CALVIN GOODRICH

The Goodrich name is prominent in the history of early St. Louis Park. This is the story of the Calvin Goodrich family. They are apparently not related to George Goodrich. Which one was Goodrich Ave. named after?

Calvin Gibson Goodrich, Sr. was born on May 11, 1820 in Petersburgh, Virginia. His father, lawyer John Baldwin Goodrich, died young, and Calvin’s mother moved the family to Winchester, Indiana in 1826. Calvin became a surveyor, and attended medical school in Cincinnati. He graduated in 1845 and practiced in Richmond, Indiana. He married Mary A. Wall and in 1848 they moved to Oxford, Ohio.

In 1865, Calvin and Mary bought land in St. Louis Park from Thomas A. Harrison. In 1868 he moved to Minneapolis, where his investments in real estate made him rich.

Mary died in November 1872, and Calvin married Harriet Dodman of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1975. Calvin died on March 20, 1880.

Calvin had five children:

Ervy L. Goodrich
Calvin Goodrich, Jr. (see below)
Nellie W. Goodrich Ireys
Elroy L. Goodrich
Beatrice Goodrich – married Thomas Lowrey

Calvin Jr. (wife Cora) was vice president of Mpls. Street Railway Co. in 1881/5. In 1886 he donated land for the parsonage of Union Church. He was vice president of the Minneapolis Land and Investment Co., and president of the St. Louis Park Land and Investment Co. In 1889 he bought land in St. Louis Park that included Brookside. In 1892 he vacated the Wildwood plat of that area, and in 1898 the land was sold to Suburban Homes for development. Calvin Goodrich, Jr. died on May 24, 1897.

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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.