{"product_id":"becoming-the-twin-cities-drew-m-ross-9781681343235","title":"Becoming the Twin Cities: Swindles, Schemes, and Enduring Rivalries","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhether\u003cbr\u003emotivated by visionary ideals or commercial gain or political ambition, many\u003cbr\u003ehave tried to unite Minneapolis and St. Paul into one city, and all have\u003cbr\u003efailed. This book explains why.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhy haven't Minneapolis and St.\u003cbr\u003ePaul merged into one city? In \u003ci\u003eBecoming the Twin Cities\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning\u003cbr\u003ewriter Drew M. Ross uncovers the nineteenth-century history of scheming and\u003cbr\u003eself-dealing, social rivalries and political grudges, and utopian idealism and\u003cbr\u003epersonal ambition that explains how the Twin Cities became the separate cities\u003cbr\u003ewith different governments and distinct personalities that we know today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBeginning with the\u003cbr\u003estory of Fort Snelling's founding and Joseph Plympton's expansion of a reserve\u003cbr\u003earound it, Ross follows up with the land-grabbing and money-making schemes of\u003cbr\u003eHenry Rice and Franklin Steele, explores the rivalries between local\u003cbr\u003eRepublicans and Democrats (and their partisan newspapers), and details the\u003cbr\u003ebattles over the locations and significance of the capitol, the state fair, and\u003cbr\u003ethe Midway neighborhood. Figures like Lieutenant Zebulon Pike and tavern keeper\u003cbr\u003eStephen Desnoyer, visionary architect Horace W. S. Cleveland, religious leader\u003cbr\u003e(and land speculator) Archbishop John Ireland, and the pugnacious publisher\u003cbr\u003eBill King--all had a hand in the push-pull tension that has fundamentally shaped\u003cbr\u003ethe Twin Cities to this day.  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUnlike Fort\u003cbr\u003eSnelling's river confluence location from which the cities were born or the St.\u003cbr\u003eAnthony Falls that powered their growth, the Twin Cities do not align to a\u003cbr\u003enatural or inevitable division on the map. Instead, people made the border\u003cbr\u003ebetween Minneapolis and St. Paul, attempted to erase it, and ultimately\u003cbr\u003eunderscored it. \u003ci\u003eBecoming the Twin Cities\u003c\/i\u003e examines the historical\u003cbr\u003eunderpinnings of a beloved American metropolitan region's unique identity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Drew M. Ross\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1681343231\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781681343235\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Minnesota Historical Society Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Drew M. Ross","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46927887007999,"sku":"9781681343235","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_263d4881-5cb4-4749-84a6-a6cfaf3cf07a.jpg?v=1749373277","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/becoming-the-twin-cities-drew-m-ross-9781681343235","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}