Author: Jake Spitzack
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The nation’s first cheerleader had SSP roots
(December 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor Attend most any sporting event – from junior high on up to the pros – and you’ll find a cadre of enthusiastic people on the sidelines rousing fans to cheers, chants and spirited dance moves and acrobatic throws. Interestingly, the first cheerleader in the United States was a man who would become… Read more
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Remembering Rudy Lange: A veteran with a passion for pigeons
(November 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor In the early 2000s, you could often find Rudy Lange at Central Square Community Center enjoying a game of cards. Although his 80-year-old hands likely ached with arthritis he could still shuffle the deck and deal to his companions. Seeing him in those days one would never guess he was a decorated… Read more
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An ode to Mickey’s Diner
An ode to Mickey’s Diner (November 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor The corner of West Seventh and St. Peter streets just hasn’t been the same since 2020, when COVID-19 took down one of St. Paul’s most iconic institutions: Mickey’s Diner. No longer do we see the warm glow of its interior lights illuminating the sidewalk, or people huddled… Read more
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A St. Paul oddity: The mysterious case of the missing Eighth Street
(October 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor Those new to Downtown St. Paul quickly discover two key streets as navigational aids: Robert Street and Seventh Street. Both dissect the city – and each other – and will get you from one edge of downtown to the other. That’s all fine and dandy unless you happen to be on Robert… Read more
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Paddling with the Pelicans
(October 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor Come October, the skies will be thick with migrating birds and waterfowl winging their way south along the Mississippi River Flyway, which follows the meandering course of the 2,340-mile river that bears its name. More than 325 species use the flyway on their annual roundtrip from breeding grounds in Canada and the… Read more
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Kaposia: the meaning behind the name
(September 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor The Dakota Village of Kaposia is more deeply threaded into the tapestry of South St. Paul history than any other prominent person, place or event. The name Kaposia is used to designate the city’s annual summertime celebration, two parks and an elementary school, and the new Dakota County Library branch under construction… Read more
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Viewpoint: Reflections on St. Paul’s historic airport beacon
(September 2023)By Peg Guilfoyle Our apartment faces east from downtown St. Paul and the summer sunrise pours in, bringing a fine long view of the Mississippi River curving southward toward New Orleans, with high bluffs on its eastern shore. It’s a landscape – a riverscape – of geology and sky and history, of trains and… Read more
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A glimpse into the past: the Ryan Hotel
(September 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor In the summer of 1885, St. Paul welcomed the opening of what was arguably the most elegant hotel in the Twin Cities: The Ryan Hotel. Located in the heart of the city at 6th and Robert, the Ryan was an impressive Victorian Gothic structure rising seven stories, the first building in St.… Read more
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A sticky situation at Stickney: Safety issues plagued South St. Paul’s first school building
(August 2023)Tim SpitzackEditor You’ve heard of school closures in Minnesota due to blizzards and extreme cold. But what about high winds? That’s what educators dealt with in the early 1900s at Stickney School, South St. Paul’s first public school building.Located near the site of the present-day secondary school, Stickney was the first of five red… Read more