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    History

    Minnesota’s Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold

    Erik Rivenes, the host of the Most Notorious podcast, has spent over twenty years compiling a file of historical true crime stories from his native state of Minnesota. These stories are presented here, in titillating, tragic, often gruesome and occasionally bizarre detail.

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    Copyright: © Copyright Erik Rivenes

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    Latest Episodes:
    Minnesota Caves & Tunnels w/ Greg Brick Jul 22, 2022

    Have you ever wondered whether Pig's Eye Parrant's notorious Fountain Cave saloon is accessible to visitors? Was there really a tunnel between Nina Clifford's brothel and the original Minnesota Club? Did Jesse and Frank James hide out in any Minnesota caves before or after their botched Northfield bank raid in 1876? What really exists under downtown Saint Paul and Minneapolis?
    My guest is Dr. Greg Brick, who arguably knows more about caves and tunnels in Minnesota than anyone alive, and he answers these questions for us (and more) on this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious. He is the author of "Minnesota Caves: History and Lore", "Minnesota Underground", and "Subterranean Twin Cities", to name a few of his books.
    More information on Dr. Brick's books (and adventures) can be found here: https://drgregbrick.com/


    The Assassination of Hole in the Day w/ Anton Treuer Jun 05, 2022

    On June 27, 1868, Hole in the Day (Bagonegiizhig) the Younger left Crow Wing, Minnesota, for Washington, DC, to fight the planned removal of the Mississippi Ojibwe to a reservation at White Earth. Several miles from his home, the self-styled leader of all the Ojibwe was stopped by at least twelve Ojibwe men and fatally shot.
    Hole in the Day's death was national news, and rumors of its cause were many: personal jealousy, retribution for his claiming to be head chief of the Ojibwe, retaliation for the attacks he fomented in 1862, or retribution for his attempts to keep mixed-blood Ojibwe off the White Earth Reservation. Still later, investigators found evidence of a more disturbing plot involving some of his closest colleagues: the business elite at Crow Wing.
    My guest, Anton Treuer, is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of "The Assassination of Hole in the Day". He has spent years researching the story and believes he has solved the now one hundred and fifty four year old murder case.
    Professor Treuer's website: https://antontreuer.com/
    Buy it at Birch Bark Books here: https://birchbarkbooks.com/products/the-assassination-of-hole-in-the-day


    The 1894 Murder of Kitty Ging w/ Shawn Francis Peters Dec 30, 2021

    On December 3rd, 1894, a dressmaker named Catherine "Kitty" Ging was found shot to death on a snowy Lake Calhoun road in Minneapolis. Police patched together clues and evidence, which ultimately led them to the front door of a charming, scheming scoundrel named Harry Hayward.
    My guest is Shawn Francis Peters, author of "The Infamous Harry Hayward: A True Account of Murder and Mesmerism in Gilded Age Minneapolis". He shares insight into this sensational murder case and arguably the greatest 19th century villain in Minnesota history.
    More about the book here: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-infamous-harry-hayward


    Saint Paul Memories & Murder w/ David Butwin Jul 26, 2021

    The upscale Highland Park neighborhood in Saint Paul in the late 1940s was a fun place to grow up in. But there was a dark side to the area as well. A trio of gruesome murders of young women happened in a fifteen month period, which shocked the respectable community. The most memorable for the author was the 1948 murder of seventeen-year-old Geraldine Mingo.
    My guest, David Butwin, shares childhood stories from his memoir, "A Minnesota Kid: In Search of Heroes and Ghosts". Information about his book can be found at his website here: https://www.davidbutwin.com/


    The Wabasha Street Caves w/ Deborah Frethem Jan 22, 2021

    On this episode, I get a little more informal than usual, as I chat with Deborah Frethem, long time tour guide at the Wabasha Street Caves (the old Castle Royale Nightclub). We swap tour guide and ghost stories, in honor of the sad, recent closing of the Caves.
    Deborah, along with Cynthia Schreiner Smith, are co-authors of a book called "Alvin Karpis and the Barker Gang in Minnesota".


    Grand Rapids' Ruby Slippers Heist w/ Rob Feeney Oct 16, 2020

    My guest, Rob Feeney, suddenly found himself the middle of one of the most fascinating criminal investigations in Minnesota history - the theft of one of the famous pairs of Ruby Slippers, worn by Minnesota native Judy Garland in the classic film The Wizard of Oz, out of a Grand Rapids museum in 2005. Rob talks about the historical significance of the shoes, the theft itself, and shares his own experience helping investigators track them down.


    The 1887 Minneapolis Murder of Thomas Tollefson w/ Beverly J. Porter Sep 05, 2020

    In the summer of 1887, Thomas Tollefson was shot to death as he operated his mule-drawn streetcar in the Cedar Avenue-Lake Street neighborhood of Minneapolis. Police settled on two brothers as the murderers - members of a family that ran a notorious saloon nearby called The Hub of Hell.
    My guest is Beverly J. Porter, author of "The Hub of Hell: A True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Neighborhood, Murder, and Trial". She offers details of not only the murder itself, but the flimsy investigation, trial, and eventual execution of Tim and Pete Barrett.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Old Minneapolis's Infamous Skid Row w/ James Eli Shiffer Apr 06, 2020

    Before the early 1960s, when much of Minneapolis was razed to make way for ugly parking ramps and office buildings, another world existed. Decrepit 19th century buildings in an area of downtown called Skid Row housed lowbrow bars and flophouses, and a man named John "Johnny Rex" Bacich, owner of the Sourdough Bar, reigned supreme over a gaggle of brawlers, migrant workers, prostitutes and drunks.
    My guest is Star Tribune editor James Eli Shiffer and his book is called "The King of Skid Row: John Bachich and the Twilight Years of Old Minneapolis". With the help of John Bacich's memories and photographs, he documents and shares the fascinating history of this bygone era of Minneapolis.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1972 Virginia Piper Kidnapping w/ William Swanson Mar 11, 2020

    The F.B.I. refers to the 1972 Virginia Piper kidnapping as the most successful kidnapping in American history. In July of that year, Virginia Piper, socialite wife of Bobby Piper, the CEO of Piper, Jaffray and Hopwood, was abducted from her home, taken to Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth, and tied to a tree. The ransom demand was one million dollars.
    My guest, William Swanson, with help from the Piper family, has meticulously researched a case that many Minnesotans still remember in vivid detail. The product of his hard work is the book "Stolen From the Garden: The Kidnapping of Virginia Piper".
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The Life & Death of Minnesota's Colorful Nellie King w/ Jerry Kuntz - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 13, 2020

    My guest is Jerry Kuntz, author of "Minnesota's Notorious Nellie King: Wild Woman of the Closed Frontier". He tells the story of a larger-than-life and beautiful young con-artist, pretend detective, singer and cross-dresser, who lights up Twin Cities papers with her outrageous exploits.
    He also explains how he was able to track down her elusive past history, and discover her real identity.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The 1912 Alice Matthews Murder Case Part Two Dec 14, 2019

    In this second part of the 1912 Alice Matthews Murder case, a serious suspect finally emerges, a young man named Alfred Driskell, but it takes four confessions for the police to finally him seriously. And throughout his journey to convince authorities of his guilt, many questions arise as to Driskell's sanity.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The 1912 Alice Matthews Murder Case Part One Dec 01, 2019

    In March of 1912, a brutal murder of a young woman just off of Cedar Avenue rocked the city of Minneapolis. In part one of this episode, I narrate the story of the initial investigation of the slaying of Alice Matthews, just feet from her front door.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The Mysterious 1951 Minneapolis Disappearance of the Klein Brothers w/ Jack El-Hai - A True Crime History Podcast Oct 22, 2019

    On this new episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold, I speak with author Jack El-Hai about his book, "The Lost Brothers: A Family's Decades-Long Search".
    In it, he explores the mysterious disappearance of three little brothers in a Minneapolis park in November of 1951. While the police would consider it a drowning, their parents, Betty and Ken Klein, would never give up looking for their sons. A recent investigation has begun into the cold case, suggesting something far more sinister happened to the boys.
    Jack also talks about a new podcast set to debut at the end of 2019 that explores the story in further detail.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Minnesota 1918: Fire, Flu and War w/ Curt Brown Oct 12, 2019

    The year 1918 goes down as probably the most horrific in Minnesota history. A flu epidemic, a world war and the deadliest fire in the state's history all hit within months of each other, and often the resulting tragedies overlapped for suffering families.
    My guest is Curt Brown, author of "Minnesota 1918: When Flu, Fire & War Ravaged the State". He not only shares some sad stories from this disastrous year, but uplifting ones as well.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Minneapolis Madams with Penny A. Petersen - A True Crime History Podcast Sep 02, 2019

    While most of us know that prostitution existed in Minneapolis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fewer of us know where the red-light districts were, and what life would have been like for the madams and prostitutes who worked in these bordellos.
    My guest is Penny A. Petersen, author of Minneapolis Madams: The Lost History of Prostitution on the Riverfront. She offers a rare glimpse of a long lost and hidden history, and the struggles and successes experienced by the women who ran these brothels in a male-dominated business world.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    True Crime Ripped From the Headlines! August 4th, 1913 Aug 05, 2019

    A brief look at some of the wild stories published in the Minneapolis Morning Tribune on August 4th, 1913. True Crime, tragedy and even comedy take a turn.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The Younger Brothers' First Taste of Freedom Jul 06, 2019

    On July 14th of 1901, the remaining members of the notorious James-Younger outlaw gang, Cole and Jim Younger, were allowed to leave the gates of the Minnesota State Prison, where they had been incarcerated for twenty five years, and explore the town of Stillwater for the morning. This is an account of that little expedition, as reported by the Minneapolis Tribune.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Live at the Warden's House Museum in Stillwater w/ Gibson Stanton! Jul 04, 2019

    Minnesota's Most Notorious's first interview in front of a live audience took place at the Warden's House Museum, downtown Stillwater, on Thursday, June 27th, 2019 at 7 pm.
    My guest was Gibson Stanton, site manager of the museum, which is operated by the Washington County Historical Society. She not only offered a fascinating history of Minnesota's first prison, but told stories of its most infamous inmates, Cole and Jim Younger. She also revealed some of her research into Jim Younger's mysterious suicide and Cole Younger's secretive job with the Saint Paul Police Department, including a personal theory that there might have been some darker reasons for his death.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Minnesota's First Murder Mystery: Part Two w/ Gary Brueggemann - A True Crime History Podcast Jun 23, 2019

    My interview continues with Gary Brueggemann, author of "Minnesota's First Murder Mystery, The Case of Edward Phalen: St. Paul's Unsaintly Pioneer".
    In part two, my guest delves deeper into the death of Sergeant John Hayes, including presenting strong evidence to suggest it was his partner, the brutish Edward Phalen, who murdered him. He also offers his opinion on the Lake Calhoun name change controversy in Minneapolis.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Minnesota's First Murder Mystery: Part One w/ Gary Brueggemann - A True Crime History Podcast Jun 23, 2019

    My guest is teacher and historian Gary Brueggemann, author of "Minnesota's First Murder Mystery, The Case of Edward Phalen: St. Paul's Unsaintly Pioneer".
    In part one of this episode, he explains the strange and complicated origin of Saint Paul, and sets the scene for part two, which details the murder of John Hayes, the investigation, and eventual outcome for Edward Phalen, the prime suspect.
    Also in this episode, notorious river pirate and whiskey peddler Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant's role in the early history of the city.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The Barker-Karpis Gang and Big Tom Brown w/ Tim Mahoney - A True Crime History Podcast May 20, 2019

    My guest is Tim Mahoney, author of "Secret Partners: Big Tom Brown and the Barker Gang". He shares the story of the tangled relationship between mob bosses, bank-robbing gangsters, breweries and corrupt police officers in 1920s and 30s Saint Paul.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1902 Aitkin Murder of Josefina Olson w/ Betty Gove - A True Crime History Podcast Apr 25, 2019

    I'm tickled, on this episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious, to be joined by author, poet and nonagenarian Betty Gove. She talks about an infamous and tragic Minnesota murder, taken directly from her own family history.
    Josefina Olson was stabbed to death by her jealous father Ole on the eve before her wedding day in 1902 outside of Aitkin, MN.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1940 Fort Snelling "Barrel Girl" Murder w/ Susi and Todd Adler - A True Crime History Podcast Apr 01, 2019

    My guests are Susi and Todd Adler, Fort Snelling historians who specialize in the history of the Upper Post during World War 1 and World War 2.
    On this episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious, they tell the story of the gruesome murder of fourteen year old Mary Jane Massey, who disappeared while walking home from the post's swimming pool on a hot summer day in 1940.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The Wild Life of Coffee John Fitchette - A True Crime History Podcast Mar 03, 2019

    One of my favorite characters from my book, Dirty Doc Ames & the Scandal That Shook Minneapolis, is "Coffee John" Fitchette. He was an incorrigible, swaggering bully who conned and cheated his way across the United States, leaving three wives, multiple children, and a legion of angry creditors in his wake. He finally settled in Minneapolis, where he would start his infamous Coffee John's Oyster Grotto on Nicollet Avenue and become fast friends with Mayor Albert Alonzo "Doc" Ames. He'd use that connection to finagle his way into a police captain's uniform while continuing to use his brute strength to intimidate and beat up customers in his restaurant. This is a brief history of his life and legend.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1933 Johnson Family Murders w/ Brian Johnson - A True Crime History Podcast Mar 03, 2019

    This is a Minnesota's Most Notorious interview. On this episode I chat with Brian Johnson, author of Murder in Chisago County: The Untold Johnson Family Mystery. He has a personal connection to the story - it was his great-aunt and her children who were murdered on their family farm in Rush City, Minnesota, in April of 1933.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Murder on Buffalo Creek w/ Brian Haines Feb 11, 2019

    Brian Haines, Executive Director of the McLeod County Historical Society and Museum in Hutchinson MN, tells some turn-of-the-century stories of murder and lynching on Buffalo Creek. He also talks about some of the great exhibits offered at the museum this year.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The Lynching of Frank McManus - A True Crime History Podcast Feb 10, 2019

    In April of 1882, in downtown Minneapolis, a hobo named Frank McManus committed a terrible crime upon a little girl named Mina Spear, and citizens turned into vigilantes to take justice into their own hands.
    * Listener discretion advised on this episode.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The Rockwell Art Heist w/ Bruce Rubenstein - A True Crime History Podcast Jan 05, 2019

    First, a recounting of the December 1932 robbery of the Third Northwestern National Bank, where the Barker Karpis gang murdered three before making their way back to the safety of Saint Paul.
    Then, Bruce Rubenstein, author of The Rockwell Heist, tells the strange story of the theft and eventual recovery of a number of Norman Rockwell paintings from an art gallery in St. Louis Park in 1978.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Dirty Doc Ames & the Scandal That Shook Minneapolis - A True Crime History Podcast Dec 24, 2018

    In a slight change of pace for Minnesota's Most Notorious, I invite my sister Alison to interview me about my political true crime book, published in April of this year, called Dirty Doc Ames & the Scandal That Shook Minneapolis, about the wild rise and fall of one of the most colorful and corrupt politicians in Minnesota history, Albert Alonzo "Doc" Ames.
    In 1901, Doc was elected for a fourth term as mayor of Minneapolis, where he proceeded to fire half of the police force and go on a year-long crime spree, alongside a strange assortment of crooks and incompetents. Eventually they would be brought down by a muckraking journalist, a stubborn grand jury foreman, and reformers who helped herald in the Progressive era.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1929 Schuch Family Murders in Waseca - A True Crime History Podcast Dec 15, 2018

    A couple of years ago, I released a "mini-episode" on Most Notorious, which included a story of the murder of members of the Schuch family in Waseca in 1929. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Jen Barr, granddaughter of one of the girls, Wilhemenia, who discovered the bodies of her family almost 90 years ago. We revisit the story, and I talk to Jen about her own investigation into the long-ago murders on this episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: The 1932 Murder of Abe Wagner by Murder, Inc. - A True Crime History Podcast Dec 08, 2018

    First, the strange story of the attempted murder of Dakota Indian chief Sitting Bull at the Grand Opera House in Saint Paul in 1885.
    Then, I speak to Jeff Neuberger, archivist and historian for the Saint Paul Police Historical Society, who tells the story of Abe Wagner, who was pistol-whipped to death on University Avenue by two contract killers hired by New York City's notorious Murder, Incorporated.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The 1905 St. Paul Murders of Mary & Johnny Keller & the 1935 East Grand Forks Murder of Ray Ruud - A True Crime History Podcast Dec 02, 2018

    First up, the story of the strange relationship between 28 year old steamfitter William Williams and 16 year old Johnny Keller in 1905 Saint Paul, which led to the murders of both Johnny and his mother Mary.
    Then, an interview with Christine Hill, who is trying to solve the murder of her grandmother's cousin, Ray Ruud, who was shot while driving his cab in East Grand Forks in 1935.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Saint Mudd: A Novel of Gangsters and Saints w/ Steve Thayer - A True Crime History Podcast Nov 09, 2018

    I'm excited to share my interview with Steve Thayer, New York Times bestselling author, about a book that was very important in my life, a book that ultimately led me on a path that would take me to creating and hosting the Most Notorious Podcast. Saint Mudd: A Novel of Gangsters and Saints, centers around a World War I-ravaged newspaperman named Grover Mudd, who gets mixed up in the seedy and violent Saint Paul underworld of the 1930s. Steve tells the compelling story about his successful and unlikely journey as an author, and what he believes made this book a surprise smash hit.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Halloween Episode: Ghosts of Saint Paul - A True Crime History Podcast Oct 27, 2018

    Historic Saint Paul has it's share of spooky ghost stories, and in celebration of the Halloween holiday, here are three of these paranormal tales, presented in full audio glory.
    1) The Ghost of Charlie Pitts on Como Lake
    2) The Wabasha Street Caves/Castle Royale Nightclub
    3) The Ghost of Joseph Forepaugh and "Molly" at Forepaugh's Restaurant
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Interview: Marjorie Congdon and the Glensheen Murders w/ Sharon Darby Hendry - A True Crime History Podcast Oct 18, 2018

    In this special interview episode of Where Blood Runs Cold, I interview Sharon Henry Darby, author of Glensheen's Daughter, about the notorious Minnesota murderer and arsonist Marjorie Congdon, who besides allegedly conspiring to murder her mother Elizabeth Congdon at the famous Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, also left a trail of fire and death for the next three decades across the country.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The 1909 St. Paul Murder of Louis Arbogast - Part Two - A True Crime History Podcast Oct 17, 2018

    In this second part to the story, a member of the Arbogast family is put on trial for murder, although it may not be someone initially suspected by police. Also, a myriad of possible motives are discussed, primarily based on an intimate relationship between two people in the family.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    The 1909 St. Paul Murder of Louis Arbogast - Part One -A True Crime History Podcast Oct 04, 2018

    The quiet, slumbering neighborhood of Seven Corners was awakened in the early morning hours of May 13, 1909, by the terrified screams of the Arbogast family. Louis Arbogast, prosperous Saint Paul butcher, had been murdered in his bed, but the doors to the house had been locked shut, and his five daughters and wife were not talking. In part one of this story, police detectives investigate the murder, gather evidence, and focus on one particular family member with an especially suspicious past.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


    Introducing 'Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold' - A True Crime History Podcast Sep 01, 2018

    Erik Rivenes, host of the popular Most Notorious Podcast, explains why he decided to start a new podcast devoted to Minnesota true crime history, and what listeners can expect to come.
    Become a Most Notorious patron at: www.patreon.com/mostnotorious


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