Origin of the Fort Road/West Seventh Street Neighborhood of St. Paul

In 2024, Joe Landsberger combined a series of neighborhood (garden tour) histories along West Seventh Street into a narrative about the origin of Saint Paul and Minnesota. The collection grew to 420 pages, illustrated with 1069 vintage and commissioned images, and documented with 246 endnotes. He realized that historians ignored these first neighborhoods and commercial strips in the history of our state, so he self-published the work. The first edition sold out quickly in the first two months of 2025. After buyers reported more stories, a second edition was put together and published in August of that year. This self-published history, locally sourced and locally promoted, has had all its proceeds donated to nonprofits. This presentation accentuates the contributions of immigrants and volunteers.

Joe Landsberger is a lifelong resident of Saint Paul, spending fifty years on West Seventh with a break of three years in West Africa. His educational journey included thirty years developing the central computer lab/learning center at a university (1976 – 2006). He researched, authored and developed an educational website of study guides and strategies (1995-2012) that was translated into 38 languages. As a community volunteer, he founded West End Arts and developed a public art park, served as president of Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota and the West Seventh Business Association**,** and is a member of Citizen Advocates for Regional Transit (CART). His editorial skills were polished in his community newspaper.