Minnehaha Rails
Rene Rosengren recently sent some photos of metal rails she found south of the Minnehaha Off Leash Dog Park just off the Minnehaha Trail. Any ideas what they are?
I’ve written about the limestone quarry at Minnehaha Park that was operated for just one year by the park board in 1907, but was reopened by the WPA from 1938-1942. I think these tracks are too far south to have been part of that quarry, but the narrow gauge suggests that they were part of a quarry or similar extraction enterprise.
I suspect the tracks were once a part of the Bureau of Mines Research Center on federal land that is now owned by the National Park Service as part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Rene and I would be happy to hear any thoughts on the narrow gauge tracks.
David Carpentier Smith
Minneapolis Park History 
Along with the rail tracks at the dog park, I have noticed a the remnants of an extensive boardwalk and rather large fire place along the trail. Does anyone have information regarding the building of or history of the boardwalk? M. Schock
Thanks for you question, Michael. I did write a bit about one fireplace long ago here and here. The two pieces mentioned provide some information. I love teh old photo found by Tom. This is the only fireplace I know of. Are there others?
David C. Smith
[…] Finally, Rene Rosengren sent another picture of old machinery near the dog park at Minnehaha. […]
David
Have you any knowledge of these two odd poles in the ground along Golden Valley Road adjacent to the Wirth golf course (across from the fire station)?
Not clear if they are (were) part of the park, but it was intriguing (and my wife and I could not come up with any explanation for their purpose). The writing on the side identifies a foundry in Minneapolis (Tenzel?) but not much else.
â Michael
Hi Michael, Your photos did not transmit, but I can claim with confidence that I don’t know the purpose of the two poles you described. I’ll try to go by there and have a look. Anyone else with an explanation?
I have access to plans from the BOM wind-down and no tracks are shown on the survey.
-Brandon
Thanks, Brandon. Any guess what those tracks could be?
I think a quarry is the likely thing. The VA and others had buildings in that area before LRT but there wasn’t anything that would have needed a track.
Hey, hi, Dave,
I once found some wheels on an axle in the dog park. Near the river-level outflow of Coldwater Spring, I think. Not knowing where these narrow-gauge tracks are, nor how far apart they are, I wonder if the wheels and tracks are of the same artifact.
The aerial photo from 1945 shows something that looks like a quarry at 54th St. and the river. https://geo.lib.umn.edu/twin-cities-metro-area/1945/A-1-149.jpg Same in 1950: https://geo.lib.umn.edu/ramsey_county/y1953/WO-3M-49.jpg 1951: https://geo.lib.umn.edu/Dakota_County/y1951/WK-5H-210.jpg
That quarry does not show in 1937: https://geo.lib.umn.edu/Dakota_County/y1937/WK-8-645.jpg So that’s the location of the limestone quarry. And is in the location of the dog park today.
I’m going with the limestone quarrying left those tracks behind.
K.
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Thanks for the aerial photo links.