Episodes

Mike Sawyer fell in love with old folk music in his 20s, picking up the banjo and playing at festivals and jams around the state. But after a while, he began to wonder why nearly all the songs he and his fellow musicians were playing came from Appalachia and the South. What happened to early musical traditions from Minnesota? Now, Mike’s on a mission to uncover the roots of Upper Midwest folk music and keep it alive for future generations. This documentary was produced by Britta Greene and Jam...

Every year, people on a canoe trip to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) need to be rescued from a dangerous situation. In modern times, the call for help can come from a cell phone, a satellite phone, or an emergency beacon like a Garmin inReach. But it wasn't always this easy to help people who recreate across the canoe-country wilderness. In this story from KFAI producer Joe Friedrichs, we learn about the history of search and rescue operations inside the most visited wi...

Peter Jesperson is a music legend. Born in Minnesota, Jesperson was a seminal figure in the Minneapolis punk and new wave scene of the 1970's and 1980's. He co-founded Twin/Tone Records, worked at Oar Folkjokeopus record store and the Jay's Longhorn bar, and is credited with discovering the Replacements. He later served as the band's manager. In "Lost in the Songs," producer Todd Melby interviews Jesperson about his love affair with music, his relationship with the Replacements, and his addicti...

MinneCulture is BACK for season 8! This season, we are bringing you 7 brand new audio documentaries about the people, places, and cultural phenomena that make Minnesota...well, Minnesota. Make sure you're subscribed to MinneCulture so you don't miss any of these fascinating stories about our state. Season 8 is produced by Michelle Bruch, Joe Friedrichs, Britta Greene, Todd Melby, James Napoli, Sheila Regan, Kira Schukar, and Kyle Shiely. Hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. ...

In the most basic sense, what’s commonly referred to as “the fur trade” was a period of cultural and economic exchange between Native Americans and European Americans, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. As the pages of history were put down, one aspect that was continually overlooked is the role women played at home, in the woods, and throughout many aspects of life during the fur trade. The simple truth is that Indigenous women actively contributed to the success of the North Americ...

By 1965, the Beatles were the biggest music group in the world. They sold millions of records. They recorded songs that were not only popular but also took music in new directions. And everywhere they went, they stirred up an excitement so hysterical and commonplace there was a word for it: Beatlemania. Minnesota fans had fallen in love with the Lads from Liverpool the moment they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. But the Beatles passed Minnesota by on their first North American...

Archives tell an important story. The people in them—and the people left out—say a lot about our politics, culture, and consciousness. In the 20th century, it wasn’t uncommon for archivists to choose which artifacts made it into the official record based on what they thought defined our history. This means that a lot of people—especially queer people—were left out of the archives. Their lives were erased. But over the last few decades, historians are uncovering those queer lives. In this episode...

Today on MinneCulture, we’re headed all the way back to 1900, when Minneapolis was a very different place than it is now. As the mill capital of the world, Minneapolis was packed to the brim with seasonal workers, thriving brothels, and scheming card sharks. But to Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames, it was just a piggy bank waiting to be smashed open. Over the course of a year and a half, Ames turned the Minneapolis Police Department into the most powerful crime ring the city had ever seen. KFAI's Tony W...

The history of the Animal Humane Society offers a jaw-dropping glimpse into Minneapolis life in the late 1800s. This was a time when horses struggled to pull loads up Lowry Hill and dogs at the pound were drowned in the Mississippi River. As part of a national movement, the humane society formed to prosecute cruelty to animals — and they prosecuted cruelty to children too. Investigating hundreds of cases, humane agents became the state’s first social workers and probation officers. This story tr...

reputations. Forty years ago, the two were part of the vibrant African American Cultural Center, a place where Black Art was being nurtured, rediscovered, and celebrated. In today's episode, Sheila Regan explores the Center's history and it's legacy. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. Season 7 of the MinneCulture podcast is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose.

Eva Valesh was only 22 when she first went undercover to report on women workers in the 1880s, under the pseudonym Eva Gay in the St. Paul Globe. Each week, she would either sneak into a workplace to speak to the workers, or she would simply fabricate her references and apply to a job herself. She visited clothing factories, laundries, dress-shops, dry goods stores, and food factories. Often, she encountered women being exploited or working in dangerous conditions. Eva fought for the workers and...

In the late 1800’s, European immigrants — mostly German and Scandinavian — flooded Minnesota, and the population boomed like few other times in history. This new majority of people in a new land needed myths and stories to fill in the blanks about why and how they came here. Like the story of Kensington Runestone. A purportedly 'discovered' rune stone that proved that Nordic expires made it to Minnesota in the year 1362. In this episode, reporter Matthew Schneeman dives into the connection betw...

With its haunting call, distinctive black and white plumage, and intense, almost otherworldly red eyes, the Common Loon is an icon of northern Minnesota wilderness. But some researchers believe future generations of the beloved bird in this region may be in jeopardy.A recent study in Wisconsin showed some worrying trends. Chicks are getting smaller, their survival rates are lower, and loons that migrate as juveniles are returning to their birthplace at low rates. Now, there’s a concentrated re...

Historians have argued that the history of America can be told through the history of meat. The meat industry was often the first to innovate and make use of modern technologies: from the railroad and refrigerated cars to meat packing plant’s dis-assembly lines that inspired Henry Ford’s assembly line. This is especially true for Minnesota. The University of Minnesota was the first university to specialize in meat studies with the opening of the Andrew Boss Meat Lab. South Saint Paul’s stockyard...

MinneCulture returns in 2023 with more stories of Minnesota arts, history, and culture. In season 7, we'll get to know some prominent Minnesotan activists, unravel some of our favorite myths and legends, and tell stories about the people who make up our great state. New episodes dropping every two weeks, starting Thursday January 5. Subscribe to KFAI's MinneCulture wherever you get your podcasts. MinneCulture is edited and executive produced by Julie Censullo and hosted by John Gebretatose. For ...

For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season finale of season 6, producer Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota — a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers. Grab some crackers and join us! Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season finale of season 6, producer Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota — a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers. Grab some crackers and join us! Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season finale of season 6, producer Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota — a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers. Grab some crackers and join us! Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Mother Alfred Moes was an immigrant from Luxembourg, a woman religious, and the founder of two Franciscan congregations. She was also the first person to advocate for the hospital in Rochester that would become Mayo Clinic. While her visionary leadership proved essential to the founding of St. Mary's Hospital, her strong influence often put her in conflict with church leadership. KFAI's Julie Censullo tells the story.

Mother Alfred Moes was an immigrant from Luxembourg, a woman religious, and the founder of two Franciscan congregations. She was also the first person to advocate for the hospital in Rochester that would become Mayo Clinic. While her visionary leadership proved essential to the founding of St. Mary's Hospital, her strong influence often put her in conflict with church leadership. KFAI's Julie Censullo tells the story.

Mother Alfred Moes was an immigrant from Luxembourg, a woman religious, and the founder of two Franciscan congregations. She was also the first person to advocate for the hospital in Rochester that would become Mayo Clinic. While her visionary leadership proved essential to the founding of St. Mary's Hospital, her strong influence often put her in conflict with church leadership. KFAI's Julie Censullo tells the story.

A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation. Histor...

A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation. Histor...

A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation. Histor...