The Minneapple
Back in the 80′s City of Lakes boosters made it their mission to nickname the city. Minneapolis as a Midwestern Manhattan seems like quite a stretch, but the name almost stuck and I remember seeing Minneapple postcards, prints and bumper stickers in kiosks at the airport. These days if you ask somebody if they’ve [...]
When Furloughs were Fleeting
In the early days of Minneapolis, the captains of industry had high hopes for developing a textile industry at Saint Anthony Falls. Textiles never really took off. Minneapolis was just to far away from eastern markets and shipping centers to compete. The North Star Woolen Mill was an exception. In 1925 North Star became [...]
The West Hotel
Opened in 1884, the West was the first grand hotel in Minneapolis. There were 407 rooms, 140 baths, and an immense lobby. John T. West, the hotel’s first owner and proprieto, got his start as manager of the Nicollet House. He was quite successful that his rich uncle, Charles W. West, offered to bankroll a [...]
Willow Brook State Fish Hatchery
In 1878 the Willow Brook State Fish Hatchery was opened below the bluffs of today’s Mounds Park. An unlikely attraction, every summer thousands of tourists were lured along a steep, winding road to visit the local landmark and it’s small wildlife museum. At one time the hatchery contained 7 spring fed ponds, but they [...]
Edith Day
Born in Minneapolis, Edith Day made her Broadway debut in Pom-pom in 1916. Three years later she became a major star playing the title role in Irene. Five months into the run, she departed the cast to create the role in the London production. Embraced by the London critics, she decided to remain [...]
Banking on the West Bank Then and Now
This view across Cedar Avenue hasn’t changed much in the last 58 years or so. After a couple coldies at the good old 400, it’s easy to imagine the view hasn’t changed at all. Northwestern Banks used logos designed after the famous weatherball on the roof of their downtown headquarters until 1983. I’m pretty [...]
WPA Riots
When employees of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) showed up for work on the morning of July 5, 1939, they found bulletin board notices announcing a reduction in hourly wages and an increase in the number of required work hours. Rumors spread that many would soon face termination. It didn’t take long for the unhappy [...]
Frank B. Semple’s Mansion Then and Now
Frank Semple, was a partner in a wildly successful wholesale hardware firm. Janney Semple and Company, began on the Mississippi riverfront in 1866 and operated under different names until it was acquired by a national retailer in 1960. Framk and his wife Anne built this imposing Beaux-Arts mansion on the corner of Franklin and [...]
George Putnam Presents “Perversion for Profit”
Born in Breckenridge, Minnesota, George Putnam began his radio career at WDGY in Minneapolis when he was in his twenties. In 1951 he moved to Los Angeles and switched to television. Putnam hosted the highest rated newscast in California and anchored all four of Los Angeles’ major independent stations. He is fondly remembered for [...]
The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon had two twin city restaurants, one at 110 S. 4th Street in Minneapolis, and the other at 320 Wabasha in St. Paul. The decor was that of a wagon train, with items on the menu like Mallard Duck, Ring-neck Pheasant and Partridge. Red checkered tablecloths covered the tables and in the 50′s [...]
The Pond Brothers Rock
In the 1830′s Samuel and Gideon Pond helped establish missions at Chief Cloud Man’s Dakota village on the shore of Lake Calhoun. The Pond brothers came from Connecticut in with high hopes of converting the Dakoyta to Christianity and New England farming practices. They also devised a Dakota alphabet and began translating the Bible [...]
Meet Me in the Park!
The land around old Johnson’s Lake was the first parcel purchased by a newly formed Minneapolis Park Board in April 1883. Central Park became a popular destination almost immediately. After the lake was expanded in 1884, the park board created a skating rink. Electric lights for night skating were added the following year. The [...]
One Dale Down
Brookdale was the second of the four “Dale” shopping malls developed by the Dayton’s. After the success of Southdale Center, Knollwood Mall and Apache Plaza, the Dayton’s Co. looked to the Brooklyn Center. The city boomed in the immediate post-war years and was seen as a prime location. A site was chosen near Highway [...]
The Big River in ’52
In 1952 the Mississippi flood waters managed to work their way over Robert Street and almost halted traffic in Saint Paul’s Loop district. The First National Bank building was never threatened. Spectators crowded the edge of downtown as the Mississippi approached a 14 foot flood stage and overflowed its banks. On April 9th water [...]
Naomi’s Family Center Then and Now
The building originally opened as a motel in 1959, but I remember walking by this little tower in the middle of the 1980′s after it had been converted to apartments. There was a big old banner hanging the length of the building advertising studio apartments for $299. It seemed like a heck of a [...]
