Murder of Carol Thompson

The March 1963 murder of St. Paul wife and mother Carol Thompson shocked the Twin Cities as few local crimes have. Despite community fears of a homicidal maniac, investigators soon focused on T. Eugene "Cotton" Thompson, the victim’s husband, as their prime suspect. Three and a half months after the murder, Thompson was arrested and charged in connection with his wife’s death. In December 1963 he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Black and white photograph of Alice Ames Winter, c.1923.

Alice Ames Winter

Alice Ames Winter, c.1923. Winter was chair of the Woman’s Committee of the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety and the Minnesota Woman’s Committee of the Council of National Defense.

Black and white photograph of Evelyn Lightner (at left) and Red Cross workers distributing food, c.1918.

Red Cross workers

Evelyn Lightner (at left) and Red Cross workers distributing food, c.1918.

Color image of a World War I-era poster, 1917.

Women! Help America’s Sons Win the War

World War I-era poster, 1917.

Black and white photograph of Red Cross workers making bandages, c.1916.

Red Cross workers

Red Cross workers making bandages, c.1916.

Color image of a World War I-era Red Cross poster, c.1917.

Join (the Red Cross)

World War I-era Red Cross poster, c.1917.

Women on the World War I Home Front

After the United States entered World War I in 1917, Minnesota women, like Americans across the nation, were called to contribute to the war effort. Though some went to Europe and served as nurses, drivers, and aid workers on the battlefields, many more participated on the home front. They took on new jobs, conserved vital resources, and joined volunteer organizations. At the same time, they struggled to come to terms with conflicting ideals of patriotism, loyalty, and what it meant to be an American.

Black and white photograph of a Anti-pornography protest on Lake Street, 1984.

Anti-pornography protest on Lake Street

The Minneapolis mayor's veto of the ordinance amendment in January, 1983, did little to quell debate on this subject. Protests in the Lake Street pornography district intensified during 1984 as the city's Task Force on Pornography deliberated. Feminists organized regular actions against the Rialto Theater, which was located at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street. They staged a "porn dump" on the steps of City Hall and establish the Pornography Resource Center on Lake Street. A photographer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Liz Hafalia, documented one of these protests. Forty women picketed the street and tried to intimidate would-be customers from entering bookstores and movie theaters. This image was published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on November 10, 1984. Source: Minneapolis and St Paul newspaper negatives collection, Minnesota Historical Society.

Black and white photograph of a candlelight vgil at Mayor Fraser’s office, 1983.

Candlelight vigil at Mayor Fraser’s office

Women maintained a candlelight vigil outside of Mayor Donald Fraser's office while they waited for his decision on the ordinance amendment passed by the Minneapolis City Council on December 30, 1983. Known for his strong feminist convictions, the mayor vetoed the measure on January 5, 1984. He explained that the measure provided a "broad" and "vague" definition of pornography that made it impossible for a "bookseller, movie theater operator or museum director to adjust his or her conduct in order to keep from running afoul of its proscriptions." He asserted that it would never withstand judicial review. This photograph was taken at Minneapolis City Hall by Stormi Greener for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was published on December 30, 1983. Source: Minneapolis and St Paul newspaper negatives collection, Minnesota Historical Society.

Black and white photograph of Anti-pornography activists at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, c.1980.

Anti-pornography activists at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street

Activists from the Powderhorn and Central neighborhoods of Minneapolis continued their fight against the Alexander brothers into the early 1980s, despite a series of unfavorable legal decisions. This image shows Richard Buske, Linda Wejcman, Douglas Hicks, Nancy Benson, and Vernon Wetternach on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Lake Street on January 29, 1981. Photograph taken by Art Hager of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Source: Minneapolis and St Paul newspaper negatives collection, Minnesota Historical Society.

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