This Week’s Mystery Photo #4 – Identify the Location and Submit Your Best Guess Under “Comments” at the Bottom of This Week’s Post.  For the first time, Mystery Photo Friday ventures outside the Twin City metro and showcases the technical curve that we’re cyber-snowboarding on here at Paddlin’ Madeline. Good luck.

Believe it or not, Delta let me "carry on" the Mad River sparking some distress and outright annoyance in a few cranky passengers.

The Answer To Last Week’s Mystery Photo Revealed and the Winner of the Coveted Cotton Swabs Announced!

There are good detectives, even great detectives and then there are the super sleuths.  Sherlock Holmes, Albert Campion, Ms. Marple, Lord Peter Death  Bredon Wimsey, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, and Lisbet Salandar come to mind.  They foil the dastardly schemes of their Moriartys and when everyone else has moved on to another parlor game they find the missing  piece under the chair cushion and complete the puzzle.  This week’s challenge brought out the great Mystery detectives, that’s for “dang sure” as River Tales guest, George Heckman might be heard to exclaim (See Monday’s post – Elvis and the Supernatural Woods on Grey Cloud Island). Here’s some more shots of this St. Paul landmark.

Yikes, a real sky scraper

That is so tall. I bet it could hold lots of ???

Down the steps to the path by the riverbank

Darn, I can almost read that sign.

A Special Place
So, while they may not be pretty, the St. Paul Municipal Elevator and Sackhouse represent important local, regional and national stories. They tell us about:

• St. Paul’s heritage as a port city.
• Two regional movements to bring commerce to the Mississippi River: the 6- and 9-foot channel projects.
• The history of grain marketing in the Twin Cities, the Midwest and the nation.
• The rivalry between St. Paul and Minneapolis.
• And the many individuals behind the stories above, such as George C. Lambert, William Cargill, and Frank Peavey. I did not mention Samuel Thorpe, William Hamm, Governor Theodore Christianson, Senator Henrik Shipstead, and many, many others who were involved in this history Terminal Story – Excellent Read.

View of the Municipal Terminal and Sackhouse from the Mighty Mississippi

Mystery Photo Friday #3 Revealed

Farmers wanted a fair deal.  Peavy and Cargill had monopolized the wheat business.  The progressive farmers movement was if not born of, then suckled on the vision of a cooperative farmer-owned exchange, the first in the country, which gave those farmers an alternative to the price-fixing and dictates of the big players.  Although the great detectives of Mystery Photo Friday did themselves proud, one stood out and absolutely, solved the puzzle – Elizabeth of St. Paul with her entry, “the Saint Paul Municipal Grain Terminal, also known as the head house.” However, the entries of Dale and Lisa deserve special accolades and as suggested by Dale, they will share in the cotton swab prize, sort of.  I hope to hear more too from Mia, our rising star in the 6 and under category.

Way to go Dale and Lisa. Hmmm. But which ear needs it most?

Visit again next week for more of River Tales and some yoga tips from the main man himself. Subscribe if you dare and tell folks about this week’s Mystery Photo, especially those who are well-traveled.  Post your “Comment” at the bottom of the post.  Thanks for visiting. Corey