The 1855 History Podcast

The Monstrous Conspiracy | Alexander Ramsey, Part Three

In 1850, Alec Ramsey was in the middle of a rapidly rising political career. He'd been a U.S. Congressman, and now he was Governor of a U.S. Territory--and it seemed the possibility of being President grew more and more likely. But this meteoric rise was brief. One year later, a crime which one historian called "the monstrous conspiracy" rocked the country, and Alec Ramsey was at the center. At stake: not just Ramsey's career, but his entire project to build Minnesota. Alexander Ramsey was Minnesota Territory's first governor. He was a congressman, a senator and a secretary of war. He oversaw forced removals and executions. He helped orchestrate three wars. And along the way, he lived a high-octane political thriller of a life filled with backstabbing, unlikely alliances, and tragedy. In episode three of our analysis of Alexander Ramsey's life, we break down the explosive allegations of corruption, bribery, and fraud that nearly ended Ramsey's political career. To understand the charges, we have to understand the notorious treaties of 1851: Traverse des Sioux and Mendota. How many of the charges were true? And how did Ramsey get away with it?  Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam [http://www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam] Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History [http://www.patreon.com/1855History] Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/ [http://www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/]

Sky Blue Waters | Scheming and Backstabbing In Minnesota (Alexander Ramsey, Part Two)

In 1849, a scattered group of settlers and fur traders were granted permission by the U.S. Congress to organize themselves as a political territory. They chose a name for this new territory from a phrase used by its Dakota inhabitants--a name translated variously as "land where the water reflects the clouds," or "land of cloudy lakes," or "sky blue waters"--Mni Sota. In this frontier on the borderlands, where nearly every U.S. citizen was wrapped up in a world of liquor smuggling, embezzlement, illegal enslavement, and even murder, a strapping young politician from the hills of Pennsylvania was ordered to whip the vagabonds of Minnesota Territory into a permanent political base for his party, which had never once held power out in those borderlands. His name was Alexander Ramsey. An orphaned carpenter and schoolteacher who taught himself law and then worked tirelessly to serve the Whig party, Ramsey became one of the youngest and most reliable Congressmen. Upon being named Governor of Minnesota Territory, he was quickly forced to learn the skills necessary to wrangle the complicated world of Minnesota politics--and the compromises he would need to make along the way. Alexander Ramsey was Minnesota Territory's first governor. He was a congressman, a senator and a secretary of war. He oversaw forced removals and executions. He helped orchestrate three wars. And along the way, he lived a high-octane political thriller of a life filled with backstabbing, unlikely alliances, and tragedy. In this episode, we lay out the world of Minnesota politics as Alexander Ramsey learned how to survive as the young territory's first governor. Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam [http://www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam] Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History [http://www.patreon.com/1855History] Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/ [http://www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/]

Kingdom of Righteousness | A Lost Era of American History (Alexander Ramsey, Part One)

When Alec was a small boy, he traveled deep into the woods outside his home in Pennsylvania. With other children, he hoped to catch a glimpse of a man known as the Pennsylvania Hermit, a cave-dwelling old man who had gone insane and hidden himself away from society after his sister was executed for murdering her own children. But when Alec was 6, the Hermit finally died, passing away into legend. By the time the boy was a man, his father had died by suicide, the same year that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died--the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was up to this boy, Alexander Ramsey, to find a way out of the misery of the tangled mountain ridges, the land of the Pennsylvania Hermit and his father's death. It was up to Ramsey to find a way through a tortured American society spiraling out of control. Before long, he would find his way. Before long, he would have blood of his own on his hands. Alexander Ramsey was Minnesota Territory's first governor. He was a congressman, a senator and a secretary of war. He oversaw forced removals and executions. He helped orchestrate three wars. And along the way, he lived a high-octane political thriller of a life filled with backstabbing, unlikely alliances, and tragedy.  In this episode, we lay out the forgotten fringes of the social and political world that shaped Alexander Ramsey as he took power for the first time, and as he learned how to wield his political strengths.  Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam [http://www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam] Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History [http://www.patreon.com/1855History] Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/ [http://www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/]

A Shoe Story | An Interview with Buck and Bruce Burkhartzmeyer

If you sit down for a chat with Donald "Buck" Burkhartzmeyer, there's a good chance you'll be walking away holding a new pair of shoes or a collection of custom-made inserts. When we met him, at age 93, his eyes still lit up when he talked about how shoes are made, and as he excitedly examined our insoles to figure out what kind of orthotic adjustments would make walking more comfortable, he seemed almost like a kid in a candy store. We interviewed Buck together with his nephew, Bruce Burkhartzmeyer, in 2017, for an episode of our documentary series. Burkhartzmeyer Shoes has been a staple of downtown Faribault, Minnesota since it was founded, when three brothers, all veterans of the Second World War, took on the family business from their father, a Russian immigrant. Through three generations of family stewardship, that business has kept thousands of feet warm and comfortable--a rare example of family retail continuing to thrive even today. We're incredibly happy to publish this interview in full today, so you can get to know the Burkhartzmeyer family for yourself. We are Logan Ledman and Sam Temple. Over our six years of teaching classes, putting on plays, and creating documentaries, we have come to appreciate history for all of its incredible stories. On this podcast, we share our interview with Donald "Buck" Burkhartzmeyer and Bruce Burkhartzmeyer. Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam [https://www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam?fbclid=IwAR1yVlokUF4IFeIIu04eFXrM_iyBeIjbi1EL54rYzPLRH7DIt0u4ZbA5sQk] Watch our full episode on the Burkhartzmeyers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K2H8b1P7UY... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K2H8b1P7UY&ab_channel=The1855HistoryTeam&fbclid=IwAR2i4VGKOlOmFX_l15v-CZb_1Ch6JmF-N8LFZdOz4PeENzCo-1E34Ow5uOo] Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History [https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2F1855History%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1DUsaj039-yZ2Jbr7-ldMA7kSRhG0nCUphdGRJIYWADjQS8NkzvOBPIcA&h=AT3-YSSs2cWPMB4-v0H4ZosvYJnvZqIfbKnbB47Rcn1G0peL7La38w3FMlapzFcUK5U8GBUAMuJWIx8KZk-95pb5A8Y9WrcwBzpzn7Vh6w3_BVxB3caqCtv6ZgPr7hPJ5vW-wUHusQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT2HKEZX4sC8AmgWJOhpD3EclGrbWkczbVbf3-PfijUp5lwNBDs5HzlbhZvym422j766DtXegY9CBliAwQvF_gWnUZNJlBxlD7BVRCHaEZSIs9EZH8WwFB27yjW1x4pyOm4hwgs8ThQJlqp5Ci4545MOw8WbgnCml6yggP4ag1UvnLPiuKEGBF1ZyscMl4u_c8qLd53h_gz0fg]

A Minnesota Legend | Bruce Krinke Tells Bruce Smith's Story

There's only one man from a Minnesota school who won the Heisman trophy, the highest award in college football. His name was Bruce Smith. Bruce Smith came from Faribault, Minnesota, and across a life that included being a three-sport-athlete, a Navy fighter pilot during WWII, spending years with the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, playing himself in a movie about his life, and even being nominated for sainthood, Bruce made an incredible impact. Tragically, he died of cancer in 1967, when he was still young. But his legacy in Faribault, his hometown, is still enormous. Part of the reason why that legacy is still around is people like Bruce Krinke, who for more than 25 years worked in various capacities to memorialize and celebrate Bruce Smith's extraordinary life. In 2015, we sat down with Bruce Krinke for a discussion on the life of a hometown hero. Mr. Krinke was deeply passionate about community, about local history, and we owe an immense debt to him for all the support he showed us in our early years of making historical documentaries. Bruce Krinke passed away earlier this year, and in honor of his kindness and legacy, we're also releasing an interview with him which we conducted in September of 2016, in front of a live audience. We're grateful that we get to share some of our memories of him with you.  We are Logan Ledman and Sam Temple. Over our six years of teaching classes, putting on plays, and creating documentaries, we have come to appreciate history for all of its incredible stories. On this podcast, we share our interviews with Bruce Krinke. Subscribe for more on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam [http://www.youtube.com/c/the1855historyteam] Become a Patron and get exclusive content: www.patreon.com/1855History [http://www.patreon.com/1855History] Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/ [http://www.facebook.com/1855Faribault/]