| Dayton's
Bluff District
Forum July/August
2007
Volume 20, No. 5 |
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Get Heard... Make a Difference
By Ed Lambert, Executive Director, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council is one of 17 such Councils in Saint Paul, and is the place to be if you want to have your voice heard on land-use, zoning, parks, housing, crime prevention, and overall community development and improvement in this community. The Council will hold its annual elections for Board members October 15, 2007; half the seats (9) are up for election/reelection, and one seat is presently vacant. The Board is organized into 4 sub districts, each with 4 representatives, and 2 at-large seats. We are actively seeking candidates for board positions. Interested residents and business owners (18 years and older) should file for these positions, at the District Council office 798 E. 7th St., between August 20 and September 17. Dayton’s Bluff has become a much more diverse community than it was even just 10 years ago. The Council welcomes all newcomers and strongly encourages everyone to contact the office (651-772-2075), or the Council web site www.daytonsbluff.org, to learn more about how they can make a difference in Dayton’s Bluff. All are welcome as we seek board and organizational participants who fully reflect the people who live and/or operate businesses in Dayton’s Bluff. The Council is the organization in Dayton’s Bluff, open to all residents and business owners in the community, which focuses on the whole community and seeks to develop and/or support improvement efforts for the whole community. It is the place where you will be heard, and where you can make a difference, about what is happening (or needs to happen) in Dayton’s Bluff. The Council is most effective when its elections get the attention of a large segment of the community, and its board is made up of concerned citizens from all segments of our diverse and dynamic community. Get involved, make a difference, call and ask how you can get involved in improving your community. You are needed. National Night Out With Your Neighbors Celebrate National Night Out on August 7, 2007 with your neighbors and friends. Some neighborhood groups and block clubs are planning to have a neighborhood barbecue, a potluck, an ice cream social, a band playing music, a volleyball game and many other activities that a group of neighbors can do together.National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals, letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. Join 30 million other people in more than 9,000 communities nation-wide in a variety of events and activities. Let’s make this year even bigger! Here is a list of some of the Dayton’s Bluff National Night Out events: * Mounds Park near Mounds Blvd and Earl - live music * 5th Street East between Mounds Blvd and Maria - food and entertainment * Maria and Euclid - for more information call Karin 651-772-2075 * Margaret Street between Johnson Parkway and Atlantic - pot luck and meet the neighbors * Bethlehem Lutheran Church at Margaret and Forest - food, fun and entertainment * Mounds Park United Methodist Church at Earl and Euclid - food, games and fun * Margaret Recreation Center 1109 Margaret - food, fun, games and learn about the new playground. * Reaney between Forest and Cypress - fun and games * Swede Hollow Park at Greenbrier and Margaret - potluck, The Exit Band and fun * 1330 Conway - food, music, fun and games Email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 772-2075 for more information about National Night Out events. 2nd Annual Parade of Community Gardens As part of the 2nd Annual Parade of Community Gardens on August 18th, The Community Design Center of Minnesota garden at the Swede Hollow Café will be open to anyone interested in seeing the vegetables, flowers, and herbs being grown by local, youth gardeners. From 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., there will be gardeners at the Swede Hollow Café available for tours and questions. The youth will also be selling vegetables and providing information about the organization. Be sure to have coffee or lunch at the café as you pass through! Coordinated by GardenWorks, a program of The Green Institute, the Parade of Community Gardens is designed to showcase the many benefits of community gardening—from beautification and food production to education and community building. Parade-goers can walk, bike, or drive from one garden to the next, soaking in each one’s unique blend of vegetables, flowers, herbs, native grasses and people. Gardens will feature a variety of attractions including tasty veggies, massage, ice cream and art in the garden. More information including maps and garden descriptions is available by calling (612) 278-7123 or visiting www.gardenworksMN.org. Local House Stars in Cable TV Program
The next Community Meeting is Thursday, June 7, 2007 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 798 East 7th Street at the corner of 7th and Margaret. The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council holds its Community Meeting on the 1st Thursday of each month. The purpose is to work with block clubs and neighborhood residents on problem properties, criminal and nuisance behavior, code enforcement issues and any other neighborhood issues, concerns, or new ideas for improvement in Dayton’s Bluff. If you would like, you can email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 772-2075 with addresses of problems before the meeting. If I have the addresses of problems ahead of time I can get them to the police and NHPI (code enforcement). Then they can bring information about the problems to the meeting. Remember, it’s always on the 1st Thursday of the month. All Dayton’s Bluff residents are welcome to attend. If you need more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075. Community
Building, One Flower at a Time By Jennifer Marcus Newton Training
for Small Business Owners Class training lasts 8 weeks and includes topics such as operations management, marketing, financial management, one to one assistance with creating a successful business, and preparing a business plan, plus 8 hours of one on one time with the instructor. Those who successfully complete the course and locate their businesses in target neighborhoods are eligible for ongoing business support services. Some examples of businesses started by people who have previously taken this course include graphics, landscaping, photography, food service, restoration of wood furniture and works of art, custom floral design for weddings and events, and exterior and interior painting. The course is sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Neighborhood Development Center. There is a small registration fee based on a sliding fee scale. The next session will start in September and class size is limited. Please call Karin at 651-772-2075 or email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org for an application. August Shows at the Mounds Theatre Fading to Grey
Diversity Productions Presents Fading to Grey at the Mounds Theatre this August 2 – 19. Fading to Grey is a new full-length play by Twin Cities playwright Richard A. Pettey. The play explores the true meaning of family. It follows Alan and Terry, a couple on the day of their twenty-fifth anniversary. We learn through encounters with family, friends and a surprise visitor what family and relationships really mean. But most of all you will appreciate these two men and the life they have together. For more information go to www.diversity-productions.org. To purchase tickets go to www.uptowntix.com or call 651-209-6799, 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Haunted House Movie Jon Hyers’ new independent haunted house docudrama will be showing at the Mounds Theatre August 25th and 26th. “The Haunting of N 3rd Street” covers a one-year period of the Dr. Conrad Hyers family when they lived in an old house in St. Peter, MN. The bulk of the movie centers on the Hyers story while living in the house. Part two is a search for answers, with historical research on the house, discussion of the deaths and murders that took place there, or in some cases were said to have taken place there, and an actual historical scene which paints the picture of one potential cause of events. Visit www.MoundsTheatre.org or call 651-772-2253 for show times. The Mounds Theatre is at 1029 Hudson Road. It's in the Mail - Not on Your Doorstep By Ed Lambert, Executive Director, Dayton’s Bluff
Community Council Children under 7 should have a parent or guardian with them on the bus. You can get on or off at any of the stops and there are lawn signs at each stop. For more information visit www.daytonsbluff.org. or call 651-793-3885. Everybody is Walking the Bluff this Summer
By Garry Fay, Walk the Bluff Coordinator On Thursday evening June 28 long-time local historian Steve Trimble led a group of several dozen people about Indian Mounds Park. With insight and humor Steve related stories about one of our largest and loveliest local parks. He informed us of the treasures surrounding us in the park and the wonder of human nature. We reflected upon the value of history and how it connects us to the past so that we can create a positive present and envision and live a better future. Artifacts were discussed and corrections given of historical signs including his interpretation as to how these errors crept into these public pronouncements. The Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. wanted our airport beacon as it is such a fine historical structure but local demand kept it here for our enjoyment and protection of the skyway corridor into Holman Field. WPA created a wall along Mounds Avenue. It is the last and best example existing in St. Paul or was it the entire metro area? There are still many questions about the history of our area that Steve noted are being researched such as the motels of St. Paul. He encouraged us all to consider finding out what we can and sharing those stories. A number of people joined Steve in relating stories and facts about the park. The Pavilion was almost torn down like so many other aging structures by the city. However, locals influenced city hall. Now this restored 1914 built, Frank Lloyd Wright – inspired structure is drawing interest as it sits prominently roadside near the top of the bluff. From the mounds themselves, to more modern architecture, Mr. Trimble wove a wonderful tale of our Park on the Bluff. Sweet
Swede Hollow History
My name is Chad Stahlman. I am your local Dayton’s Bluff Community Council intern thru Metropolitan State University. This is the first of several articles I will be writing regarding the history and activities in Dayton’s Bluff. During my interview with Ed Lambert, Executive Director of Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, he began a dialog regarding the rich history of Dayton’s Bluff. I was skeptical and wondered to myself: “could there be that much history in such a small part of land in a region of the world that includes two huge cities.” I figured the history was to the west and south a bit. Well, that might be true, but I was pleasantly surprised after a few weeks in the Bluff to learn of the history here. I could not have asked for a better community to learn in. On Thursday, May 24th, Larry Millett walked with about 60 people, including myself, in and around Swede Hollow Park to discuss some of its history. Larry Millett is an architectural historian. He recently released his book AIA Guide to the Twin Cities. The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Larry Millett worked for three decades as a reporter, editor and architectural critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press before retiring in 2002. His books include Lost Twin Cities (awarded an AIA International Architecture Book Award), Twin Cities Then and Now, and five Sherlock Holmes mysteries including The Disappearance of Sherlock Holmes. He was an excellent speaker for the walk and came prepared with loads of informative dialog. If you ever considered going on one of these walks, I highly encourage you to do so. They are fun and informative. Our walk took about an hour and we never really left the immediate area, so if you need to leave early, it’s very possible. Our walk started at the Saint Paul Library, Dayton’s Bluff branch. Larry’s smiling assistant dutifully carried a portable microphone and speaker. So, if you have hearing issues, fear not on these walks. The weather for our event was a bit chilly, but was a nice reprise after a few hot days and it was refreshing to wear a simple windbreaker instead of our usual heavy winter jackets. We walked to 7th St., thus named, as it was once the seventh street back from the Mississippi River. Larry spoke a bit about the fact that it was graded in 1884 and cable cars were quick to follow. Grading roads in that time was incredibly expensive, but people certainly thought it was worth it. We then walked towards 1st Lutheran Church, raised in 1917 on the corner of Maria Ave and 8th St. Directly northwest of that is Fountain Plaza. Lyman Dayton named Maria Ave in 1857 after his wife. Many locals pronounce it “mah-rye-ah.” Fountain Plaza was named thus because it was significant to the homes in early 1900’s overlooking Swede Hollow to have beautiful fountains. Larry took us into Swede Hollow Park. The park is home to much history. The Hamm mansion, built by Theodore and Luisgarits Hamm, was built here. I also learned that many of the homes around Swede Hollow Park were once owned by Hamm family members. It’s also important to note that most of the homes in this area are official historical homes. It’s wonderful that most of the families living in these homes now have restored much of their original architecture. Our walk then took us to view a few historic homes near the Cerenity House located at the tri-corner of Dellwood Pl., Greenbrier St. and Maury St. The Cerenity House is sitting on top of the property that once was the site of the Mayall family Mansion. There are also three homes on Greenbrier St. that have unusual and unique architecture for this area. We then walked back SW towards the Library via 7th Street. Swede Hollow Café is located here. Swede Hollow Café has a lovely garden for enjoying your morning coffee or pastry. The garden is a nice little oasis with spring flowers and fountains. The garden itself is about 1500 square feet and reminded me a bit of dining in a very small village in Europe. You can contact Swede Hollow café at 651-772-2075 or check out their website at www.swedehollowcafe.com. Our walk ended back in the Library with Larry giving his time to answering questions from guests and signing his new book for people. I felt this added a very personal touch to the entire event. If you would like more information on the history of our streets, our website, www.daytonsbluff.org, has all the past issues of the paper and also has more information on our Walk the Bluff program. The Walk the Bluff program is a wonderful way to get out and learn about the rich history that is Dayton’s Bluff.
By Louise Letnes Mounds Park United Methodist Church sponsored a walk down Wilson and Wakefield Avenues (between Earl and Cypress) on June 20, 2007, as a part of the celebration of its 150th year of ministry (86 years on the corner of Earl and Euclid). The walk was led by Richard Harper, a retired United Methodist pastor who grew up in the neighborhood during the 30s and 40s, first on Wilson, then on Wakefield Avenues. Pastor Harper told of his memories of a neighbor asking him as a young child to stop and help her with the extra donut holes she had from that day’s baking, memories of the excitement caused by the first Nash to arrive on the block, and the feelings of security that the Mounds Park beacon gave him as it flashed through his bedroom window each night. He also remembers, as a child, the feeling that something important had happened as he sat in a neighbor’s house while they listened to the radio reports of Germany’s invasion of Poland. He told of sliding down the hills between Wilson and Wakefield where houses now stand. Neighbors and members of Mounds Park Church ended the evening in the church Fellowship Hall with more reminiscing while enjoying root beer floats. Mounds Park United Methodist Church will hold a 150th anniversary Service of Celebration on Sunday afternoon October 21, 2007 at 3 p.m. The public is invited. The Food Giveaway takes place on the third
Saturday of the month at Mounds Park United Methodist Church, Earl and
Euclid Streets. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. The Food Giveaway is from 10:30
a.m. to 12:00 noon. Come and receive a free bag of food, no
questions asked. By Walter Waranka, President, Datyon’s Bluff Community Council Summer is here. What to do? Well, here are just a few things that we, at the Council, are suggesting as fun possibilities to try this summer. Why not get involved with our Walk the Bluff Program? Not only can you get outside and get some exercise, you can meet your neighbors, and possibly make new friends. There are also great rewards for joining. You could organize a block club or join one already established in your neighborhood. You can help yourself and your neighbors to keep a watchful eye on your neighborhood. Don’t forget about National Night Out. There will be lots of opportunities to get out and join your fellow neighbors in taking back the night. You can find more information about these ideas here in the Forum, or you can call our office 651-772-2075 or visit www.daytonsbluff.org Most of all just enjoy the summer and don’t get caught up in fear. Learn to be aware of what is going on in the place you call home in your neighborhood called Dayton’s Bluff. Amazing Grace Assembly of God 463 Maria St. Paul, MN 55106 651-776-7210 1 block North of Metropolitan State University Sun 8:00 am – Free Community Breakfast 9:30 am, - Worship service Sun 10:45 am - Education for all ages Handicapped accessible ALL ARE WELCOME!
Mounds Park United
Methodist Worship times are subject to
change. Please call ahead to confirm.
Rain
Garden Experience = Terrific!
By Sue Richter and Wally Waranka Streets
of the Bluff... And Other Good Stuff - Part IV In the last few months in the Forum I have been listing, adding to and sometimes commenting on the origins of the street names of Dayton’s Bluff as listed in Don Empson’s newly issued book, The Street Where You Live. We made it from A to Z. But the books subtitle is “A Guide to Place Names of St. Paul,” so for the encore, let’s take a look at the non-street names that are included in the Empson volume. Some of the places listed in the book—such as Carver’s Cave, Swede Hollow and Indian Mounds Park—have been written about in past issues of the Forum, so they will be mentioned but not covered extensively. As before, I am making this in the form of an extended book review and adding new information so it doesn’t look like I am a plagiarist historian. So here goes with the ponds, parks and places of Dayton’s Bluff: Augustus Gauger Park This park, nestled between Greenbrier North and Seventh Street was named for a local German-American architect. He began his work with the famed Edward Bassford and before he died in 1929 had designed hundreds of buildings. The Stutzman Building (725-733 East Seventh) that abuts the park was one of his commercial works. In the 1970’s it had become a crime-ridden apartment building. Then it was purchased by a non-profit neighborhood group who upgraded the units and sought out tenants and renters. Probably the most visible one has been the Swede Hollow Café. Today’s park once had two unsightly billboards. Money was raised, the land purchased in the 1980’s and the giant advertisements came down. The area was landscaped and worked on by a combination of community residents and Metropolitan State University students and staff. Tucked away under one large tree is a plaque dedicated to Bonnie Luke a former member of the nursing faculty at Metropolitan State. Bates Triangle This small triangular park was created when two early additions to St. Paul ended up meeting at a 45-degree angle. Empson doesn’t mention it, but one document says it was donated in honor of Maria Bates by her son. However, the land was listed as being taken in by the city in 1910, after his own death. It was enlarged by the vacating of Bates Street between Seventh and North. It was somewhat absorbed into the new Gauger Park just to the east. A big section of it is now a “rain garden”. Brickyards An 1867 map of McLean Township labels the area around today’s Hudson Road and Johnson Parkway as “brickyards.” Though there are not a lot of details, it is known that at least one concern did make bricks there in the early years. The brickyards were along side what appeared on the map to be a sizeable body of water—probably a shallow lake or deep wetland. Some old-timers talked about going there to play when they were children. It apparently ended up being used as an unofficial dump, for some of them mentioned finding discarded Seeger refrigerator shells that could be used as rafts and polled around in the probably skanky water. Many residents remember when Johnson Brothers Grocery and then Johnson Brothers Liquor were there. Even then some of the underground water would still seep up through the asphalt in the low-lying section of the parking lot. Recently a developer bought the land and put in a large senior apartment complex. Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary The Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary is a twenty-seven acre park located in the flood plain just below Dayton’s Bluff. It features history, culture and a natural landscape that is being slowly restored. It was previously railroad land and had become highly polluted. It is named in honor of Bruce Vento, a long time DFL politician who represented the East Side in the state legislature and then went to Congress where he served for many years. As chair of the house sub committee on public lands, he was very interested in natural scenic rivers and wilderness areas and was able to get large sections of the upper Mississippi declared a Scenic and Natural area. The park was officially dedicated in 2005 and work still continues to improve this unique site Bruce Vento Regional Trail Previously the Burlington Northern Trail. It goes from the base of Dayton’s Bluff to the north and meets up with the Gateway trail and soon will connect with downtown and trails further south. It was re-named for Bruce Vento after he died in 2000. Carver’s Cave This paper has had numerous articles about the place that Empson calls “one of the oldest and best known natural landmarks on the Upper Mississippi River,” so I’ll just include a highlight or two here. He mentions Jonathan Carver’s 1766 visit and the 1867 Carver Centennial celebration sponsored by the Minnesota Historical Society, and the fact that there were a series of times that the cavern was lost due to erosion and then found again, most recently in 1913 and 1948. Then, as Empson says, “in 1977, the entrance was once again found under the auspices of the city, and plans were formulated to work with the American Indians on a long-range plan for this singular place—now the centerpiece of the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.” Connemara Patch According to Empson, it started out as ”a collection of modest working-class houses and businesses constructed along Phalen Creek.” He tells a little about the late Nineteenth Century influx of Irish who gave the area its name. They came as a result of Bishop John Ireland’s attempt to bring needy people from the Emerald Island and make farmers out of them. Many didn’t like farming, migrated to St. Paul and a group landed along lower Phalen Creek in the area under today‘s Third Street Bridge. By the 1940’s a sizeable number of Mexican-American families began living there. Along with others, they remained there until the small but colorful neighborhood disappeared in the 1950’s with the arrival of urban development and the freeway. Incidentally, Ed Lambert, the new Executive Director of the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, used to deliver papers there as a boy. Here’s hoping he’ll share some of his memories in the Forum. Dayton’s Cave Located northwest of Carver’s Cave, it was frequently confused with the larger and more famed cavern below Dayton’s Bluff. Naturally formed in the sandstone, it also had a pool of water and pictographs inside. It was walled up in early years and used as a place to store vegetables and beer. The cave was covered up by the natural erosion of the limestone bluff years ago. Fish Hatchery Road In 1877 the state legislature appropriated money for the construction of a fish hatchery. The “Willow Brook” facility was opened within a year. It became a popular tourist attraction. People often ventured down a steep zigzag road from today’s Indian Mounds Park to the area between the bluff and the river to look at the fish, visit a wildlife museum and later see a small zoo. The original idea was to raise salmon and stock Minnesota lakes with this revered game fish. Seven springs fed the hatchery but because of development of the area above they eventually started drying up. In the 1960’s, wells were dug for the needed water. After the spotty record for salmon the hatchery raised trout, rainbow and lake trout but was finally closed in 1995. Back to the Fish Hatchery Road. It’s still there, even though it’s a bit overgrown now. You can still see the cut in the Mounds Boulevard curb that was at the start of the road. In my mind, it would be a great idea to use it to create a path from the eastern part of Mounds Park to the river level below and have it link up with the Bruce Vento area, creating a scenic loop that could be used for one of our many Dayton’s Bluff walks. What do you think? Forest Street Triangle This Triangle first appeared in our community in 1902 at the southwest corner of East Seventh and Forest. It doesn’t look much like a park because it was altered a good deal during one of the “improvements” on Seventh Street. It was somewhat absorbed into a parking lot and there are now only two sides to the triangle. But it does have a bus bench and a shrub or two. As 3M follows through with its downsizing plans, perhaps this triangle and the entire parking lot could become a much-needed green space on the busy street. Anyone want to work on creating a Minnesota Mining Triangle at the corner of East Seventh and Forest? Hamm Park This small, well-manicured park on the north side of East Seventh at Greenbrier is another of those created by the meeting of two early additions, The one-quarter acre site was given to the city in 1910 in honor of brewing legend Theodore Hamm by his son. William Hamm was a member of the park board at the time. It is now larger than originally because of the vacation of part of a street. Im-In-I-Ja Ska In his 1875 History of St. Paul, J. Fletcher Williams stated that this is what the Dakota Indians called the St. Paul area. It was their phrase that meant “white rock” and clearly referred to the coloration of the sandstone and limestone along the riverfront under the western edge of Dayton’s Bluff. Indian Mounds Park This sixty-nine acre regional park was created, in the words of Empson “at the urging of local residents, the city-despite the rapacious real estate speculators-was able to purchase much of the parkland in the 1890’s.” He chose to mention that over the years it has been home to “a toboggan slide, tennis courts, a warming house for ice skaters, horseshoe courts, a comfort station, a World War I German artillery piece, and a 110-foot navigation beacon.” Obviously, there is more to the history of Indian Mounds Park than can be included in a short passage in a book. I can put together a larger article on this streetcar era site in the future if anyone is interested. Why not send in some of your favorite stories about the park that can be included? Maria Avenue Triangle The parks department got this small piece of land at the junction of Maria and McLean in 1911, but the source of the donation is not currently known. It is also unclear whether it was named specifically for Maria Bates, Lyman’s wife, or just because of its location on the street of the same name. It unfortunately lost some of its size when the city redid the streets and reluctantly kept the granite curbs in the area. It is mowed, planted with flowers, and carefully tended by one of the neighbors. We made if from A to the start of the M’s this month We’ll try to finish in the next issue of the Forum. If you want to buy your own copy of The Street Where You Live by Donald L. Empson, the University of Minnesota Press publication is available at most bookstores as well as the Ramsey County Historical Society and the Minnesota History Center. Or even better, you can order an autographed copy of the book directly from the author. Send a check or money order to Donald Empson at P.O. Box 791, Stillwater, MN 55082. The price is $19.95 + $1.30 sales tax + $4.00 for postage and packaging for a total of $25.25. If you do, please tell how you would like the book dedicated. Visit Empson’s website at www.empsons.com. ECFE Classes Two Days a Week for 4 Year Olds
After an interval of many years, the Dayton’s Bluff Early Childhood Family Education Program will once again offer a two afternoon per week class for children who will start kindergarten in the fall of 2008. The four year olds (4 on or before September 1, 2007) will come to school on Monday and Thursday afternoons. They will have a certified teacher who provides a friendly and fun classroom with activities that excite children and motivate them to learn. We will explore themes such as The Apple Orchard, All About Me and My Family, The Gingerbread Man, The Bakery, The Post Office, Colors of the Rainbow, Butterflies and more. Through songs, stories, field trips and a classroom of dynamic materials, children will learn that school is an important and wonderful place to grow. On Thursdays, parents and their other children who are not yet in school come to ECFE with the four year olds. The parents join the parent educator to discuss ways to strengthen children’s developing skills during the important year before kindergarten when their involvement in their child’s education enhances his or her school readiness skills in every area - in language, pre-reading, pre-writing, and math understanding, self-help, and getting along with others. The siblings will have a separate classroom with a teacher who provides a warm, loving, developmentally appropriate curriculum. On Mondays the fours come again to expand and consolidate the learning and growing they are doing on Thursdays. Each parent comes a few times each semester to assist the teacher on Monday afternoon. If you are interested in this class, or any other ECFE class, call 651-793-5410 for information about registration. New Trail Link
Links Trails
By Nick Duncan It is now a lot easier for Dayton’s Bluff residents to pedal to Lowertown or Downtown or Swede Hollow or just about anywhere else their bicycle can take them because the Lower Phalen Creek Project officially opened the Bruce Vento Trail Link on Saturday July 14th. This new bike/walking path connects the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary with Swede Hollow Park, Lowertown at Fourth Street and Mounds Park at Commercial Street. The new trail links the Mounds Park/Dayton’s Bluff neighborhoods with the already extensive Bruce Vento Regional Trail system, a system that runs almost ten miles ending just north of Highway 694 at Buerkle Road in White Bear Lake. And if that’s not enough riding for you Lance Armstrong wannabes, just north of Frost Avenue, the Bruce Vento Trail intersects with the even more extensive Gateway Trail, which stretches all the way out to Pine Point County Park north of Stillwater in Washington County. Now that’s quite a work out. But for the less ambitious riders, those of us just wanting to reach the farmers market or to visit a restaurant downtown, the new trail allows a peaceful, scenic pathway to the heart of Lowertown without the hassle and danger of having to navigate the heavy auto traffic on the Third Street Bridge or along East Seventh Street. The trail descends along Commercial Street from the northwest end of Mounds Park. The path continues under the Third Street Bridge, past the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary before intersecting with the Bruce Vento Trail which heads north toward Swede Hollow over a beautifully restored railroad bridge which has been ingeniously converted for bike and foot usage. Indeed, all along the new trail link are signs of past uses of this lowland area between the homes on Dayton’s Bluff and the warehouses and commercial buildings of Lowertown. Early in St Paul’s history this area was demeemed unsuitable for development. It was a swampland where Phalen Creek emptied into the Mississippi. The high ground on Dayton’s Bluff was a much more attractive place to build a house and the solid flat ground of Lowertown was a much safer place to build a warehouse. Though the swamps have long ago been drained, from the bike trail it is still possible to see the old open aqueduct as it carries water runoff toward the river. And if one takes a short detour south into the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, you can even get an idea what this place looked like before human settlement. But the link to the past that is most apparent is the link to this area’s once great railroad days. In the 1800’s St Paul was the most northerly navigable point on the Mississippi River for steamboats. Lowertown or the Lower Landing, because of it’s flat and relativly low topography, was the ideal spot in St. Paul to load and unload cargo. We need to remember, this was a time when there were no interstate freeways or 18-wheelers, and a time when shipping by rail was still in it’s infancy. That meant riverboats were the fastest, cheapest method of shipping goods. And to be the Northern most port on the biggest river in the county meant the Lower Landing was a booming hub of activity. Soon rail lines from across the Upper Midwest flowed into the port of St Paul. Remember that in the 1880’s Minneapolis’ Mills, powered by St Anthony Falls, produced a staggering one-eighth of the entire worlds flour supply. The area of the Vento Trail link, this undeveloped lowland area adjacent to the Lower Landing, was the ideal place for building railroads. In fact, a great number of rail lines once covered this entire area. Only a couple of these lines remain, crossing over the bike trail on a stone and wood bridge that is only a small part of the beautifully crafted old stone bridgeworks that line the bike trail along Commercial road. The craftsmanship is absolutely incredible. Further on toward Lowertown is a row of buildings dating back to the 1880’s once used as railroad machine shops, For more information about the Lower Phalen Creek Project visit www.mepartnership.org/sites/LOWERPHALENCREEK/index.asp. Volunteer Editor Needed! A volunteer
editor is needed for the print edition of this paper. Pagemaker
experience is a
plus. Call Karin at 651-772-2075. A Christmas
Story returns to the Mounds Theatre for the fourth year, live on
stage this December for nine performances Beautiful
Music at Dayton's Bluff ECFE
When children are evaluated for kindergarten readiness, one of the areas considered is the child’s use and appreciation of the arts. In order to help children develop in this awareness, Dayton’s Bluff ECFE provides many opportunities to create and appreciate music, acting, painting, drawing, sculpting, and the like. One extra special experience which supports readiness in the use and appreciation of the arts is our annual Kinder Konzert trip which takes four year olds and their parents on a trip to Orchestra Hall to see and hear an orchestral presentation of a familiar story. This trip is the capstone of weeks of classroom curriculum which introduces the theme story for the year (this year Goldilocks and the Three Bears), and teaches musical concepts like pitch, tempo and rhythm. Children have many opportunities to play different instruments, to move to music, to listen for repeated musical motifs, to keep time and much more. They also explore different versions of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears by different authors and illustrators, act out the story using mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear (stuffed animals) with their porridge bowls and chairs. They are invited to draw their favorite part of the story or to create and dictate an original ending of their own. One part of the classroom preparation for Kinder Konzert is always inviting “guest musicians” to come to classes to do short performances on musical instruments. The visiting musicians include program moms and dads and their friends, classroom volunteers, and older siblings of children in the program. The level of expertise ranges from professional to pretty good to frankly shaky. These mini-concerts give children an up close and personal introduction to a variety of instruments, and give them a chance to practice concert etiquette by listening attentively and applauding performers at appropriate times. They also give children an opportunity to make music under the guidance of the guest artists by drawing a bow across the strings of a violin, blowing into a flute, strumming a guitar, or pushing the keys or buttons on an accordion. We had especially wonderful classroom concerts this year. Some of these mini-concerts held the attention of whole groups of children for surprisingly long periods of time and were followed by children patiently waiting for a turn to “try” the featured instrument. When we think about children’s school readiness skills, we adults divide them into categories to help us think about them effectively. The reality, however, is that the categories overlap and intermingle and almost every activity children participate in supports their growth and development in many readiness areas. Asking children to make and listen to music, to act out a story, and to create and describe pictures of parts of that story clearly contributes to the readiness skills of creating and enjoying art. But these activities simultaneously support all of the other skills that are commonly identified as important kindergarten readiness skills. Listening is a basic skill in almost every area of readiness for hearing children. Spoken language and music share many attributes and music activities are often recommended as supports for developing pre-reading and writing skills. Music activities also strengthen the child’s growing math awareness in many ways. Songs build a bridge between language and music. Making music uses both large and small muscles. Personal and social development are supported when children get on the bus with their friends or think about the process of becoming skilled at playing an instrument. The list of important benefits from preparing for and going to Kinder Konzert goes on and on. Mama Bear and Papa Bear and Baby Bear would all pronounce the experience, “Just right!”
By Maryann Chowen, PHN Dayton’s Bluff has a ‘New Kid on the Block’. The Dayton’s Bluff Living At Home/Block Nurse Program held it second meeting June 8 at Parkway Garden’s senior living apartments on 1145 Hudson Road. “What does a Block Nurse Program do?” asked Clyde, a senior who volunteered to work on the steering committee. Currently, there are 41 Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs. In answer to Clyde’s question, A LAH/BNP allows elder’s 65 years and older to remain as independent as possible by providing supportive services in their home. “Basically it is neighbors helping neighbors,” stated Malcolm Mitchell, Executive Director of the Elderberry Institute an organization set up to help launch Block Nurse Programs and provide continuing support once they are up and running. Services include transportation to medical appointments, assistance in navigating the medical system; referrals for chore services, homemakers or help with follow up medical care. What makes this healthcare model work are the dedicated volunteers who help small staffs serve seniors. Volunteers are urgently needed in the Dayton’s Bluff area to be the heartbeat of this program. Whether you have an hour every couple of months or an hour each week, the volunteer opportunity is designed to meet your availability. To volunteer, contact Renae Dalluhn at 651-7958. Editor’s Note: Maryann Chowen, a public health nurse for over 33 years, has worked for over seven years with the Payne-Phalen and Conway-Battle Creek LAH/BNPs. Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |
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| Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |