Hook-Em Cows - SSP Style

What is it about the "Hook-Em-Cows"?  To understand the name, you have to know the history of South St. Paul.  A town just south of the capital city of St. Paul, it is an independent town who considers itself not a suburb but a wild child of Minnesota.  It was incorporated in 1887 with the St. Paul Union Stockyards ready for business and holding court down by the railroad tracks and the Mississippi River.  South St. Paul also became home to Swift & Company (1897) and Armour's (1919) meatpacking companies.  These operations at one time gave South St. Paul the recognition of being the "World's Largest Stockyards".  It was no wonder that to the rest of the Twin Cities we became known as "Cow Town".  As children we learned at an early to age to come back with the answer, when told our town "stinks" or "smell like manure" that "it is the smell of money."

The Hook-Em Cows was a booster club organized in 1916 to help revitalize the St. Paul Winter Carnival.  The St. Paul Winter Carnival, a city-wide festival featuring a week of parades, ice sculptures, sporting events, and other outdoor activities, was begun in 1885 as the St. Paul Ice Palace Winter Carnival Association. The first carnivals were held 1886-1888 and 1896. They were revived in 1916 and 1917. Beginning again in 1937, they continued through 1942, resuming on a permanent basis in 1946. (1) The carnival was made up of booster clubs from city businesses, and being such a large employer and colorful occupation, South St Paul rose to the challenge.  The Hook-Em Cows marched in parades, rode horses down the streets and into businesses, hosted rodeos and booyas, had a restaurant named for them as well as cigars and even had their name painted on the side of a B-24 bomber in WWII.  They went full force until WWII took many of them off the street and although there had been various attempts to bring back their heyday of fun and revelry, now they are but a memory of good days gone by.

(1)  St Paul Winter Carnival Association, St Paul Winter Carnival Association Records & Manuscripts, MN Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota

Saddle City

Below are excerpts from an article written for the South St Paul Reporter, Wednesday, February 20, 1963.  Rollin Glewwe, is just shy of his 30th birthday, past president of the SSP Jaycees, on the Chamber board, and Chairman of the South St. Paul's Chamber of Commerce "Saddle City" committee.

 "  SOUTH ST PAUL _ Continuing, expanded and stepped-up efforts to stimulate and improve retail and other commercial activities in South St. Paul are being launched by the Chamber of Commerce.
   Plans for an aggressive promotional campaign with such objectives were announced at the recent annual meeting of the organization by President Ed Rikess.
   The perennial parking problem is to receive continued attention, this being regarded as one of the prime requisites to any improvement in shopping adventures, opportunities and attractiveness, particularly in the "Downtown" district.
   Creation of some radically new facilities and possible development of new shopping and service areas are among the more ambitious projects which Chamber officers, committees and the membership generally have in mind."


(You have to know that at the time, Concord Street had not yet undergone redevelopment.  There was storefronts and bars up and down Concord.  There was no "Exchange Road" and a separate highway 55.  All traffic came through town, and both Armour's and Swifts were still open.)


   "The "Saddle City" project which is a bold and challenging conception has been proposed as a means of linking effectively the hill and downtown districts, a "split-level" arrangement that would utilize  system of ramps, escalators and other facilities making it easy and attractive for people to park and shop."

It continues....."On a long range basis the plan would include modernization along the west side of N. Concord south of Grand Ave., construction of new and modern fronts on Pitt Street for shops now fronting on the former street, utilization of present and new parking facilities in the area and linking of these with other shops. 
   There would be possibly a civic center on the upper level in the vicinity of and east and south of the public library.
   Glewwe said......."The main shopping center would be a 'side saddle' which in effect would 'marry' the hill and Concord districts with parking ramps and escalators.  Conceivably the plan would include civic features, an indoor pool, YWCA and other quarters."
   "The long range plan for Saddle City is to make it a regional center.  The short range plan is to remodel and rehabilitate Concord Street."

The article finishes up with "Besides being chairman of the Saddle City committee, he is the Chamber director assigned as advisor to the streets, highways and planning commission.  He is also a member of the city planning commission.
   He has carried over from the Junior Chamber of Commerce, of which he is still an active member, some of the projects which he had a part of in undertaking in that organization......He has served as president of the Jaycees and as regional secretary for that organiazation.  He has worked on virtually all of the major Jaycee community projects, such as the safety program, Junior Livestock show, Fourth of July celebration, theatrical productions, queen pagents, state Junior Chamber of Commerce election campaigns and others.
   With this background of civic activity it was not surprising tht he was elected a director of the Senior Chamber of Commerce some four years ago or that he was reelected to another term on that board recently.
   Nor is it to be wondered at that he has been saddled with leadership responsibilities in conncetion with the Saddle City project now high on the Chamber's agenda.
   As becomes a hard-riding member of the "Cowspokes," famed affiliate of the Chamber, he is always "rarin' to go!"
  Somehow he manages to find time to work on community projeucts in addition to his regular vocation on the staff of the Glewwe Food markets."
 

Those Places Thursday - the Bookmobile

From article printed in the South St. Paul Reporter, circa 1965

Gals In Curlers Common Sight At South St. Paul's Bookmobile
By Doris Kelleher

     It's no surprise to the staff to see women with hair in curlers come up the steps of the South St. Paul bookmobile.
     "They come in jeans, tennis, and even swimsuits" laughed Mrs. Omer Brossoit of 111 W. Richmond, gracious and helpful bookmobile librarian.
     Presumably, the colorful books on the shelves transport the bookmobile's patrons from their routine of everyday life to new lands of travel and enchantment.  Young and old, male and female, all take advantage of the unique opportunity to gain knowledge and education through the wonderful world of books.
     A regular visitor at Lorraine Park stop is Thorvald Thuesen.  Eighty years old Labor Day, Mr. Thuesen still chooses four books each week for himself to read and three for his wife.
     The bookmobile celebrated its second birthday this past August, and its great success is evidenced by the increasing use made of it by South St. Paul citizens.
     "One afternoon in August, 630 books were checked out in four hours," said Mrs. Brossoit.  "I hardly had time to get up from my seat behind the desk and stretch!"
     The bookmobile has five regular stations where it can be found from one to five p.m. each week.  Monday it is stationed at the Northview pool, Tuesday at the Jefferson school and Friday at Concordia Lutheran church.
     Inside the transient library, Mrs. Brossoit attempts to cater to her customers by rotating a portion of the books each day and carrying the type of reading most prefer.
      "We carry approximately 3,000 books constantly," she said, "and during several weeks this summer, 2,000 of these were checked out each week.  There are regular visitors at each stop, and we become acquainted with each one and enjoy helping them fond just the right books."
     The pleasant bookmobile is its own self-contained little world.  Its shelves are colorful and the overhead windows provide ample light for even the oldest or youngest eyes.  The vehicle provides its own air-conditioning, its own electric heater and battery-charger--the latter being a 75-foot cable that attaches to a meter provided at each station.
     Guiding the heavy unit from station to station are two drivers who rotate each week: Ralph Connelly and Charles Foster.  "When the new addition to the main library is completed, the bookmobile will be under cover for the first time in its life," said Mr. Foster, the Wednesday driver.      
     "There was no place with a door big enough to get it in before.  With the new garage provided at the new library.... (unable to read - a section is missing) ..... never been touched.  South St. Paul youngsters apparently have great respect for books."
     Mrs. Miller also gave credit for the whole idea of the bookmobile to former South St. Paul librarian Mrs. Dorothy Jorstad.  "It was really Mrs. Jorstad's dream to get a bookmobile.  She wanted to make books available to the entire city--even the outskirts--and it just couldn't be done from the central library", said Mrs. Miller.
     "It's easy to run over to a bookmobile and get a book.  You can run in just as you are--in shorts, jeans, work clothes or what have you.  The atmosphere is casual.  And where else can you find so much pleasure for so little remuneration?"
          "All you need to enter the world of the bookmobile is a little white plastic card."

Friday Finds - War Ration book

While looking through an old file folder of miscellaneous papers to file for family history, I came across a War Ration book that was issued on May 5, 1942 to Rollin Bert Glewwe, 9 years old. 

When the US entered into WWII, we went into war production at the expense of consumer goods.  Because of our fight against Japan, one of the first things to be in short supply was sugar.  War Ration Book One was issued to every man, woman and child for this commodity so as to be sure that everyone could have access to some.  For the next few years, other books were issued for other commodites such as red meat and fats, cheese and dairy products, and coffee as tires, cars and appliances.

Our bookmobile lady

Fifty years ago on July 18, the South St Paul Public Library put their first bookmobile into service.  Behind the desk, at the back of the bus, sat my grandmother, Hazel Brossoit.  She held that post for many years with many different drivers.  All over town she was known as the "bookmobile lady".  Our closest stop was in the Concordia Lutheran Church parking lot off 5th Ave and Douglas Street.  We would go there after Girls Scouts, during the school year or ride our bikes there in the summertime.  With our aunts working the main library and our grandmother holding court in the bookmobile, it was no surprise that we were all avid readers!

1990 - "A Place We Call Home"

1990 was a great year to be in South St. Paul and to be President of SSP's Kaposia Days.  It was my banner year for this great community event!  Daniel had been born just a few months earlier and we had just celebrated our city centennial and REAP was in full force; Ronald Reagan was in office and President Gorbachev was disbanding the Soviet Union.  What more could one hope for!  The Disc Golf Course was open for the first time up at Kaposia Park, we had a rollarblade race down Thompson Avenue.  The parade had great weather, the "Lovely Liebowitz Sisters" played at the stage show and the fireworks were spectacular! 

As part of this celebration I wrote a letter to President Gorbachev who was in the country for a visit.  The letter stated " The theme for South St. Paul's Kaposia Days Celebration is 'A Place We Call Home' because at home it's not what's on the table that is important, rather it's who's at the table.......Please accept....the open invitation that you and your fellow countrymen have a place at the table in this "place we call home."

More of our first float....

 Rollin Glewwe pitched in and stapled frou-frou to the float back in 1986.  Also helping were Joan Glewwe, Lois Glewwe, Elva and Jerry Miller, LouAnn Goossens and Eddie Helseth (the only carpenter of the bunch!)  Oh the heat we got when we featured her in the Memorial Day parade!  Some townspeople thought is was inappropiate and dishonored all the veterans from SSP.



There she is in all her crowning beauty.  It was from a kit we purchased from a float-decorating company. We wanted an arrowhead design to honor the Kaposia Indians, our first settlers and the steer horns to honor the stockyards.  The purple was as close a color we could get to maroon and white, our school colors.  It was top-heavy, hard to put up and down and didn't last long in this format.  The arrowhead has given way to a brick gateway like what is at our borders into town and the horns were featured at the SSP Jaycees first entry into "On the Road Again International Booya Contest."  We claimed our booya was made from the the bones of Babe, the Blue Ox and we had the horns to prove it!  We didn't win that first year but did take home the grand prize the next and also twice more in the last three years.  Way to go Jaycees!