author

R. I. (Return Ira) Holcombe

1845–1916

A prolific regional historian, he helped preserve the stories of Minnesota communities and major moments in the state's past. His books range from county histories to Civil War and Dakota War subjects, giving modern readers a vivid window into the Upper Midwest of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

1 Audiobook

An account of the battle of Wilson's Creek, or Oak Hills, fought between the Union troops, commanded by Gen. N. Lyon and the Southern, or Confederate troops, under command of Gens. McCulloch and Price, on Saturday, August 10, 1861, in Greene county, Missouri

An account of the battle of Wilson's Creek, or Oak Hills, fought between the Union troops, commanded by Gen. N. Lyon and the Southern, or Confederate troops, under command of Gens. McCulloch and Price, on Saturday, August 10, 1861, in Greene county, Missouri

by R. I. (Return Ira) Holcombe, Thomas W. Adams

About the author

Born in 1845 and active as a historian and compiler, R. I. Holcombe is best known for works that documented Minnesota's people, institutions, and frontier-era history. Records of his publications identify him as Return Ira Holcombe and show a long career devoted to gathering local history into substantial reference volumes.

His known books include Minnesota in Three Centuries, 1655–1908, History of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, and several county and regional compendiums, including volumes on Minneapolis and Hennepin County, Carver County, Polk County, and McLeod County. He also wrote on military history, with works connected to the Battle of Wilson's Creek and the First Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.

Much of Holcombe's legacy lies in preservation. His writing gathered biographies, public records, and historical episodes that might otherwise have been scattered or lost, making his books valuable not just as narratives but as storehouses of local memory. He died in 1916.