Shoreview Press > News
Minnesota author tackles Shoreview history
by Katie Erickson
Associate Editor
SHOREVIEW — From F. Scott Fitzgerald to the James-Younger Gang to the Dakota Conflict, John Koblas has become a widely-respected author of Minnesota history.
His next project? A history of Shoreview, which he has been commissioned to write in honor of the city’s 50th anniversary.
Local perspective
Koblas knew as far back as kindergarten that he wanted to be a writer, despite his dad’s encouragement that the younger Koblas follow in his steps and become a carpenter.
“About the only two things I can do are write and play the piano,” said Koblas, who started studying classical piano at age 4.
To pay his way through college, he played piano and sang for the doo-wop/rock group, “The Magpies.” The group cut 17 records, none of which went far at the time, but currently play on the oldies station.
In April, the group will be inducted into the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame, Koblas said.
Koblas sold his first book, on F. Scott Fitzgerald, to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1978. He’s written another 50 books since then, including a dozen on the James-Younger Gang’s influence in Northfield, Minn.
“My interest wasn’t so much in Jesse James,” Koblas said. “My interest was they came here, so I look at it through a Minnesota perspective.”
It’s the local connections that fascinate him the most. A Minneapolis native who spent much of his growing up years exploring St. Paul, Koblas recently moved to Lakeville and continues to marvel at the rich history of his native state.
“(The local perspective) fascinates me because it happened right here where we’ve got our feet planted right now,” he said. “It’s all around us. It makes (the story) very real when they mention certain landmarks. We know what they are. We’ve been there, so it makes it all come back.”
Most of his books include that Minnesota historical perspective. His personal favorite is “The Jesse James Northfield Raid: Confessions of the Ninth Man.”
While Koblas is unsure whether he believes there was a ninth man, he wrote what he found and leaves the rest up to the reader.
That “you decide” mentality is a trademark of Koblas’ writing. He doesn’t editorialize, preferring to keep his books as objective as possible.
Writing process
Koblas’ first part of a three-volume project on the 1862 Dakota Conflict (Sioux Uprising) was recently released, with the following two volumes expected to be out this spring.
It was a tough book to write, Koblas said, because of its controversy and the dark nature of the subject.
“It’s one of those vile and shocking books that make you deplore humanity almost,” he said. “You get quite depressed writing it, so I could only write so many hours a day on it.”
To maintain his sanity, Koblas took frequent breaks from the manuscript to work on other books. He frequently works on a dozen or more at any given time, he said.
“Whatever mood I’m in that day, I’ll work on that particular book,” he said.
Research comprises the bulk of most of Koblas’ books. He starts by gathering any documents and other information he can on a subject and interviewing descendants of key figures.
“It’s a learning process for me as well, because when I start out, I know next to nothing and you need to get a full scope and put it together,” he said.
When he tires of the constraints of historical research, Koblas turns to a poetry book currently in the works or one of his fictional history mysteries.
The Doc and Tweed books are geared toward young people and incorporate Minnesota history into the action-packed adventures.
“My scheme is that young people will read the book ... (and) they’re absorbing all this history without really realizing it,” Koblas said.
Shoreview angle
Though Koblas has never written specifically about Shoreview’s history, he has a head start on the research from other books he’s written.
Research for his book on H.P. Jones, owner of the “Minneapolis Journal,” led him to Shoreview.
Jones had bought a summerhouse on Turtle Lake in the 1920s. He also bought up several other plots around the lake and gave them away with a five-year subscription ($25) to the Journal.
To learn more about Jones, Koblas interviewed area residents, including Art Larson, who still lived in the area. His discoveries from those initial interviews will help him to begin writing Shoreview’s history book, he said.
Currently, Koblas is gathering information on Shoreview history from a variety of sources. Mary Hilfiker and Jacci Krebsbach have been especially helpful, he said.
“Right now I’m getting a great deal of materials,” he said. “Of course it’s bits and pieces, and there’s a lot of interesting references there. My (goal) right now is just trying to put it all together so it’s not incoherent, so it makes sense.”
The influence of big names such as Jones, James J. Hill and notorious gangsters already have piqued Koblas’ interest, but he also plans to focus on those people who were not well known outside of Shoreview.
“Those are the big icons, but I want to get to know the people who made and shaped Shoreview and be able to write about them as well,” he said.
Koblas said his goal is to have the book ready by fall at the latest. The city would like to feature it at a Harvest Festival anniversary event planned for October.
Koblas acknowledged that any history book is incomplete, but added that a city doesn’t have an identity unless it has a history that starts somewhere.
“I want to create that history,” he said. “It has to be written up because we want to know where we came from in order to know where we’re going.”
Katie Erickson can be reached at 651-407-1229 or shoreviewpress@sherbtel.net.
His next project? A history of Shoreview, which he has been commissioned to write in honor of the city’s 50th anniversary.
Local perspective
Koblas knew as far back as kindergarten that he wanted to be a writer, despite his dad’s encouragement that the younger Koblas follow in his steps and become a carpenter.
“About the only two things I can do are write and play the piano,” said Koblas, who started studying classical piano at age 4.
To pay his way through college, he played piano and sang for the doo-wop/rock group, “The Magpies.” The group cut 17 records, none of which went far at the time, but currently play on the oldies station.
In April, the group will be inducted into the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame, Koblas said.
Koblas sold his first book, on F. Scott Fitzgerald, to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1978. He’s written another 50 books since then, including a dozen on the James-Younger Gang’s influence in Northfield, Minn.
“My interest wasn’t so much in Jesse James,” Koblas said. “My interest was they came here, so I look at it through a Minnesota perspective.”
It’s the local connections that fascinate him the most. A Minneapolis native who spent much of his growing up years exploring St. Paul, Koblas recently moved to Lakeville and continues to marvel at the rich history of his native state.
“(The local perspective) fascinates me because it happened right here where we’ve got our feet planted right now,” he said. “It’s all around us. It makes (the story) very real when they mention certain landmarks. We know what they are. We’ve been there, so it makes it all come back.”
Most of his books include that Minnesota historical perspective. His personal favorite is “The Jesse James Northfield Raid: Confessions of the Ninth Man.”
While Koblas is unsure whether he believes there was a ninth man, he wrote what he found and leaves the rest up to the reader.
That “you decide” mentality is a trademark of Koblas’ writing. He doesn’t editorialize, preferring to keep his books as objective as possible.
Writing process
Koblas’ first part of a three-volume project on the 1862 Dakota Conflict (Sioux Uprising) was recently released, with the following two volumes expected to be out this spring.
It was a tough book to write, Koblas said, because of its controversy and the dark nature of the subject.
“It’s one of those vile and shocking books that make you deplore humanity almost,” he said. “You get quite depressed writing it, so I could only write so many hours a day on it.”
To maintain his sanity, Koblas took frequent breaks from the manuscript to work on other books. He frequently works on a dozen or more at any given time, he said.
“Whatever mood I’m in that day, I’ll work on that particular book,” he said.
Research comprises the bulk of most of Koblas’ books. He starts by gathering any documents and other information he can on a subject and interviewing descendants of key figures.
“It’s a learning process for me as well, because when I start out, I know next to nothing and you need to get a full scope and put it together,” he said.
When he tires of the constraints of historical research, Koblas turns to a poetry book currently in the works or one of his fictional history mysteries.
The Doc and Tweed books are geared toward young people and incorporate Minnesota history into the action-packed adventures.
“My scheme is that young people will read the book ... (and) they’re absorbing all this history without really realizing it,” Koblas said.
Shoreview angle
Though Koblas has never written specifically about Shoreview’s history, he has a head start on the research from other books he’s written.
Research for his book on H.P. Jones, owner of the “Minneapolis Journal,” led him to Shoreview.
Jones had bought a summerhouse on Turtle Lake in the 1920s. He also bought up several other plots around the lake and gave them away with a five-year subscription ($25) to the Journal.
To learn more about Jones, Koblas interviewed area residents, including Art Larson, who still lived in the area. His discoveries from those initial interviews will help him to begin writing Shoreview’s history book, he said.
Currently, Koblas is gathering information on Shoreview history from a variety of sources. Mary Hilfiker and Jacci Krebsbach have been especially helpful, he said.
“Right now I’m getting a great deal of materials,” he said. “Of course it’s bits and pieces, and there’s a lot of interesting references there. My (goal) right now is just trying to put it all together so it’s not incoherent, so it makes sense.”
The influence of big names such as Jones, James J. Hill and notorious gangsters already have piqued Koblas’ interest, but he also plans to focus on those people who were not well known outside of Shoreview.
“Those are the big icons, but I want to get to know the people who made and shaped Shoreview and be able to write about them as well,” he said.
Koblas said his goal is to have the book ready by fall at the latest. The city would like to feature it at a Harvest Festival anniversary event planned for October.
Koblas acknowledged that any history book is incomplete, but added that a city doesn’t have an identity unless it has a history that starts somewhere.
“I want to create that history,” he said. “It has to be written up because we want to know where we came from in order to know where we’re going.”
Katie Erickson can be reached at 651-407-1229 or shoreviewpress@sherbtel.net.
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