WCHS Store

New WCHS Publication: The Last Rafter by Robert Goodman

The Last Rafter is the story of David Bronson, who came to the St. Croix Valley as a young clerk to Isaac Staples and stayed to play a major role in developing the lumbering and rafting industries in the valley. When Bronson stepped off the boat in Stillwater in 1855 the logging boom was just beginning. When he retired from lumbering and rafting in 1918, the last deadhead had been lifted from the river, the last raft had been cleared to the Point Douglas bar, and the St. Croix boom had closed forever.

Author Robert Goodman traces the career of this remarkable man through 65 years of boom and bust, and shows how the life of one man has impacted the fortunes of many people who have made the St. Croix Valley their home.

$15

Garage Sounds: Bringing Down the House available again!

Garage Sounds, written by local musician Scott Schell, was a unique undertaking for the Washington County Historical Society.  The 350-page book is richly illustrated and brings to life the sounds and times when country, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll music were being cross-pollinated by a new sound from Great Britian.  Beginning in the 1950s the book looks at the sounds and groups that inspired so many local musicians over the years. 

Many widely popular dance bands came out of Stillwater High School in the 1960s and ‘70s.  The More-Tishans, who played around the area from 1964 to 1968, and Keith Zeller, who started the Starliners in 1962 as a four-piece dance band, were inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame in May 2008.  Others covered in the book run the gamut from country to pop to rock ‘n’roll.

So, if you were a teen who hung out at the Stage Door or just have a love of the music from the ‘60s and ‘70s, this book is for you!  And, who knows, maybe you’ll see someone or something from your past. 

$40

New County History Book Now Available

Author utilized Washington County Historical Society's collection for new nonfiction work

Stillwater, Minn. - The Washington County Historical Society's new publication, A History of Washington County: Gateway to Minnesota History, is now available at several locations in Washington and Ramsey Counties.

A History of Washington County History written by Robert Goodman with additional material by Marc Hugunin was published by the Washington County Historical Society and printed by the Anderberg-Lund Printing Company in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The 280 page book is fully indexed and nicely illustrated.

A History of Washington County: Gateway to Minnesota History is now available for sale at these locations:

• Warden's House Museum in Stillwater
• Valley Bookseller in Stillwater
• Antiquarian Booksellers in Stillwater
• Gammelgarden Butik in Scandia
• Minnesota Historical Society bookstore in St. Paul

The new Washington County history book, the first in over 30 years, brings county history up-to-date, about equal attention to pioneer and more contemporary life, and explaining the county's unique role as the gateway to Minnesota history. This book is arranged by generations, starting with the pre-settlement period and continuing on through the suburbanization of the present day. The book also includes the local histories of 33 Washington County communities.

Softcover, $25
Hardcover, $40

Stillwater: The Next Generation

Brent Peterson's new book of fascinating stories includes "Fisherman" John Jeremy, "Sport" the Cat, horse troughs of Stillwater, neighborhood grocery stores, the courthouse cannon, inventors, Janda's, Kolliner's, Hooley's, and many more. Includes many previously unpublished photographs. 160 pages, fully indexed. Hardcover $50, paperback $25.

Index

Paddlewheels on the Upper Mississippi

A new WCHS book, Paddlewheels on the Upper Mississippi tells how that uniquely American invention, the western river steamboat, made settlement of the Upper Midwest possible in the days when the river was America's western frontier. $18

Ghost Stories of Minnesota

Explore the state's spooky, spine-tingling tales. From well-known legends to accounts of current ghost hunters, these chilling tales of inexplicable events are sure to please readers interested in the paranormal. Tales of events from Camden, Lakefield, Little Falls, Stillwater, St. Paul and more. Paperback, 208 pages. $13

Scandia - Then and Now

Anna Engquist's popular book, originally published in 1972, has been reprinted many times. WCHS has again reprinted the volume with all of Anna's material, plus several new pictures, and information that brings the book up to date. $25

The Story of Cole Younger

Missouri guerrilla, Confederate officer, bank robber, notorious outlaw, Wild West showman - Cole Younger's life was the stuff of myth and legend. In The Story of Cole Younger, long out-of-print, he tells his story in his own words after his parole from prison at the age of 59. $14

Convict Life at the Minnesota State Prison

A reprint of the 1909 book describing life at the Minnesota's original state prison at Stillwater, including a chapter related by one of the prison's most famous inmates, Cole Younger. $13

Hard Time: Voices from a State Prison

A compelling look at Stillwater Prison life in another era, vividly recalled through historic photographs and startling first-person accounts. Paperback, 146 pages. $23

 

Joseph R. Brown: Adventurer on the Minnesota Frontier

This volume is more than part one of the first full length biography of Joseph R. Brown. It is a chronicle of life, free enterprise, and politics on the frontier. $30

Afton Remembered

Relatively unspoiled by progress as she approaches the twenty-first century, Afton remains a world apart for those who love her. Combining memoir with narrative history, Afton Remembered is admirer Ed Robb's heartfelt paean to his hometown. $25

Minnesota Beginnings: Records of St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory, 1840-1849

Before the creation of Minnesota Territory, Washington County was part of St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. $30

Woodbury:
A Past To Remember

A book that describes the early history of Woodbury and its surroundings. By the Woodbury Heritage Committee. $10

Index

St. Croix: Midwest Border River

With picturesque anecdotes and complete annotation, The St. Croix: Midwest Border River tells the story of the scenic and popular waterway that forms part of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. $13

Saving the River, Second Edition

The history of the St. Croix River Association, 1911-2001. $15

Jo Lutz Rollins and the Stillwater Art Colony

Sketches by the well-known Stillwater artist, and a history of the summer art school she organized in the 1930s and 1940s. $5

Folsom "Fifty Years in the Northwest" Biographical Index

An index to the classic Minnesota history book. $15

To the Rescue: Stillwater Fire Department 125th Anniversary

The history of Stillwater's fire department. $20

"Retirement on the St. Croix"

These 8x11 color prints, from the late Bob Thein collection of White Bear Lake, show the old steam locomotive Engine 328 a year after it was placed in the Stillwater's Lowell Park. The engine sat in that location for 30 years, enduring a number of floods and vandalism until the Minnesota Transportation Museum restored her in 1985. The engine now runs excursions out of the Osceola, Wisconsin depot during the summertime. $5

Bricks from the Minnesota Territorial Prison

Arson destroyed the old Minnesota Territorial Prison twine factory in September 2002. These bricks were pulled from the rubble the following week, before condominiums were built on the site. Call for details.