The Mississippi River is one of the defining geographic features of our state. The river's headwaters begin up north in Lake Itasca and meander for 650 miles through the cities, bluffs, forests and iron ranges of Minnesota, before crossing the border into Wisconsin and Iowa. The River has long captured our imagination. And, for many, it has provided a home.

Boathouse communities, though less common today, have long formed up and down the river. These enclaves of shanty boats and floating homes provide affordable living and organic community for residents. Producer Gina Favano spent 10 years living in a boathouse on Latsch Island, home to the only legally sanctioned year round habitable boathouse community left on the Mississippi. She has documented the story of a floating neighborhood, their struggle to maintain their legality, and the people who call it home.

This story was written and produced by Gina Favano. Portions of this episode were originally published on Gina's podcast Back Channel Radio. Gina is currently writing a book about Latch Island based on her reporting, which you can learn more about here. Special thanks to Suzanne Hogan of KCUR in Kansas City, who was the original producer for the Back Channel Radio podcast.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

The M.A. Gedney Pickling Company was established in Minneapolis in 1881 by a man named Matthias Gedney. The Gedney Company contracted with hundreds of Minnesota farmers to grow the cucumbers used for their pickle products. Many of the farmers, in turn, ended up paying their children to pick the cucumbers as part of their summer chores, using the money to pay for school clothes and other needed items for the family.

In the later 20th century, the Gedney Company identified itself as the Minnesota Pickle. The company partnered with the Minnesota State Fair to market it’s “State Fair” Pickle line, taking winning recipes from the Fair and selling them in stores. Producer John Gwinn tells this story of the M.A. Gedney Pickling Company and its impact on our state.

This episode was written and produced by John Gwinn. Additional edit and mix support provided by Mason Butler.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Chinese food is a staple of the American diet. But the story of how Chinese food became popular in the United States – and specifically in Minnesota – is a story of racism, mixed identity, adaptation, and cultural preservation.

This story from producer Sheila Regan traces the history of Chinese cuisine in Minnesota — from the Canton Cafe in the 19th century to iconic establishments like the Nankin Cafe, from canned chow mein products produced in Duluth to the beloved fast casual Leeann Chin. Minnesota’s relationship with Chinese food is both complicated and delicious.

This piece is possible thanks to the digital collections of both the Minnesota Historical Society and the Hennepin County Library, as well as MNHS's Gale Family Library. Sarah Refo Mason’’s archival interviews and writings were invaluable in putting together this piece. The idea for this piece came from the play “Blended Harmony: The Kim Loo Sisters” by Jessica Huang, produced by Theater Mu and the History Theater. Huang’s source material was a book called Just Us Girls by Leslie Li, who is interviewed for this piece.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious and infectious disease. As the Trump administration freezes foreign aid, tuberculosis is resurgent worldwide. In Minnesota, the numbers are falling with 21 Minnesota counties reporting a total of 160 new cases of active tuberculosis last year.

But those numbers are still chilling when you consider that there was a time when TB was the leading cause of death. Before antibiotics were discovered and offered a cure for TB, the only weapon available to stop its spread was to identify and isolate the sick.

Here in Minnesota beginning in the 1930’s we have woman to thank for helping control the disease in the state: Dr. Kathleen Jordan.

Dr. Jordan developed an early form of contact tracing, working to detect the illness before it became active.

This was at a time when few women sought careers in medicine. But having contracted the disease herself, Dr. Jordan was on a mission. From her base in Granite Falls, she traveled the state to test mostly children since they were often good predictors of latent TB in the family.

Her success in identifying the sick is not simply attributed to her expertise and skill. She had a trustworthy nature that was warm, gentle and grandmotherly. Coupled with a clever way of handling her youthful subjects, she had little trouble convincing Minnesotans of the importance of having their children tested.

By the time of her death at the age of 92, she tested over 1.5 million Minnesota children and her pioneering work helped to greatly reduce the number of cases in the state and eradicate the need for sanatoriums.

This episode was written and produced by Alison Young. MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Between 1925 and 1945, 2,204 people — 77% of whom were women — were eugenically sterilized in Minnesota. Minnesota's sterilization program targeted "sexually promiscuous" women and impoverished people. The intended goal of the program was to lessen poverty and welfare costs by ending the family lines of people deemed "immoral" or "feebleminded."

A woman named Rose DeChaine was sterilized by this program. But her sterilization didn't end or fix any of her family's problems. Instead, Rose's time in the system set off a chain of hurt and dislocation that continues to echo throughout her family into the present day.

This story was written and produced by Matthew Schneeman. Special thanks to Molly Ladd-Taylor whose research inspired and shaped this piece. Ladd-Taylor also provided an introduction to John Erickson, whose family's story is featured prominently in this episode.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

In the Mississippi River, between the Franklin Avenue and Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridges, sits an abandoned ruin. The ruin is almost invisible from the river bank. You may never know it exists unless you’re paddling directly on top of it, or avoiding its edges in a motor boat. The ghostly structure was once a fully operational lock and dam, the very first built on the Upper Mississippi River: The Meeker Island Lock and Dam.

In the season 9 premiere, producer Lydia Moran inspects this industrial ruin to understand why and how the slow moving river we know today was "invented" at the turn of the 20th century. Plans to remove the Upper Mississippi’s locks and dams might reinvent the river once again.

This episode was written and produced by Lydia Moran. Mixing by Kalen Keir. Special thanks to Paddle Bridge Kayak Tours.

MinneCulture is hosted by John Gebretatose and edited by Julie Censullo. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Season 9 of MinneCulture drops on March 27. This season features:

• lots of local food history
• stories about life and commerce along the Mississippi River
• a Minnesota woman who developed a new form of contact tracing for tuberculosis
• a barber and fiddler who helped run the Underground Railroad in Minnesota
• a haunting story about Minnesota's 20th century sterilization program
• a jingle for pickles that will get stuck in your head
• ....and so much more!

Stories by Michelle Bruch, Gina Favano, John Gwinn, Lydia Moran, Sheila Regan, Matthew Schneeman, and Alison Young. Hosted by John Gebretatose. Edited by Julie Censullo.

MinneCulture is a production of KFAI - Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis, MN. Support for MinneCulture is provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.