Shaker’s Here
Born James David Ray, Dave was the oldest of three brothers. His parents gave him a gut string guitar in his teens. Dave took guitar lessons with his brother, Tom for a year or so. Max Ray started on the clarinet about the same time. Later on in life Tom would play piano and Max [...]
The Academy of Music in Stereoview
The Academy of Music was built on the corner of Washington and Hennepin in 1871 by Rhode Island investor, Joseph Hodges. The four story building cost over a hundred thousand dollars and was was advertised as the best Opera House west of Chicago. Hodges sold the building less than a year later to Thomas Lowry. [...]
Steaming Across Lake of the Isles
Lake of the Isles covers 102 acres, with 2.86 miles of shoreline. The deepest part of the lake is just over 50 feet. Originally a large wetland, the city spent 12 years dredging it out to create the lake. The access to Lake Calhoun was created in 1911. A week long celebration followed the [...]
Adventures with the Black Label Bike Club
The Black Label Bike Club was started in 1992 by Jacob Houle and Per Hanson as the “Hard Times Bike Club” in Minneapolis. Over the past twenty years the club has grown into an international bicycle organization specializing in tall bikes and choppers. The Black Label is credited with being the first “outlaw bicycle [...]
What was where North Drug isn’t anymore
The Victory Circle Mart sat on the southwest side of the complicated intersection where Oakdale, Lowry Avenue, Victory Memorial Drive and Xerxes call came together. The little superette was named for the old roundabout at the beginning of Victory Memorial Drive. Neighborhood legend has it that a kid had no business riding a bike [...]
