Transforming the World: Rochester at 150 - Hardcover

Transforming the World: Rochester at 150 is a tale of rapid rise, devastating tragedy, and rebirth. In this concise, lively survey, historian Steven J. Keillor tells the remarkable story of the struggles and triumphs of Rochester s pioneers, past and present. What began as a mill site on the banks of the Zumbro River in the 1850s would be incorporated as a city in less than a decade. When the railroad arrived, the city flourished. But just as Rochester was on the rise, a tornado struck, leveling the city center and injuring its residents. It was this tragedy that inspired the Sisters of St. Francis and the Mayos, local physicians, to open a clinic and a hospital in the 1880s. Word quickly spread about these remarkable surgeons, and soon doctors from around the world were flocking to the Mayos operating rooms to observe and learn from their techniques. Today the Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned center of research and healing. As the work of the Mayo Clinic garnered attention, so, too, did Rochester s reputation as a city of professionals, excellent schools, and first-class cultural institutions. It was these qualities that attracted International Business Machines (IBM), which built a facility in Rochester in the 1950s that would become the site of many of that company s most exciting innovations. Today Rochester is a thriving metropolis of 95,000 people and continues to build upon its foundation of innovation and entrepreneurialism. As it celebrates 150 years of progress, Rochester looks forward to the challenges and the promise of a future built on a legacy of success.