On This Date In Twin Cities History - June 17, 1890

On this date in 1890, the U.S. marshal from St. Paul arrests seven census takers in Minneapolis, the opening salvo of the “Twin Cities Census War.” St. Paul’s leaders accused Minneapolis of cooking the books in order to claim the title “most populous city.” The accusation is proven true; however, St. Paul is also found to be padding its numbers. A new count completed in August gives Minneapolis 164,581 and St. Paul 133,156. (MNopedia)