Some of the family information was extrapolated from phone directories, and may not be exactly right.   Michael Blodgett, born on January 1, 1940, is the son of optometrist Klayton Blodgett. After serving in WWII, Klayton and his wife Charlotte…

Walter Leslie Beach was one of Park’s earliest builders. He was born to George and Calien (Calein) Beach in Litchfield, Minnesota on September 10, 1885. Calein’s father, Ole Halvorson Ness, was one of the first settlers in the Litchfield area,…

Tommy Bates lived at 4305 Alabama Ave. and went to Brookside School. He was captain of the school patrol, and the belt he wore in that capacity was proudly worn by subsequent captains, even when it got so raggedy that…

Ethel Maud Baston was born on August 24, 1886, in what would soon become St. Louis Park. Her mother felt that she was the first baby born after St. Louis Park became a Village, but that didn’t happen until November.  …

Morten Arneson was a nurseryman on Excelsior Boulevard, but he was much more than that. He was instrumental in the creation of the St. Louis Park Medical Center (now Park Nicollet) and he was an extremely active participant in civic…

HENRY J. ARETZ  Henry John Aretz (pronounced “Arts’) was born on November 8, 1894 in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota. His parents were Anton and Caroline Aretz, and Henry had nine brothers and sisters.  As a young man he worked as a…

The Re-Echo is our quarterly publication that features stories about St. Louis Park history as well as announcements of programs and changes to our collection. The Re-Echo is mailed to members and posted on our website. The name Re-Echo is…

June 2, 2024, we held a walking tour in collaboration with the Hennepin County Historical Society, “Skunk Hollow – The Story of a Swamp.” During 2024 we held a series of  open houses at our office to introduce folks to…

CHAPTER I   In trying to give a brief overview of the events which led up to the settlement of Hennepin County and St. Louis Park one has to eliminate many events which might seem important to some writers and…

Of all the interests and needs of man, his religious drives cause him to try to channelize his religious needs in almost all places and in all ages. The same is true of those people who came to the area…