Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold

One of Minnesota's most fascinating unsolved murder cases began on the morning of December 9, 1937, when firefighters discovered the charred body of 31-year-old Ruth Munson in an abandoned Saint Paul hotel. As the investigation deepened, evidence would surface that suggested that Ruth had lived a very secret life.

My guest, Roger Barr, is the author of "A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson." He utilized an extensive collection of police files to piece this 1930s-era investigation together.

Purchase the book here through the MNHS Press website: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/a-murder-on-the-hill

Prefer the ebook version? You can get it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Hill-Secret-Mysterious-Munson-ebook/dp/B0CTPYV2HN

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On June 2, 1916, forty mostly immigrant mineworkers at the St. James Mine in Aurora, Minnesota, walked off the job. This seemingly small labor disturbance would mushroom into one of the region’s, if not the nation’s, most contentious and significant battles between organized labor and management in the early twentieth century.

My guest, Gary Kaunoen, is an International Falls labor historian and author of the book "Flames of Discontent: The 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike". He talks about the origin of the conflict, the Finnish immigrant miners who fought mining company forces with help from the Industrial Workers of the World (aka "The Wobblies"), and how the deadly conflict ultimately ended. 

The author's University of Minnesota Press page: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/flames-of-discontent

Northern Minnesota's Labor Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AklJBH6SBGA

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My guest is prolific author Larry Millett. His knowledge of Twin Cities architecture and history is unequalled in Minnesota, and he has used his knowledge to write some of the best local history books in the last thirty years.  We initially discuss downtown Minneapolis' lost crown jewel, the spectacular Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building (which would later become the Metropolitan) and how it was built through the shady dealings of real estate speculator Louis Menage - only to be torn down in 1962, along with the tragic destruction of the rest of the historic Gateway District.  He documents its existence in his book "Metropolitan Dreams: The Scandalous Rise and Stunning Fall of a Minneapolis Masterpiece". 

Then we move on to some of his other fascinating books, including "Strange Days, Dangerous Nights: Photos from the Speed Graphic Era", "Murder Has a Public Face: Crime and Punishment in the Speed Graphic Era", and his series of novels that brings Sherlock Holmes to Minnesota to solve crimes. 

More about Larry Millett can be found here at his website, including his history blog: https://www.larrymillett.com/

If you'd like to begin his Sherlock Holmes series, the first book is called "Sherlock Holmes & the Red Demon". Buy it at your local bookstore or here: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Fesler-Lampert-Minnesota-Heritage/dp/0816674833

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It was a question asked by many Minnesotans in 1974, including her parents. How could Camilla Hall, the sweet and caring daughter of a small-town Lutheran pastor, become a member of the radical Symbionese Liberation Army? The abductors of Patty Hearst? The gun-toting militants who would end up battling police to death in Los Angeles?

My guest is award-winning Mankato author Rachael Hanel, author of "Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman's Path From Small-Town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army". She tells us about Camilla and her journey from Minnesota social worker to member of Los Angeles's notorious SLA.

The author's website:  https://www.rachaelhanel.com/

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In August of 1894, a young woman was found brutally murdered on a sand dune at Minnesota Point in Duluth. Over the next two years both Duluth and Minneapolis detectives would hunt for her killer across the country, until finally finding him in the Pacific Northwest.

My guest is Jeffrey Sauve, author of "Murder at Minnesota Point". He shares details of the life and death of 32-year-old Norwegian immigrant servant Lena Olson, the con man (and possible serial killer) who seduced and killed her, and his connection to notorious Minneapolis murderer Harry Hayward.

More about the author and his book here at North Star Editions.

My earlier interview about Harry Hayward here on the Most Notorious website.

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Since the mid-19th century one of the great tourist destinations in Minnesota has been Minnehaha Falls. Already known for its beauty, its fame intensified when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized it in his poem "The Song of Hiawatha".

But Minnehaha Falls has had a dark side as well. In the late 19th century it became a place synonymous with drunkenness and debauchery. The notorious father and son team of Adelbert and Irwin Gardner (and others) profited from the Minnehaha Midway, where corrupt cops intermingled with inebriated Fort Snelling soldiers and young Minneapolis women. Eventually the low-class dancehalls would be driven out, replaced by the park we know today.

My guest is Karen E. Cooper, whose book "When Minnehaha Flowed With Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls" has just been nominated for a 2023 Minnesota Book Award. She shares some of the uncouth history of the Falls on this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious.

More about the author and her work can be found here: http://www.urbancreek.com/

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Have you ever wondered whether Pig's Eye Parrant's notorious Fountain Cave saloon is accessible to visitors? Was there really a tunnel between Nina Clifford's brothel and the original Minnesota Club? Did Jesse and Frank James hide out in any Minnesota caves before or after their botched Northfield bank raid in 1876? What really exists under downtown Saint Paul and Minneapolis?

My guest is Dr. Greg Brick, who arguably knows more about caves and tunnels in Minnesota than anyone alive, and he answers these questions for us (and more) on this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious. He is the author of "Minnesota Caves: History and Lore", "Minnesota Underground", and "Subterranean Twin Cities", to name a few of his books.

More information on Dr. Brick's books (and adventures) can be found here: https://drgregbrick.com/

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On June 27, 1868, Hole in the Day (Bagonegiizhig) the Younger left Crow Wing, Minnesota, for Washington, DC, to fight the planned removal of the Mississippi Ojibwe to a reservation at White Earth. Several miles from his home, the self-styled leader of all the Ojibwe was stopped by at least twelve Ojibwe men and fatally shot.

Hole in the Day's death was national news, and rumors of its cause were many: personal jealousy, retribution for his claiming to be head chief of the Ojibwe, retaliation for the attacks he fomented in 1862, or retribution for his attempts to keep mixed-blood Ojibwe off the White Earth Reservation. Still later, investigators found evidence of a more disturbing plot involving some of his closest colleagues: the business elite at Crow Wing.

My guest, Anton Treuer, is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of "The Assassination of Hole in the Day". He has spent years researching the story and believes he has solved the now one hundred and fifty four year old murder case.

Professor Treuer's website: https://antontreuer.com/

Buy it at Birch Bark Books here: https://birchbarkbooks.com/products/the-assassination-of-hole-in-the-day

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On December 3rd, 1894, a dressmaker named Catherine "Kitty" Ging was found shot to death on a snowy Lake Calhoun road in Minneapolis. Police patched together clues and evidence, which ultimately led them to the front door of a charming, scheming scoundrel named Harry Hayward.

My guest is Shawn Francis Peters, author of "The Infamous Harry Hayward: A True Account of Murder and Mesmerism in Gilded Age Minneapolis". He shares insight into this sensational murder case and arguably the greatest 19th century villain in Minnesota history.

More about the book here: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-infamous-harry-hayward

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