Drag performance in Minnesota theater from the 1880s through the 1920s
Historically referred to as “male impersonation” or “female impersonation,” drag was a popular act in Minnesota theater reflecting the heyday of vaudeville nationally.
Each week, MinnPost brings you a highlight of our state’s past from MNopedia, an encyclopedia of Minnesota history written by experts and produced by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Historically referred to as “male impersonation” or “female impersonation,” drag was a popular act in Minnesota theater reflecting the heyday of vaudeville nationally.
In 1917, he ran away from Carlisle Indian Industrial School in order to join the Navy and fight for the United States in World War I.
Buffington’s architectural office in Minneapolis employed more than thirty draftsmen, making it the largest in the region.
The title “gold star mother” was used unofficially to describe a woman who had lost a child in service until the national organization, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., was established in 1929.
Their demands were clear: a fair wage, union recognition, and the trucking firms’ recognition of inside workers as part of the union.
Three developments in the mid-twentieth century converged to bring about the greatest changes in the policing of St. Paul during this period.
In April 1965, the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers crested at record levels, flooding cities and towns across the Upper Midwest. The disaster was especially evident in Chaska and Carver.
Two weeks prior, Black residents had celebrated the 15th anniversary of “having a place of their own.”
While providing entertainment during wartime and highlighting women’s athleticism on a national scale, the female players struggled against press perceptions and male competition.
Though most of the breakouts ended in their recapture within a few days, their fourth escape, in 1949, led to eight months of freedom.
Helmed by psychiatrist Donald W. Hastings and surgeon Colin Markland, the project sought to alleviate the gender dysphoria of its patients through hormone treatment, psychotherapy, and surgery.
After a police officer arrested Gonzaga, assigned a male at birth, for wearing women’s clothes, the officer took her into custody and questioned her at the Ramsey County Courthouse.
Despite its short and oft-forgotten existence, the enclave was home to several generations of Irish working-class families and later immigrant groups.
In 1887, “the Black Pearl” won a fight staged on the banks of the Mississippi that made him one of the most famous boxers of the period.
Both the Northwest Ordinance and the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery in the area, but slavery existed there even so.
Francis pressed the limits of what an African American woman was permitted to achieve in early 20th century Minnesota.
Raised in a large Catholic family in north Minneapolis, Simms became a national celebrity for her leading role in the first all-Black performance of the Broadway show “Anna Lucasta.”
On Feb. 13, 1906, William Williams was the last person legally executed by the state of Minnesota.
Minnesota enacted its first major human rights law in 1967. That statute made it unlawful to discriminate against people based on race, color, creed, and national origin in unions, employment, education, public services, and public accommodations.
Beatlemania was in full throat that night at Metropolitan Stadium, where the screaming fans drowned out the group’s half-hour set.