The history of the Animal Humane Society offers a jaw-dropping glimpse into Minneapolis life in the late 1800s. This was a time when horses struggled to pull loads up Lowry Hill and dogs at the pound were drowned in the Mississippi River. As part of a national movement, the humane society formed to prosecute cruelty to animals — and they prosecuted cruelty to children too. Investigating hundreds of cases, humane agents became the state’s first social workers and probation officers. This story traces Minnesota’s relationship to animals, from the workhorse era to the pandemic-puppy era. Produced by Michelle Bruch.

Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Historic photos courtesy of the Animal Humane Society; Music “Lissa” by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).

Ta-Coumba Aiken and Seitu Jones are two Twin Cities based artists that have international reputations. Forty years ago, the two were part of the vibrant African American Cultural Center, a place where Black Art was being nurtured, rediscovered, and celebrated. In today's episode, Sheila Regan explores the Center's history and it's legacy.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

Eva Valesh was only 22 when she first went undercover to report on women workers in the 1880s for the St. Paul Globe. She wrote under the pseudonym Eva Gay. Each week, she would either sneak into a workplace to speak to the workers, or she would simply fabricate her references and apply to a job herself. She visited clothing factories, laundries, dress-shops, dry goods stores, and food factories. Often, she encountered women being exploited or working in dangerous conditions. Eva fought for the workers and helped them fight for themselves.

In this episode, reporter Ben Heath explores Valesh’s work, and the role of investigative journalism on the labor movement of the late 19th century.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

In the late 1800’s, European immigrants — mostly German and Scandinavian — flooded Minnesota, and the population boomed like few other times in history. This new majority of people in a new land needed myths and stories to fill in the blanks about why and how they came here. Like the story of Kensington Runestone. A purportedly 'discovered' rune stone that proved that Nordic expires made it to Minnesota in the year 1362.

In this episode, reporter Matthew Schneeman dives into the connection between the stone and Minnesota's white population, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of folk archeology.

Music from "Runestone! A Rock Musical": https://garyrue.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-runestone-a-rock-musical

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of MinneCulture is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information about KFAI's MinneCulture, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

With its haunting call, distinctive black and white plumage, and intense, almost otherworldly red eyes, the Common Loon is an icon of northern Minnesota wilderness.

But some researchers believe future generations of the beloved bird in this region may be in jeopardy.A recent study in Wisconsin showed some worrying trends. Chicks are getting smaller, their survival rates are lower, and loons that migrate as juveniles are returning to their birthplace at low rates.

Now, there’s a concentrated research effort by the National Loon Center in Minnesota to find out whether the same declines are present there. Reporter Emily Haavik spoke with bird-lovers and scientists about their efforts to study and protect the Common Loon.

Support for MinneCulture has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information about MinneCulture, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

Historians have argued that the history of America can be told through the history of meat. The meat industry was often the first to innovate and make use of modern technologies: from the railroad and refrigerated cars to meat packing plants' dis-assembly lines that inspired Henry Ford’s assembly line. This is especially true for Minnesota. The University of Minnesota was the first university to specialize in meat studies with the opening of the Andrew Boss Meat Lab. South Saint Paul’s stockyards and meat packing plants were once the largest in the world. In the past hundred and fifty years Minnesota, meat — and the world — changed.

Reporter Matthew Schneeman traces how Minnesota changed the meat industry and changed meat itself. He also examines the ways that immigrant labor has been used to power the meat industry since the 20th century. This story starts by looking at people’s different responses to a slaughtered chicken. Gross? Clean? Delicious? Horrifying?

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

MinneCulture returns in 2023 with more stories of Minnesota arts, history, and culture. In season 7, we'll get to know some prominent Minnesotan activists, unravel some of our favorite myths and legends, and tell stories about the people who make up our great state. New episodes dropping every two weeks, starting Thursday January 5. Subscribe to KFAI's MinneCulture wherever you get your podcasts.

MinneCulture is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For more information, check out kfai.org/minneculture.

For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season finale of season 6, producer Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota — a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers. Grab some crackers and join us!

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Mother Alfred Moes was an immigrant from Luxembourg, a woman religious, and the founder of two Franciscan congregations. She was also the first person to advocate for the hospital in Rochester that would become Mayo Clinic. While her visionary leadership proved essential to the founding of St. Mary's Hospital, her strong influence often put her in conflict with church leadership. KFAI's Julie Censullo tells the story.

A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation.

Historically speaking, across the 1854 Ceded Territory, which includes all of Superior National Forest and the BWCA, indigenous people have, for generations, engaged in the practice of intentionally lighting smaller, controlled fires with the intent of a specific outcome. These types of fires, commonly referred to as a process of ‘cultural burning,’ were set with specific outcomes in mind, including food, clothing, canoe making and other means of living with the land through the use of fire.

In this audio feature, producer Joe Friedrichs explores the history of fire in the Boundary Waters, and why a team of researchers are currently trying to learn from the past to help create a better future for the forests of this remote wilderness.