It isn’t every day I come across a body of water in Hennepin County I’ve never seen before. Today I was pleasantly surprised a little snake shaped body of water called Melody Lake in Edina. The best way to get a peek at it is to visit the park located at 5501 Melody Lake Drive. This beautiful four-acre park has some amazing wildlife. I saw an enormous blue heron there this afternoon.
In the 1970′s the “Minnesota Strip” was a term used by New Yorkers to describe Eighth Avenue . The term was coined by cops because it was rumored that many of the prostitutes who worked the stretch between 42nd and 50th Streets were teenage runaways from Minnesota.
A November 28, 1977 Time article reported this:
“The most sensational special link the committee found was the ‘Minneapolis Connection,’ in which young girls from that city, itself a magnet for runaways from much of the upper Midwest, move into New York in such large numbers that a section of Manhattan’s Eighth Avenue has long been known as the ‘Minnesota Strip.’
“Minneapolis police claim that up to 400 juveniles a year from the area are lost to other cities, with most of the youths winding up in prostitution in New York.”
The Minneapolis Police Department sent a task force at one point to seek out runaways from the state, but they never found a girl who actually was from Minnesota. Prostitutes from the area had just taken to using Minnesota as their favorite faux home state or as part of their persona. What sort John would turn down a midwest farmers daughter? When someone asked a girl where she was from they automatically shot back, “Minnesota.” Just one more way for a prostitute could create a barrier between herself and the streets.
1945
Mound’s high school buildings were built in 1917 and 1938. A hexagonal pod section was added in 1964. At the top of the picture you can see the holder for the lone incandescent light bulb that used to light up this intersection originally. Later more modern incandescent lamps were mounted on horizontal extenders from poles. Modern metal poles with mercury lights came along in the later 50′s or 60′s. Originally there was one light at this intersection and another one where shoreline drive turned off. These were very similar to ordinary household use and the streets were dark by today’s standards. The buildings were razed in 1999.
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It doesn’t look like “Sandy” has updated anything recently, but this little site is a treasure trove of old photos and memories. Enjoy!
1999
2010
This PCC car, #322, was built in 1946 by the St. Louis Car Company of Missouri. It was one of 140 built in three years for Twin City Rapid Transit of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In 1953, just before TCRT ended streetcar operations, the car was one of 30 sold to the operators of the City Subway in Newark, New Jersey. (The other PCCs in that Newark batch kept running until 2001!) In 1978 it was one of 4 sold to the operators of the Rapid Transit Lines in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In 1986 it was retired and brought back to Minnesota. In 2000, after a long and painstaking restoration by the Minnesota Transportation Museum (now the MN Streetcar Museum), it was returned to service (in its original TCRT colors) on the museum’s restored portion of the old Como Harriet line in southwest Minneapolis.
Like a bridge over a three-cell sediment basin, I will lay me down…
The quality of the water in the lakes became an increasing concern in the 1970s. The first study of lake water quality was conducted in 1973. A second study in 1991 led to the creation of the Chain of Lakes Clean Water Partnership in 1994. Central to the issue of water quality in the lakes was storm water runoff from the lakes’ watershed. Exacerbating the problem was the removal seventy years earlier of the wetlands near the lake. In an effort to restore the filtering capacity of those wetlands the park board created this three celled sedimentation basin on the once-filled lawns southwest of Lake Calhoun.
Do I have to admit to calling another radio show? I can’t believe Noko is making me do this. Bob called up Ed Morrissey this morning. You might be familiar with Mr. Morrissey’s Hot Air blog. How much do you think that domain cost? Can’t say I’m a fan, but it’s a good looking blog. Nice magazine lay out, not too flashy. I don’t know if the Patriot is going to make The Ed Morrissey Show a regular thing. Anything’s better than Mike Gallegher. If the Patriot really wants to do a daily a local right wing talk show I think they should call up Bob Davis. Bob’s not half as smart as Ed Morrissey, but his nails on a chalk board obstinance makes for great radio. I used to call Bob Davis everyday when he was on KSTP. I just miss him so much!
Congressional Candidate, King Banaian was Ed’s guest this morning. Bob didn’t have any trouble getting through. The subject was the economy. I think Mr. Banaian is a professor of economics. I asked him how important he thought manufacturing was to the Minnesota economy and what he would do, if anything to promote Minnesota manufacturing as an elected official.
A 10-minute short film about the destruction of The Met produced by University of Minnesota graduate students in 1961. Courtesy of The University of Minnesota. Beautiful Jazz soundtrack!
By the Waters of Minnetonka:
"By the Waters of Minnetonka" was inspired by a Sioux Love Song recorded by Thurlow Lieurance in October, 1911, on the Crow Reservation in... 0 comment(s) 
The Minnesota Strip:
In the 1970's the “Minnesota Strip” was a term used by New Yorkers to describe Eighth Avenue . The term was coined by cops because it was rumo... 0 comment(s) 
Salvage Grocery Safari: I’m a big fan of adventure grocery shopping and I’m not talking about Trader Joe’s or Aldi here. I just can’t stand the idea of paying more th... 2 comment(s) 
Yesterday’s News
