BELTLINE PAY DUMP

On February 14, 1947, the Dispatch announced the creation of the Excelsior Blvd. Dump, located at the site of Rice Sand and Gravel, 400 ft. north of Excelsior Blvd. The plan was to charge 25 cents per load to dump a carload into the hole. The trash would be burned and leveled off to grade, starting at the south end and working northward. A license to operate the dump was given to Sam W. Elschuk, although it is indicated that the owner was a Mr. Smith and an M.M. Rude was involved. During Elschuk’s watch, someone from Minneapolis donated a washtub containing a hand grenade, small bomb, 1,000 round of 1918 Army rifle ammunition, 3 machine gun clips and assorted bullets, wrapped in a 1930 Minneapolis Journal. The police donated them right back to Minneapolis for disposal.

Complaints about the dump came right away, and after a dump fire in October 1947, the Village Council was prompted to tell Elchuk that “dumping should be done at the bottom of the hole and filled in with gravel as the pile grows up.”

Later in 1950, Ernie Jacobson – a native of Denmark – bought the 15-acre site and started the Beltline Pay Dump. Jacobson’s nephew Cliff Andreasen was a 1/3 partner. The place was, well, a dump. In June 1950 the rats were so bad that William Biehoffer, a Village-appointed, dump-paid inspector, was hired to inspect each load that came in. A 1951 article reported that the State health department found rat infestation and fly breeding on the premises and needed improvement. But Jacobson invested in heavy equipment such as bulldozers and a crane and he also planted trees. Despite his efforts, a 1952 complaint was that the dump was “an inferno of flame all summer long which smolders and smells and drives rats and insects into our homes.” Jacobson noted that permanent wave solution dumped from beauty parlors caused the most fires.

Customers were charged by the carload to unload their junk – usually 25 or 35 cents – and often took away as much as they dumped. Cars could be disposed of as well. Six employees spent most of their time salvaging metal and other materials that could be sold. A 1954 article described some items that had been accidentally thrown away: $7,000 worth of radium (!), $1500 worth of jewelry, and a brand new casket.

In 1952, Ernie requested permission to put in a trailer house for his watchman and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Markey.

In 1953, Jacobson requested that the west 200 ft. of 6.38 acres of the old Rice Sand and Gravel be rezoned from multiple dwelling to commercial.

In 1954, Jacobson estimated that it would take four more years to fill the place up. He proposed interim uses such as a miniature golf course or driving range until the land settled for new development. This actually came true. Eventually the dump was at capacity - the hill between Byerly's and AAA indicates how high the pile was. When the AAA Headquarters and the St. Louis Park Health Center (later Park Nicollet and so on) were built on the site, the buildings started to sink and elevators started to stink - as they filled with methane gas. Both problems were fixed, but such are the hazards of building on mounds of trash.

Also see the article in the Summer 2003 edition of the Re-Echo.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.