During WWII, one of the most daunting engineering challenges facing the military was how to design a bomb that could actually hit its intended target. University of Minnesota professor of psychology B. F. Skinner believed that he had the answer: the US could train pigeons to guide missiles. Aiding him in this Quixotic quest would be an unlikely partner: General Mills (yes, the cereal company).

Join us for the stranger-than-fiction story of "Project Pigeon," a top secret collaboration between General Mills, the US military, and one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. We'll explore how B. F. Skinner's quest to train pigeons to guide bombs led to everything from the development of one of the most important concepts in modern psychology, to the invention of the touch screen.

This week, the Witch of November has come stealin' again as we bring you the truly EPIC tale of a storm that was remembered for decades by residents of Minnesota’s North Shore as the “Storm of the Century.” An inland cyclone blew across Lake Superior on November 27th, 28th, and 29th of 1905, sinking 29 ships and claiming 36 lives.

This episode has everything, from the most harrowing shipwreck narratives we’ve ever heard, the heroic derring-do of a "human squirrel," Samoan kings, “horny-handed sons of toil,” and the origins of Split Rock Lighthouse. You won’t want to miss it.

[Content warning: tragic death, drowning, freezing to death]

minnesotaunknown.com

"The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of November turn gloomy..."

-Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Fifty years ago this week, the iron ore freighter S.S, Edmund Fitzgerald sank beneath the icy waters of Lake Superior, claiming the lives of 29 sailors.

In this episode, we recount her harrowing final voyage, and examine why, out of the hundreds of shipwrecks that have occurred Lake Superior, the Edmund Fitzgerald maintains such an enduring hold on popular memory and imagination.

A little tip—if you are somehow not already familiar with Gordon Lightfoot's iconic 1976 ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, go and give the song a listen before starting this episode, as we reference the song gratuitously.

[Content warning: tragic death, drowning]

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You can find detailed show notes for this and all episodes at minnesotaunknown.com/podcast. We’ll post a link there to each episode along with features such as accompanying images, links to more info, and lists of sources cited.

If you have questions, comments, corrections, complaints, or compliments, or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please email us at info@minnesotaunknown.com. We’d truly love to hear from you.

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Podcast Credits:

Minnesota Unknown is produced, hosted, written, and researched by Hannah Norton, Josie Bergmann, and myself, Alex Weston. This episode was edited by me. Our theme song is by Union Shakedown. This episode is copyright 2025 by Minnesota Unknown, LLC. All rights reserved.

Welcome everyone, to part two of a two-part series on what are alleged to be Minnesota’s most haunted houses. If you haven't listened to last week’s episode, we recommend that you do so, as this one picks up pretty much where that one left off.

(Content Warning: suicide, death, and a brief allusion to sexual assault)

Now, as a refresher, last week we discussed the Forepaugh mansion in St. Paul, which was built in 1870 for businessman Joseph Forepaugh and today houses a fine dining restaurant known as Forepaugh’s. Specifically, we talked about the ghost story popularly associated with the house, which concerns an affair between a maid name Molly and her employer that ended in a double suicide.

As historians we’re not qualified to assess any supernatural claims, but we tried our best to see if the legend of Molly could be confirmed in the historical record. Sadly, we were not able to find any documentation that might confirm this story. What we did find, however, was that a near-identical story had also been circulating about a different Saint Paul mansion: the Chauncey Griggs mansion at 476 Summit Avenue.

Alongside Forepaugh’s, the Griggs mansion is often claimed to be the most haunted home in Minnesota. In this case, the spirits of the ill-fated maid and her employer are not alone. According to some accounts, as many as 13 different ghosts or entities are said to haunt the Griggs mansion.

And so, this week, we’ll be delving into the history of the Chauncey Griggs mansion, to see whether or not the historical record can shed any clues on these fascinating legends.

The Forepaugh mansion was built in 1870 for dry goods merchant and shoe manufacturer Joseph Forepaugh and his wife Mary. Today, the mansion is famous for two things: fine dining, and being among the most haunted places in the state.

(Content Warning: suicide, death, sexual exploitation)

Rumors of a haunting started soon after the historic mansion was converted into a restaurant in 1976. Customers and staff alike began reporting strange experiences, including hearing footsteps where no one was there, seeing objects move by themselves, and vanishing apparitions of a young woman and an older man, both in Victorian clothing.

Local folklore has identified these ghostly residents as the restless spirits of Joseph Forepaugh and a maid named Molly with whom he had an affair. After their affair was discovered, the story goes, both died by suicide and the restless spirits have haunted the house ever since,

Here at Minnesota Unknown, we pride ourselves on our research, and do not share any stories on our tour without first confirming every detail we can through primary sources. We have spent a great deal of time poring over old documents, searching for any details that might corroborate the legend of Molly. And what did we find? Listen on to find out!

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For more detailed shownotes and links to additional resources, head here.

At the turn of the 20th century, the most beloved celebrity in St. Paul, Minnesota was a bugle-playing chimney sweep named Slunky Norton.

For our inaugural episode, hosts Hannah, Alex, and Josie provide an origin story for Minnesota Unknown by bringing listeners along down a research rabbit hole that has been an obsession for these three local history nerds for years. The three used to work together at the Minnesota Historical Society, and during their time there they came across the incredible story of Slunky Norton—a chimney sweep, entertainer, bugler, Santa Claus, philanthropist, radio host, and beloved local celebrity.

You can find detailed show notes for this and all episodes at minnesotaunknown.com/podcasts, featuring accompanying images, links to more info, and lists of sources cited.

If you have questions, comments, corrections, complaints, or compliments, or would like to suggest a topic for a future episode, please email us at info@minnesotaunknown.com. We’d truly love to hear from you.

Welcome to a very special BONUS episode of Minnesota Unknown!

This is a companion piece to our first episode, which covered a bugle-playing chimney sweep named Skunky Norton who was a beloved local celebrity in St. Paul at the turn of the 20th century. You don’t necessarily have to have heard our first episode to understand this one, though we do hope you’ll check it out if you haven’t already.

Our original edit of the first episode was about twice as long, mostly because we went on a long digression into the broader history of chimneysweeps. We talked about the evolution of the profession from its origins in the 1500s through the 20th century, and looked at regional differences between chimney sweeping in Britain, the US, and continental Europe.

Ultimately, we decided to cut most of the background material from that first episode, and keep it focused on Slunky Norton and Saint Paul. However, we think the parts that we cut were nonetheless pretty interesting, and that this extra material really helps put Slunky in context. So we are pleased to offer that background context here as a special bonus episode.

Meanwhile, we’ll be releasing a new regular episode on a completely different soon. Be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss it. But for now, listen on to learn everything you ever wanted to know about chimney sweeps!

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Content Warning: this episode includes discussion of child labor, mistreatment of children laborers, child death, slavery, and racism.

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Click here for shownotes, bonus images, links to more resources, transcripts, and a list of sources cited.