Before automobiles, planes, and the Light Rail, there were streetcars in cities across Minnesota. They were pulled by horses until 1889, when electricity became practical. Stillwater had no horsecars because of its steep hills, but in 1889 it opened the first electric streetcar lines in the state, ahead of Minneapolis and St. Paul. A […]

The Washington County Historical Society invites you to celebrate National Toast Day in Stillwater, Minnesota: the birthplace of the automatic pop-up toaster.  Just over a century ago, Charles Strite was employed at a local manufacturing plant. Fed up with burned toast in the cafeteria, a great idea “popped” into his head, and the Toastmaster automatic […]