Minneapolis prides herself in particular upon the appearance of her streets. The city was laid out upon large and liberal principles. Wide streets are the order everywhere, 80 to 100 feet being a common average. The improvement and maintenance of these broad thoroughfares has involved continual and heavy inroads upon the municipal treasury, but the results show that it has been money wisely expended. During the past three or four years the city has expended upon sidewalks and pavements nearly a million and a quarter dollars. Until within a couple of years wooden sidewalks, constantly out of repair, were universal throughout the business district. During 1883, 1884 and 1885, there were over one hundred miles of sidewalk built. Of these twelve miles were of stone, which has been ordered on all the leading business streets. These walks are fifteen feet in width. Last year there were four and three fifths miles of stone walks and forty-one miles of plank walk laid. For the year 1886 there is ordered sixty miles of plank walk and four miles of stone. The total amount expended upon sidewalks in the three years past is $492,092, and this year‘s work will add $16,300 to the bill.
The first block of pavement in this great city of Minneapolis was laid in 1882. The fall of 1881 had been a veritable “rainy season”, and the streets of the city were for months a seething sea of mud. The popular protest was loud and long. Pavements the city must have. But what kind of pavement? Over this question a long controversy was had, and as a result, the council came to a compromise between the use of stone and wood. On streets where heavy traffic predominated, notably those on the river side of Washington avenue, granite was ordered. On the upper retail streets, cedar blocks went down. Hennepin and Nicollet avenues above Washington avenue had cedar; below that thoroughfare granite.
Washington avenue was paved with granite below Third avenue South; above that with cedar. This policy has been continued, and large expenditures of money have been made annually to meet the demand for more paving. Now, not only all the leading business streets but many residence streets are paved. At the close of last year there were six miles of pavement. Between one and two miles more are being laid this year. The item of curb and gutter is an important one. Last year (1885) there were 25,000 lineal feet of curb and gutter laid, and for this year 48,000 feet have been ordered. The total number of lineal feet of cedar pavement at the close of last year was 27,902; of granite pavement, 20,023. There had been expended in all $485,000 on pavements and $140,000 on curb and gutter.
A vast amount of work has been done in the way of street grading. During the years 1883, ’84 and ’85 there were 87 miles of streets graded at a total cost of about $300,000. In 1885 alone fifty miles were graded at a cost of $95,062.
-Minneapolis Souvenir and Illustrated Handbook,
with comprehensive review of the city’s growth and greatness. Literary matter
written by H. C. Chapin
Published, 1887