Becoming the Twin Cities: Swindles, Schemes, and Enduring Rivalries

by Drew M. Ross

Whether
motivated by visionary ideals or commercial gain or political ambition, many
have tried to unite Minneapolis and St. Paul into one city, and all have
failed. This book explains why.



Why haven’t Minneapolis and St.
Paul merged into one city? In Becoming the Twin Cities, award-winning
writer Drew M. Ross uncovers the nineteenth-century history of scheming and
self-dealing, social rivalries and political grudges, and utopian idealism and
personal ambition that explains how the Twin Cities became the separate cities
with different governments and distinct personalities that we know today.



Beginning with the
story of Fort Snelling’s founding and Joseph Plympton’s expansion of a reserve
around it, Ross follows up with the land-grabbing and money-making schemes of
Henry Rice and Franklin Steele, explores the rivalries between local
Republicans and Democrats (and their partisan newspapers), and details the
battles over the locations and significance of the capitol, the state fair, and
the Midway neighborhood. Figures like Lieutenant Zebulon Pike and tavern keeper
Stephen Desnoyer, visionary architect Horace W. S. Cleveland, religious leader
(and land speculator) Archbishop John Ireland, and the pugnacious publisher
Bill King—all had a hand in the push-pull tension that has fundamentally shaped
the Twin Cities to this day.



Unlike Fort
Snelling’s river confluence location from which the cities were born or the St.
Anthony Falls that powered their growth, the Twin Cities do not align to a
natural or inevitable division on the map. Instead, people made the border
between Minneapolis and St. Paul, attempted to erase it, and ultimately
underscored it. Becoming the Twin Cities examines the historical
underpinnings of a beloved American metropolitan region’s unique identity. 

Genres: History

280 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Greg Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a book be both "fascinating " and "dry"? The answer here is yes.

The insights that Ross brings to the convoluted history of Minneapolis and St. Paul are fascinating and do a great job of rendering the inscrutable obvious. And yet, there are times when the narrative lags and the list of names piles up.

My biggest regret with this book is the maps. First, the ones that are reproduced are dark and low-quality. Second, there is rarely a satisfactory connection with the present day. I often found myself with a magnifying glass in one hand and my laptop in the other, trying to connect the grainy map in the book with a modern day landscape.

All in all, I applaud Mr. Ross for this wonderful addition to the literature of these great Twin Cities.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d never actually pondered why the Twin Cities are two cities, but upon examination, it really doesn’t make sense; most other examples of the form are split by an obvious geographical boundary, which isn’t true of Minneapolis and Saint Paul (yes, the Mississippi forms part of the border between the two, but both cities are on both sides of the river and the downtowns are miles apart and face their own city on the other side of the river.) This book gives reasons for this and for other questions I’d never thought to ponder (why didn’t the city grow up around Fort Snelling and the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers? Why is Minnesota the only state besides Louisiana that’s on both sides of the Mississippi?) The book suffers some from Historian Voice, where things get a little dry and sources are quoted at the expense of telling a story, but it’s still a good and easy read, albeit perhaps slightly less interesting for those who aren’t locals amused by saying “well hey I know where that is.” I can recommend it for the type of people who can genuinely get distracted and entertained by watching documentaries on TPT that they had no intentions of watching. That might just be me! I’m okay with that!

[Paul Chestovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and fun read. A little heavy I thought on Saint Paul, which is fine because I live there! This book had me looking online and digging through old maps. Well done overall. A little better organization might have helped; and I thought the ending a bit abrupt. Nonetheless, this was a book I looked forward to picking up each morning.

[Emily Burich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately so dull and dry.. wanted to be more into it but barely got through it. Two stars for the topic and history! actually reading it was a slog.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting history of the Twin Cities from before statehood. It was a long and sometimes a tedious read but there were hidden gems of information I found fascinating. Why the cities were located where they were, how they decided on the locations of the State Fair and Capitol, the secession of St Anthony from St Paul to Mpls, etc.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history and geography of the Twin Cities. This book traces how unique the arrangement St. Paul and Minneapolis find themselves in compared to other close in proximity metropolitan areas in the U. S. One of the more interesting features was what various figures did to get streets named after themselves. Streets in St. Paul like Cleveland Ave., Lexington Ave. Rice St. and others. I learned why West St. Paul which is south of St. Paul is called West St. Paul. Also, how a smaller city than Mpls. St. Paul was able to get the State Capitol and State Fair. Fun read for any citizen of these environs.

[Dan Wolter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really insightful history that helps answer one of the bigger questions for many people: why do we have two large metropolitan areas that border each other and not one city instead. Most of the meat of the book happens before 1900, so be prepared for older history. But well worth the read. Lots of colorful characters and stories!

[Timothy Eiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t think I’d like it, but there was a TON of fascinating info in it!