This image is the cover for the book St. Paul Murder & Mayhem, Murder & Mayhem

St. Paul Murder & Mayhem, Murder & Mayhem

A fledgling community in the midst of stunning natural scenes, the St. Paul of yesteryear had a well-earned reputation for beauty and danger.

Whiskey made the river city a byword for peril. Men brawled over small offenses and killed one another with near impunity. As crime flourished beyond the power of police control, vigilantes patrolled the streets. Irresponsible speculation and white-collar crime wrecked the local economy, devastating families and driving thousands out of town. The remaining St. Paulites rebuilt their community and economy, stimulating immigration, but more people meant more crime. In the 1870s, vice and violence spiraled into the Bloody Fall of '74, and St. Paul regained its reputation as a "dead tough" town.

Historian Ron de Beaulieu reveals the past travails of life in this turbulent city.

Ron de Beaulieu

Ron de Beaulieu first came to St. Paul for college. She left for a year but couldn't stay away and came back to the area to go to grad school at the U. Ron now lives in Minneapolis but still loves exploring St. Paul. Her new favorite spot there is Shadow Falls. Ron is also the author of Minneapolis Murder & Mayhem .

The History Press