the central artery of this popular vacation destination, but few are aware of the historical significance of the villages, homes, and markers...

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors-many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures-were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ral...

In "Stories of Ohio," William Dean Howells masterfully encapsulates the essence of life in mid-19th century America, specifically within his native Ohio. Through a series of vivid narratives, Howells employs a realist literary style that emphasizes everyday experiences and the nuanced complexities of social interactions. His keen observations and attention to regional details serve not only to evoke the landscape and culture of Ohio but also to position the state as a microcosm of American...

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors-many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures-were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ral...

The real story of the "unsinkable" Titanic survivor and her early life in the Midwest.In the film version of the life of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown," she is rescued from the Colorado River and raised in the Rocky Mountains, but the actual Margaret Tobin Brown was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri. Her formative years took place in the town's Gilded Age; the railroad brought in lumber barons, and as the wealth of Hannibal grew, so too did the dreams of ...

First published in 1941 as part of the American Guide Series, this lively book describes Minnesota's popular northern region. Special features include fifteen canoe trips; five maps; thirty-seven photographs; forty-seven city, town, and village profiles; four road tours; a chronology; a glossary; and a bibliography with updated suggestions for further reading in fiction and nonfiction about the region.

Building the transcontinental railroad was America's greatest feat of the 19th century. This book chronicles the first three years of construction during which crews crossed Nebraska. Starting from Omaha the "Oxbow" route meant much sought after early money. The faltering progress toward Fremont highlighted the need for better planning and tight organization, a challenge met when the Casement Brothers, (former Generals) were put in charge. As the construction rolled westward past the 100th...

Before the billboard, radio or television commercial, there was the painted ad. Today, these aging ads capture the imagination, harkening back to a bygone era. Vanishing paint on brick walls speaks to a time when commerce was much simpler and much more direct. Few cities in America have produced as many intriguing fading ads as St. Louis. Fewer still are home to such an expert on the subject as author Wm. Stage. For decades, Stage has studied and researched the lost art form of the painted...

Most Minnesotans have a lost town. Everywhere Rhonda traveled throughout the state, people shared their stories and their towns with her. Each new discovery led to more tales of northern Minnesota's lost towns. Join us as we journey to northern Minnesota's past once again. Covering all new towns and communities, nearly 130 of them, the book is filled with photos and tales that once again prove history is in our own backyards. Historians, tourists, genealogists and anyone who loves a good s...

Minnesotans are a tough lot, capable of pulling a house six miles by muscle alone or giving birth to a sixteen-pound boy. In 1921, young Phoebe Fairgrave set a parachute world record, stepping off the wing of a biplane 15,200 feet above the Twin Cities. In 1962, the last powerhouse Gophers football team brought home the Rose Bowl trophy. A year later, thirteen-year-old Jean Webb of Minneapolis risked arrest and refused to leave a segregated restaurant. In 1979, Gerry Spiess crossed the Atl...