“An Eruption of Springs”: The Diverting Story of Cascade Creek
Cascade Creek was named after a waterfall in the W 7th St neighborhood of St. Paul. The stream was most famously associated with Ayd Mill.
Category: History
A Cyclist’s View of ‘the Jungles of East St. Paul’
A St. Paulite narrates a bike trip from the western half of St. Paul to the less familiar (to the narrator) East Side of the city.
Hidden Falls, Hidden No More
This month, with the opening of a new tunnel and walkway under MRB, a new viewing platform, and the partial daylighting of Hidden Falls Creek, Hidden Falls is ready to be discovered by many more visitors.
The Remarkable Garden of Miss Iris
May 10, 2022 Lexington-Hamline, Hamline-Midway, Frogtown, North End 17 miles Lexington-Hamline The practical purpose of garages — storage — means they play a secondary role to the importance, look and care of the accompanying house. An exception of sorts is the one-time garage behind 1277 Dayton Avenue. What was most likely the original garage has […]
Sylvan Sights Around a Cemetery
Factories once dominated where schools now stand in the Como and North End neighborhoods of St. Paul, where cemeteries still quietly showcase the city’s history. Our author leads readers on a tour by bike.
A Visit to Quarry Island
Quarry Island lies in the middle of Gun Club Lake in Mendota Heights, just north of the 494 bridge and beneath the roar of MSP Airport runways.
National Links: Energized Cities
Michael E Smith, professor of anthropology at Arizona State University, describes how early cities thrived through energized crowding; Oslo plans for major emissions reduction; and how Seattle has radically changed within this past decade.
Dog Nearly Bites Man and Converted Churches on Dayton’s Bluff
September 27, 2021 Downtown, Lowertown, Dayton’s Bluff 20.1 miles The route map of my September 27, 2021 ride. The map is zoomable. A sunny late September day with the temperature in the mid-70s is a day to ride. And so I was winding my way east on Kellogg Boulevard Downtown toward Dayton’s Bluff. At the […]
No Use for a Name: The Untold Story of Alley Identity and Utility in Minneapolis’ Palace Court
(The photograph above, showing the Metropolitan Opera House and Palace Court, was taken by C.J. Hubbard in 1914, Minnesota Historical Society) Historical and contemporary Minneapolis is not particularly known for its public alleys. They have served a more discreet role in the lives of Minneapolitans, unsung for getting private vehicles off city streets. Of course, […]
The Native Street Names On the West Side
Five West Side streets are named after Native American tribes and West Side homes are among the most diverse in the city. Details in this Saint Paul By Bike ride.