Minneapolis Park History

Living across the street from Phelps Field for fifty years, at 39th and Park Avenue, was sometimes both a joy and a curse. Cousins coming from out of town would always be eager to get to the park. If a baseball or basketball game was in progress, they would be eager to join in. The younger children loved the swings, slides, etc. But my paramount memory of Phelps Field was a basketball bouncing at one o’clock in the morning. I often wondered who the young man was. Did he not have a home to go to or would he rather be in the park than go home? I’ll never know. But to my way of thinking, he probably ended up playing in the NBA!

Jennie Aamodt

Phelps Field began life in 1917 as Chicago Avenue Field. The park was developed in 1924 (shown here). It was renamed Phelps Field in 1939. (Minnesota Historical Society, MH5.9 MP4.5 p8)