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Minnesota History

Survivors of hell

After the fire, shocked and badly burned survivors searched for their families. In this excerpt from Firestorm at Peshtigo, by Denise Gess and William Lutz, one survivor tells his devastating tale.

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A firefighter's view

Father Peter Pernin rushed to the Peshtigo River, dragging a cart loaded with a wooden tabernacle containing the Holy Eucharist. In this excerpt from Ghosts of the Fireground, author Peter Leschak describes what it must have been like for the priest as he tried to save himself and the instruments of his faith.

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Saved by the river

Peshtigo's Catholic priest, Rev. Peter Pernin, wrote a dramatic account of the 1871 fire. He hoped it would help raise money to rebuild the town. In this passage, Pernin describes how he and others survive by throwing themselves in the Peshtigo River.

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Eighty years bucking a trend

One of the oldest radio stations in the Midwest is 80 years old. WNAX in Yankton, S.D. was a broadcast pioneer in the 1930s and '40s. Its glory years were in the days before television, when it helped unite the region's farms and small towns.

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The Vikings come to Minnesota

Americans like to claim the Vikings as their own even though they never set foot on U.S. soil. What other misunderstandings are there about these ancient Norse people? The curator of the newly-arrived Vikings exhibit sets the record straight.

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The Vikings

A new exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota displays the history and significance of something that happened about 1,000 years ago. It was then that the Vikings of northern Europe landed their ships on North American soil. The exhibit has been touring the country for more than two years.

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The Mississippi River and the making of America

From its headwaters in Minnesota to the Louisiana delta, the Mississippi River has contributed mightily to the making of America, and continues as a vital part of our heritage. Historian Douglas Brinkley joins us to talk about the about the 'father of waters.'

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The Winds of Hell

The Winds of Hell

On November 11, 1940, one of the deadliest blizzards this region has ever seen struck. The Armistice Day Storm killed 49 people in Minnesota, 150 nationwide. One of the most tragic chapters of the storm occured on the rivers, lakes and wetlands of the Midwest. Hundreds of duck hunters, trapped by the storm, found themselves in a life-and-death struggle.
by Mark Steil

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