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There are 10 posts — by 8 authors — in this topic.
Latest post made by Casey Bowman at Apr 10 20:00 UTC

From: Steven Clift Date: Apr 07 16:20 UTC Short link

Longfellow had a zoo. What did we have?

I know being built in 1911, our house on the short block of 44th between across
from the front of St. Helena's School (1930s I think) is one of the earlier
homes in the area. Our house is even a bit off the grid with a couple extra
feet at one end compared to the other along the alley. What used to be here?

Are there any original farm houses left in Standish or Ericsson?

Where did the swamps/wetlands hit woodland or farmland? (I was told that their
used to be pond or at least enough water to ice skate on behind my house. Our
neighbor found a pair of ice skates under his foundation when putting in a sump
pump in his basement).

What about known Native American sites?

If anyone has any old maps or pictures, you can simply attach them via e-mail
or upload via the web. Size doesn't matter - the forum software keeps
everything on the server.

Steven Clift

From: Wendy McNiff Date: Apr 07 17:58 UTC Short link

How do you find out the history of your home?  Our old neighbors said that our
house was built for the managers at the mill across Hiawatha.  I'd like to find
out more about the history of the house and the owners but I'm just not sure
where to look.

From: Casey Bowman Date: Apr 07 18:29 UTC Short link

I once saw a map (in a Stillwater shop??) which showed that Lake
Hiawatha was once called Rice Lake, if memory serves.  In recent
history, when I moved here in 1991 there were some beavers who had a
lodge in the lake where Minnehaha Creek flows in.  I do miss them. 
They'd swim around in the early morning and slap their tails on the
water before diving down.

Before sending this email, I found this
info on the lake.   Apparently there used to be rice growing on
Lake Hiawatha's shores.

Future generations will see exactly what their neighborhoods looked
like in our day since Google has sent their camera crew through for
their "street view".  I just saw my house there!!

Casey Bowman

Minnehaha Creek Mugwump
http://minnehaha-creek.blogspot.com

Steven Clift wrote:

  Longfellow had a zoo. What did we have?

I know being built in 1911, our house on the short block of 44th between across
from the front of St. Helena's School (1930s I think) is one of the earlier
homes in the area. Our house is even a bit off the grid with a couple extra
feet at one end compared to the other along the alley. What used to be here?

Are there any original farm houses left in Standish or Ericsson?

Where did the swamps/wetlands hit woodland or farmland? (I was told that their
used to be pond or at least enough water to ice skate on behind my house. Our
neighbor found a pair of ice skates under his foundation when putting in a sump
pump in his basement).

What about known Native American sites?

If anyone has any old maps or pictures, you can simply attach them via e-mail
or upload via the web. Size doesn't matter - the forum software keeps
everything on the server.

Steven Clift

From: Molly McCartney Date: Apr 07 18:49 UTC Short link

There are some really good resources for house history hunting. Some can be
done online, others require a trip to a local musuem or library.

Minnesota History Center:
http://www.mnhs.org/localhistory/bldghistory/househistory.htm

Hennepin County History Museum:
http://hennepinhistory.org/default.aspx

Minneapolis (Hennepin) Libraries:
http://www.mplib.org/research_house.asp

Also - check out this Wiki-style page (sponsored by the MN History Center):
http://www.placeography.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

The Twin Cities Bungalow Club may also have some good info on the style of home
so dear to our nhbds:  http://www.bungalowclub.org/

From: Natalie O'Shea Date: Apr 07 18:50 UTC Short link

Apparently my Great-Grandmother grew up on a farm that ran down to the
Minnehaha Creek, right where Chicago Ave. now meets it... the farmhouse
was just up the road, but I dont know if it is still there.  My
Grandmother told me her mother talked about the cows at the waters edge,
drinking, and that she can recall when there used to be people who
looked on the nearby lakes as a near "country get-away."  They would
take the trolley out of the "city" and bring blankets or mattresses down
to sleep next to Lake Hiawatha to get away from the oppressive summer
heat.

Sorry for the late intro...  my name is Natalie O'Shea, my Irish
immigrant husband is Cormac O'Se (Gaelic version, but pronounced the
same)- we have three kids, 7,4 and 18 mo.  We are just a block off of
Lake Hiawatha on 46th.  I'll try to see what more info I can drum up
from what is left of the family.

-----Original Message-----
From: Casey [mailto:<email obscured>]
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 1:30 PM
To: <email obscured>
Subject: Re: [Mpls-StanEric] What used to be here?

I once saw a map (in a Stillwater shop??) which showed that Lake
Hiawatha was once called Rice Lake, if memory serves.  In recent
history, when I moved here in 1991 there were some beavers who had a
lodge in the lake where Minnehaha Creek flows in.  I do miss them. 
They'd swim around in the early morning and slap their tails on the
water before diving down.

Before sending this email, I found this
info on the lake.   Apparently there used to be rice growing on
Lake Hiawatha's shores.

Future generations will see exactly what their neighborhoods looked
like in our day since Google has sent their camera crew through for
their "street view".  I just saw my house there!!

Casey Bowman

Minnehaha Creek Mugwump
http://minnehaha-creek.blogspot.com

Steven Clift wrote:

  Longfellow had a zoo. What did we have?

I know being built in 1911, our house on the short block of 44th between
across from the front of St. Helena's School (1930s I think) is one of
the earlier homes in the area. Our house is even a bit off the grid with
a couple extra feet at one end compared to the other along the alley.
What used to be here?

Are there any original farm houses left in Standish or Ericsson?

Where did the swamps/wetlands hit woodland or farmland? (I was told that
their used to be pond or at least enough water to ice skate on behind my
house. Our neighbor found a pair of ice skates under his foundation when
putting in a sump pump in his basement).

What about known Native American sites?

If anyone has any old maps or pictures, you can simply attach them via
e-mail or upload via the web. Size doesn't matter - the forum software
keeps everything on the server.

Steven Clift
Casey Bowman

Info about Casey Bowman: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/cbowman

This topic's messages may be viewed at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/3eLXgyUeEh2poAvnSP907s
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From: Rick O'Hara Date: Apr 07 19:24 UTC Short link

Ya, Lake Hiawatha used to be called Rice Lake, but from my understanding is
that it should have been called Rice Marsh.  It was dredged around the mid
1920's and was used as top soil for some of the homes in the area.  I can
easily find hard proof of the previous name and its size, but it would be
harder to prove that I have dredged soil in my yard...it's what I've heard.
-Rick O'Hara


>From: "Natalie O'Shea" <<email obscured>>
>To: <<email obscured>>
>Subject: Re: [Mpls-StanEric] What used to be here?
>Date: Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:49:55 -0500 (CDT)
>
>Apparently my Great-Grandmother grew up on a farm that ran down to the
>Minnehaha Creek, right where Chicago Ave. now meets it... the farmhouse
>was just up the road, but I dont know if it is still there.  My
>Grandmother told me her mother talked about the cows at the waters edge,
>drinking, and that she can recall when there used to be people who
>looked on the nearby lakes as a near "country get-away."  They would
>take the trolley out of the "city" and bring blankets or mattresses down
>to sleep next to Lake Hiawatha to get away from the oppressive summer
>heat.
>
>Sorry for the late intro...  my name is Natalie O'Shea, my Irish
>immigrant husband is Cormac O'Se (Gaelic version, but pronounced the
>same)- we have three kids, 7,4 and 18 mo.  We are just a block off of
>Lake Hiawatha on 46th.  I'll try to see what more info I can drum up
>from what is left of the family.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Casey [mailto:<email obscured>]
>Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 1:30 PM
>To: <email obscured>
>Subject: Re: [Mpls-StanEric] What used to be here?
>
>I once saw a map (in a Stillwater shop??) which showed that Lake
>Hiawatha was once called Rice Lake, if memory serves. In recent
>history, when I moved here in 1991 there were some beavers who had a
>lodge in the lake where Minnehaha Creek flows in. I do miss them.
>They'd swim around in the early morning and slap their tails on the
>water before diving down.
>
>Before sending this email, I found this
>info on the lake. Apparently there used to be rice growing on
>Lake Hiawatha's shores.
>
>Future generations will see exactly what their neighborhoods looked
>like in our day since Google has sent their camera crew through for
>their "street view". I just saw my house there!!
>
>Casey Bowman
>
>Minnehaha Creek Mugwump
>http://minnehaha-creek.blogspot.com
>
>Steven Clift wrote:
>
>   Longfellow had a zoo. What did we have?
>
>I know being built in 1911, our house on the short block of 44th between
>across from the front of St. Helena's School (1930s I think) is one of
>the earlier homes in the area. Our house is even a bit off the grid with
>a couple extra feet at one end compared to the other along the alley.
>What used to be here?
>
>Are there any original farm houses left in Standish or Ericsson?
>
>Where did the swamps/wetlands hit woodland or farmland? (I was told that
>their used to be pond or at least enough water to ice skate on behind my
>house. Our neighbor found a pair of ice skates under his foundation when
>putting in a sump pump in his basement).
>
>What about known Native American sites?
>
>If anyone has any old maps or pictures, you can simply attach them via
>e-mail or upload via the web. Size doesn't matter - the forum software
>keeps everything on the server.
>
>Steven Clift
>Casey Bowman
>
>Info about Casey Bowman: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/cbowman
>
>This topic's messages may be viewed at:
>http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/3eLXgyUeEh2poAvnSP907s
>-----------------------------------------
>   To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
>   To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on,"
>   in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
>
>   More info about Minneapolis Standish Ericsson Neighbors Forum:
>   http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls-staneric
>
>   E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
>-----------------------------------------
>Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net
>
>
>
>--- Get FREE High Speed Internet from USFamily.Net! --
>http://www.usfamily.net/mkt-freepromo.html ---
>
>
>Natalie O'Shea
>
>Info about Natalie O'Shea:
>http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/natalieoshea
>
>This topic's messages may be viewed at:
>http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/2R97v91hLvMIhxC8vFxNo6
>-----------------------------------------
>   To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
>   To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on,"
>   in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
>
>   More info about Minneapolis Standish Ericsson Neighbors Forum:
>   http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls-staneric
>
>   E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
>-----------------------------------------
>Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net

From: Casey Bowman Date: Apr 07 20:32 UTC Short link

This hyperlink didn't make it through.  Here's "the info on the lake" I
found - http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=185
<http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=185>

From: Matt Lynch-McKinney Date: Apr 08 18:58 UTC Short link

Hey folks,

We have an old neighborhood map that shows Lake Hiawatha as Rice Lake. It was
much larger then. It also shows row upon row of houses in the area now consumed
by the golf course's western half. My guess: the homes were never built, but
depicted on the map as part of some long ago abandoned plan.

We also know, from our abstract, that a man named Angus McCloud (sp?) was the
original settler of the area, buying from the U.S. government in the mid 1800s
the tract of land that eventually became much of what we know as our
neighborhood.

And, by the way, introductions: Matt, Molly, and sons Eamon and Quinn live at
43rd Street and 20th Avenue, our home for four years now. We spend much of our
time playing in the backyard and working on our 1914 bungalow, which, when we
moved in, had stickers on the woodwork, windows that wouldn't open, and a white
paint job smeared with big yellow stains that reminded me of a set of bad
teeth.

Today, the house looks like lovely chocolate, thanks to Molly, who runs a
business choosing home colors. Matt writes for the Star Tribune, mostly about
food and farms. Eamon rides a bike covered with animal stickers when he's not
engaged in deadly swordfighting that closely resembles something from The
Princess Bride. Quinn, who's known to Eamon as "Humperdink" (see earlier
comment re: The Princess Bride), has just learned to crawl.

We love our neighbors, the bike trails, Minnehaha Creek, the locally owned
businesses nearby, the obvious urban planning that went into our neighborhood,
the sledding hill, the small beach at Lake Nokomis, discovering new quirks
about our area (has anyone else noticed the number of popcorn shops?) and
sailing on Lake Harriet in our old Chrysler Mutineer sailboat.

We've had no serious crime, though a pair of would-be car thieves once dashed
through our backyard picnic with a vigilante close on their heels. The city
wireless works well for us. We wish there was a neighborhood vegetable garden
somewhere nearby. We wonder why the city planted a steel pole on our corner,
with no sign attached, and didn't use it as they said they would for hanging
directions about snow emergencies when said emergencies are in effect. I know,
it puzzled me, too. Still does.

And that's about as much as anyone cares to read, I'm guessing. We look forward
to meeting folks. Feel free to shout hey if you see us in our backyard.

From: Shirley Yeoman Date: Apr 10 19:22 UTC Short link

Somebody asked about historical Native American sites in our neighborhoods.
This isn't anything exact but I came across a map at the library site
http://mplib.org/history/eh1.asp that is kind of interesting. (Can't seem to
get the link to attach, but you can cut and paste.)

From: Casey Bowman Date: Apr 10 20:00 UTC Short link

The map with the original names is interesting.  Not long after I moved
here I remember finding an article in the Minnesota Historical Society
library which told the story of the naming of Minneapolis.  I remember
there was a Bowman involved, no relation.  Originally the name was
Minnehapolis, with an 'h'.  The name was a combination of "minnehaha"
the American Indian word for waterfall, and "polis" the Greek word for
city.  Later the letter 'h' was dropped while retaining the 'a'.  So
Minneapolis means "waterfall city", which makes sense given the
centrality of the falls at its founding.  It's disappointing when I see
people mistakenly say it means "river city".  I once saw two different
books in the bookstore published by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Each told a different story behind the name.  The thicker book told the
correct version.

Casey Bowman

Minnehaha Creek Mugwump
http://minnehaha-creek.blogspot.com

Shirley Yeoman wrote:
> Somebody asked about historical Native American sites in our neighborhoods.
This isn't anything exact but I came across a map at the library site
http://mplib.org/history/eh1.asp that is kind of interesting. (Can't seem to
get the link to attach, but you can cut and paste.)

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