Boosters, Hustlers, And Speculators: Entrepreneurial Culture And The Rise Of Minneapolis And St. Paul, 1849-1883

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Summary: business history of Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1800s
Review: The year 1849 was when Minnesota became a state; 1883 was the year the Northern Pacific Railroad celebrated the completion of its link between Minneapolis-St. Paul and the West coast. In between these years, the historically closely tied cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul grew from a "collection of huts and shanties" to a major national and international center of commerce. With the phone system, up-to-date plumbing, and electricity the cities brought in in the latter 1800s, they began to more and more resemble other major American cities. Wills meticulously follows the rapid growth of the two cities by focusing on the activity of the most important individuals in the area of commerce and the economy. She is methodical and complete in describing their outsized activities and the results of these, for the most part passing over their personalities and personal lives. Even the author's notes over 40 pages are worth going through for the facts and comments found in many. Wills is an assistant professor of history at Brooklyn College, CUNY. What her book lacks in color, it more than makes up for in substance and thoroughness. It's the fundamental economic history on Minneapolis and St. Paul in the middle decades of the 19th century.