Books published by publisher Minnesota Historical Society Press

The game of lacrosse is a gift from the Creator, given to the American Indians in the long ago. But Travis Skinaway doesn't know the full story of the game: he only knows that he struggles to catch the ball and tends to throw it over the other boys' heads. Maybe he's not built right to run the field. His teammates and coach seem to think he's hopeless, anyway.Travis is ready to hang up his gear, but then his grandfather appears in a dream, explaining to him that lacrosse is a spiritual quest, just like a prayer, a song, or a dance. Mom doesn't believe Travis's story, but Grandma knows: she says dreamtime is just as real as awake time.Grandpa continues to visit Travis, sharing details about the different styles of play, the types of equipment, the various traditions among the tribes. Wearing his grandfather's gear, Travis gains confidence as he practices with the team. When opportunity strikes at the big game, he carries the durable weight of tradition onto the field with him, celebrating skills handed down through generations.

"Paul Maccabee's John Dillinger Slept Here is not just one of the best books ever written about Minneapolis-St. Paul, it is one of the best books of local history I have ever read—about any city anywhere on Earth. While writing Public Enemies I kept it on my desk at all times. I daresay one cannot call himself a real Minnesotan if you haven't read it. The book is just that darned good."&emdash;Bryan Burrough, author of Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, the basis for Public Enemies, the movie starring Johnny DeppThis book is based on more than 100,000 pages of FBI files and wiretaps, prison and police records, and mob confessions. Interviews with 250 crime victims, policemen, gun molls, and family members of criminals bring these public enemies to life. Crime historian Paul Maccabee takes you inside the bank robberies, gangland assassinations, and police intrigue of St. Paul's 1920s and 1930s gangster era. You'll also find Crooks' Tour maps and more than 130 rare FBI, police, and family photographs.Praise for John Dillinger Slept Here:"A landmark study of gangland crime."&emdash;William J. Helmer, author of Dillinger: The Untold Story"Maccabee is an authority on his subject which makes John Dillinger Slept Here an enthralling read."&emdash;St. Paul Pioneer Press

Attentive young Sophie lives with her family at a lighthouse on the shore of Lake Superior. At this essential outpost, everyone has a job to do, whether baking bread, fishing for dinner, or caring for the light. And in this isolated place, in a time long before smartphones and Internet connections, news arrives only by ship, and information is sometimes gathered in unexpected places. Sophie is attuned to her natural surroundings, and she reads signs in a dandelion bloom, a spider’s web, seagulls in flight, and even a squeaky door. All these clues lead her to one conclusion: a storm is brewing. Sophie scurries to spread the word―to family members tending the garden, hanging laundry, and picking blueberries. Most important, though: she needs to warn Papa of the impending change in the weather.As the lighthouse keeper, Papa maintains the foghorn, checks the light, and polishes its lens, his chores focused on keeping the signal working properly to warn ships away from treacherous rocks. Will Sophie reach Papa in time to alert him about the storm? And will the lighthouse be ready to guide nearby ships as the sky darkens and rain begins to fall?

Life is a circle, just like the seasons, from youth through old age. The circle of the year brings seasonal rituals: a winter of preparation followed by a summer of powwows.Sharyl and Windy Downwind and their children travel from their home on the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota to powwows all around the region. For the past year, their oldest daughter, Shian, has been honored as junior princess for Bug-o-nay-ge-shig School. At the Leech Lake Memorial Day gathering, Shian will hand over her crown to the next princess. Later that summer, the family attends the Red Lake Fourth of July powwow seeking healing and comfort. Windy is mourning his mother, who recently passed away, and also honoring her by dancing at the powwow. At ceremonies and in daily life, Windy and Sharyl celebrate Anishinaabe culture by teaching their children traditional skills, dance steps, and lifeways, all part of the circle of community and the seasons and life."Clear, informative photographs help clarify the text and leave readers with the sense that they have accompanied the Downwinds. An ideal choice for classroom units on contemporary Native American life."Booklist

Look at the natural world around you. Closer now. Can you find the letter "A" in a jumble of tree roots, the letter "I" in a cattail, the letter "O" in a bird's nest? Joe Rossi traveled the state in search of all the letters of the alphabet, photographing scenes from Granite Falls to Chippewa National Forest, from Bemidji to St. Paul. Turn these pages and see what he found: does his imagination match yours?The plants and animals and rocks in Joe's pictures can teach us a lot about Minnesota's natural world: Did you know that Native Americans used the fluffy down from cattails to pad diapers and moccasins (here, the letter "I")? Or that the American white pelican (letter "J") teams up to herd fish—its dinner—into shallow water? Or that the name Minnesota means "sky-colored water" (letter "H")?Celebrated children's book author David LaRochelle takes readers on an adventure inspired by this natural alphabet and encourages everyone to look more closely at what treasures the outdoors holds.All across this wondrous stateLetters A through Z await! . . .Zig and zagging, great and grandLetters made by nature's hand.

A prairie chicken dancing to the beat, a Red-Winged blackbird flashing his snazzy wing patches to attract a female, a grouse growing its own "snowshoes," and American robins traveling north in the spring share at least one characteristic—they all call Minnesota home at some point during the year. Birds in Our Backyard invites young ones into the lives of these winged wonders.Season by season, kids discover which birds they might see, how far they have traveled, where they build their homes, and what they like to eat. Able guide Adele Porter and award-winning nature photographer Bill Marchel bring to life the world of birds—the colors, the sounds, the wonder of flight. Learn about wild and urban habitats, clever practices in building nests and caching food, and migrating and mating rituals.Birds in Our Backyard is the perfect companion for a walk in the woods, a picnic in the park, or breakfast at the kitchen window, encouraging budding birders and naturalists to take a closer look at our feathered friends and the world we share with them.

I ama powerful waterfall.I listen. I pay attention. I have a long memory.You might find it hard to believe,but I have moved through time.My Mighty Journey is the story of the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River—and the changes it has witnessed over twelve thousand years. Written from the perspective of the waterfall, the narrative considers the people who lived nearby, the ways they lived, and how the area around the waterfall changed drastically in the past two centuries.Internationally acclaimed artist Gaylord Schanilec created stunning visual images featuring material collected along the riverbank to show the progression of the waterfall—eventually known as St. Anthony Falls—as it moved fifteen miles upriver from present-day St. Paul to its current location in downtown Minneapolis.Many are surprised to learn that the falls has not always been locked in place. Perhaps more thought-provoking is that Europeans and their descendants have resided near the falls for less than three percent of the time people have lived here. My Mighty Journey helps readers realize that many of us are newcomers to this region and that there is so much to learn about the waterfall, this land, and our place in it

From winter hunts to picnic foraging, Coyote makes his deliberate way through the seasons in his urban habitat. His adventures come to life in this lavishly illustrated tale.Down at the lake, Coyote is hunting, eager to fill his empty belly. When winter ice crackles, springtime frogs warble, summer thunderclouds threaten, and autumn leaves tumble, Coyote searches for his next meal. He stalks voles, rabbits, snakes, and geese, but there's no guarantee he'll catch his dinner. If his stomach growls, he'll steal vegetables from a tidy garden or nibble snacks from a trash can, maybe even leftovers from a family's picnic. Coyotes live on the plains and in deserts, on farms and in woodlands; they even live in towns and cities.In Hungry Coyote, lush, lifelike illustrations by natural history artist Laurie Caple accompany Cheryl Blackford's poetic imagining of a year in the life of an urban coyote. Across the pages, Coyote sneaks, skulks, and scurries in his constant quest to feed himself and his growing family. While Coyote hunts nearby, people enjoy a city park. At the lake, in the marsh, among the trees, children jump, twirl, and play, oblivious to his secret life. But if they listen closely they might overhear Coyote's wild nighttime conversations with his mate and pups. Is he planning his next hunt?

This Badger Bio shares the story of author Sterling North – his adventures and misadventures as a young boy growing up in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Young readers will learn how North’s early experience in Wisconsin influenced him in writing some of his best loved children’s books – such as Rascal and So Dear To My Heart.The story gives readers a glimpse of early 20th century customs and lifestyles in the rural Midwest. It also includes global issues of the time, including World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic, which greatly affected Sterling’s boyhood. As examples, his admired older brother Hershel served overseas in WWI as Sterling was growing up, bringing world events to the North family’s doorstep. His mother Gladys died when Sterling was only 7 years old because of the lack of medical advances in the early 1900s. And, as a young man, Sterling was hit by polio, a common epidemic scourge that left many children with paralysis.Readers will learn of Sterling North’s successes, not only as a beloved author of children’s books, but as a columnist for the Chicago Daily News, an editor of North Star children’s history books, and a well-respected critic of other children’s literature.

Karhu the bear lives in the piney north woods near the bustling burg of Finn Town. When he sees a billboard advertising "Mukluk Ball: Come One, Come All," he wants to go! Unfortunately, a few obstacles stand in his path.First: he needs to buy a pair of mukluks, soft leather boots perfect for dancing. Karhu brings his innate skills to the town's summer festival. He sells freshly picked blueberries and comforting bear hugs to earn enough for this essential purchase.Next: he needs to learn how to dance. Luckily, talented friends like Millie the square dancer and Mary Ann the librarian and Inga the folksinger agree to teach him. Soon he can polka and chachacha and boogie-woogie.And then, the most vexing hurdle of all: with the dance set for January, Karhu needs a surefire way to wake up from his long winter’s nap. Here, his friend Zazaa the owl swoops in to offer a solution.Will the Mukluk Ball live up to Karhu's dreams? The warmth and music and fellowship filling Finn Town Hall might just make for the best night of this bear's life.

Against the broad backdrop of the expanding western frontier, noted Norwegian American scholar Odd S. Lovoll explores the country town through the lens of ethnicity in this pioneering study. Benson, Madison, and Starbuck, all located on the western Minnesota prairie, were settled primarily by Norwegians and served as urban centers—railroad hubs, destinations for trade, and social nexuses—for the farming communities that surround them. Lovoll's meticulous research into census data, careful reading of local newspapers, and extensive interviews with the descendants of Norwegian immigrants reveals strong ties to homeland that are visible today in each town's social, political, and religious character.

This is the first major work to explore in a North American context the dimensions and meanings of a process fundamental to the European invasion and colonisation of the western hemisphere: the intermingling of European and Native American peoples. This book is not about racial mixture, however, but rather about ethnogenesis — about how new peoples, new ethnicities, and new nationalities come into being.