Archive for the ‘Keewaydin Park’ Tag
Minnehaha Park Fireplace Mystery Solved
Filed under: Minneapolis parks, Minnehaha Falls | Tags: Folwell Park, Keewaydin Park, Marv Nelson, McRae Park, Minneapolis Veterans Hospital, Minnehaha Dog Park, Minnehaha Park
Comments (3) The mystery of the fireplace in the dog park at Minnehaha Park has been solved thanks to reader “Tom.” Many people have followed this issue or expressed an interest in it and I know that many readers don’t check back to see comments on posts, so I wanted to bring this comment to your attention.
The fireplace surrounded by picnic tables in 1935. (Minnesota Historical Society)
This is the photo of the fireplace that Tom found in the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society, which includes more than 230,000 photographs. As I’ve noted many times, that collection is invaluable and immensely enjoyable. The picnic ground belonged to the Minneapolis Veterans Hospital according to the photo description. Tom further notes that the park board acquired this land in 1959. Thanks for your comment, Tom. Does anyone want to tell us when the fireplace and picnic ground were built?
Excellent Comments
I would suggest that you check back on your favorite park subjects occasionally to see recent comments, or subscribe to comments on any post. Especially interesting in recent months have been
Chuck Solomon’s comment in which he named all of the coaches and nearly every player from a McRae Park football photo
Another tribute to Marv Nelson, a youth football coach at Folwell Park in the 1960s and 1970s
Memories of Keewaydin Park, especially kids’ games and hockey.
These are just a few of the comments in recent months. Thanks to everyone who has commented on the articles here or has contacted me personally with more stories. I appreciate them all. Stories: that’s what this web site is all about.
David C. Smith
© 2014 David C. Smith
Keewaydin Park Before and After — 1928
Filed under: Minneapolis Parks: General | Tags: Keewaydin Park, Minneapolis parks
Comments (8) Like a lot of other people I’m curious to see the new look of Keewaydin Park and School. Construction is underway. It has to be an improvement over what was there a few years ago.
Keewaydin Park before — the first time c. 1928. (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board)
Okay, it was a long time ago. In 1928-29 the park board hauled in 38,600 cubic yards of fill to bring the playing fields up to grade on one side. Clearly the neighbors tried to help by discarding their refuse there, too. The crate says “Morell’s Pride Hams and Bacon.” But that wasn’t enough; the fill kept settling. The park board continued to fill the former swamp in 1930-31. By 1932 the field had been filled sufficiently to be regraded and have tennis courts and a wading pool finished. By 1934 the grounds looked much nicer.
Keewaydin School and surrounding park in 1934. (Norton and Peel, Minnesota Historical Society)
Keewaydin was one of the early collaborative projects between the park and school boards. In the park board’s 1929 annual report it noted that the park had one of the best-equipped shelters for skating and hockey rinks due to the “well-appointed” basement rooms of the school. The doors on the lower level in this photo must have been the entrance to those rooms.
Anybody remember skating there or going to school there when it was new? Does anybody want to take a photo of present construction and email it to me? I forgot to zip over and take one Sunday when I was at Longfellow House.
David C. Smith
Minneapolis Park Memory: Best Days of My Life
Filed under: Minneapolis Park Memory | Tags: Brackett Park, Keewaydin Park, Longfellow Park, Minnehaha Falls
Comments (3) I grew up in South Minneapolis and enjoyed all the parks especially Minnehaha and the Falls. I have a picture of my Girl Scout Brownie Troop taken there (that would be along time ago). My family has had many wiener roasts at the “deer pen” and several family reunions attended by 80+ people from many different states. We just had one this past August at Wabun Park at the east end of Minnehaha Park. It has recently been remodeled and is a wonderful park.
My best memories have to do with our local neighborhood parks that aren’t necessarily on a tourist’s list, such as Keewaydin, Brackett, Longfellow, Hiawatha and many others. My favorite park was Longfellow, where my husband spent his childhood years skating and playing hockey, football and baseball. He was president of the Longfellow Activities Council for seven years and was a baseball coach. Those were the “good old days” when you could send your kids to the park without worrying about kidnapping and the like.
Activities at the park brought kids and parents together; we were one large family that would be known as a “village” today. Those were the best days of my life.
Shirley Adler
Minneapolis Park History 