History of The Irish in Saint Paul - History

History

The first Irish to come in Minnesota were immigrants who served as soldiers at nearby Fort Snelling. These soldiers would later be some of Saint Paul's first settlers. In July 1838, three soldiers filed claims for land in what is now Saint Paul. Edward Phelan, John Hays and William Evans were all natives of Ireland and had been discharged from Fort Snelling. Evans settled on Dayton's Bluff, with Phelan and Hays becoming the first people to live on what is now Downtown Saint Paul. Hays later became the first person to be murdered in Saint Paul, dying in September 1839. Phelan was accused but was then released due to lack of evidence. He settled near the creek that runs through the East Side neighborhood, later named Phalen Creek. The creek runs from Lake Phalen through Swede Hollow to the Mississippi River and was later used by Hamm's Brewery. In 1850 after he was accused of perjury, Phelan fled to California.

A number of strong fraternal organizations had chapters in Saint Paul including the Benevolent Society of Erin and Shields Guards, a militia named for James Shields. Saint Paul's branch of the Fenian Brotherhood even led the Pembina Raid in conjunction with other attacks of the Fenian Raids.

One of the most direct connections to Ireland that still exists is Connemara Patch. In 1880, Archbishop Ireland attempted to settle the area around Graceville, Minnesota with Irish emigrants from Connemara, County Galway. The colony failed after one of the harshest winters on record. The immigrants spoke only the Irish language and established Connemara Patch, a community just downstream from Swede Hollow. Ireland managed to find jobs for most of Connemaras with the railroads.

In 1850 more than half of the Irish were unskilled laborers. A large portion of the Saint Paul Police Department have been Irish since the 1850s. The Irish in Saint Paul, like those in the Eastern United States participated heavily in politics. Many sought government jobs such as policemen, due to the job security. As a result the Irish's particularly visible role prompted complaints and allegations from other ethnic groups such as the Germans who wanted more representation.