Nokohaha

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  In the Courtyard at the Curtis

  FREE TELEVISION IN EVERY ROOM TWO HEATED SWIMMING POOLS AAA APPROVED FREE PARKING INSIDE CORRIDORS TO HOTEL LOBBIES AIR-CONDITIONED This large hotel and apartment complex occupied most of a downtown block between 1903 and 1984. The hotel tower and apartment hotel tower flanked two of the low-rise Curtis Court Apartments. With 800 rooms, the Curtis [...]

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  Saint Paul’s Minnehaha Park

  In 1893 the Minneapolis Park Board approved the construction of two pedestrian bridges “of a rustic nature” over the creek, one above the falls and the other below. The next year the board had a parapet wall built north of the falls to protect spectators. During the Great Depression federal work relief crews added a [...]

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  Birch Pond

    “Beyond the Loring Cascade, an artificial waterfall, the parkway divides the right fork leads around Birch Pond, the left fork passes a plainly marked footpath leading to the Eloise Butler Native Plant Reserve. Here are most of the native wild flowers and plants of the state, the city’s oldest white oak (700 years), as [...]

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  The Meeker Island Lock and Dam

    Located just north of the Lake Street Bridge, the Meeker Island Lock and Dam was the first lock and dam facility built on the Upper Mississippi River. The facility also known as “Lock and Dam No. 2″ or “Government Lock and Dam” took almost eight years to build, but was only in operation from [...]

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  The Finest, Smaller Hotel

    Built as a luxury hotel, the Francis Drake has become a temporary housing facility for homeless and transient people. The hotel has 147 rooms and has been used as an overflow shelter by Hennepin County when its primary shelters fill up. The hotel was designed by Minneapolis architect, Joseph V. Vanderbilt. The building went [...]

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  Lake Harriet Parkway and Paths

    In the middle of the 1890s bicycle craze, the Minneapolis Park Board put in the first bike path around Harriet. By 1896 the lake had a walking path, bike trail and a parkway for horses and carriages. Bicycles were incredibly popular and when the park board built an enclosure for people to check their [...]

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  I’m Heavy with all the Boys in Minneapolis

    In the early 1930s,saucy cartoon postcards were all the rage. At the peak of their popularity the sales of bawdy postcards climbed to an amazing 16 million a year in the United States. They were often salacious in nature. Many made good use of innuendo and Depression Era, double entendres featuring stereotypical characters such [...]

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  Willwerscheid Funeral Home Then and Now

  “It is one of the architectural wonders of St. Paul’s Grand Avenue!” Built out of lime-stone blocks and old world craftsmanship, Willwerscheid’s Grand Avenue Chapel was completed in 1942.  

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  The Grain Exchange

  “Within the four walls of this [new] building, business will be transacted which will affect the breadstuffs of the world.” —George A. Pillsbury, 1884 President, Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce   Founded as the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce in 1881,  The Minneapolis Grain Exchange was at one time the country’s largest wheat, barley, rye, and flax [...]

Nokohaha TV

Election ’78

    Here’s a couple segments from KTCA’s 1978 Minnesota Election Campaign Weekly, “Hanley Report”. Back then all the big issues could be discussed by men who took their jobs seriously no matter how silly they looked in their sideburns and polyester suits.    

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He Sold His Couch for Rock N’ Roll

  Shot on black and white 16mm film with a budget of less than $7,000 back in 2003, The Last American, was made in true go-for-broke spirit. It was filmed in Minneapolis with a cast of local actors generously donating their time and talent. The Last American is a dark comedy about a slacker named [...]

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Minnesota Politics used to be Fun!

    Remember when Republicans weren’t quite so Republican and the Democrats were goofy as all get out?  Twenty years ago Minnesota politics had it all! There were  headlines, sex scandals and surprise upset victories in all directions. Too bad Michele Bachmann and Jesse Ventura had to come along and ruin everything. Here’s a musical [...]

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