SCOTTY HUDSON

One of our first Village Characters was W. Scott "Scotty" Hudson. We first see him in the Village Council Minutes in August 1901, when he earned $10.95 working at a stable. Phone books in the 30's listed him as a "lather," possibly at Minneapolis Moline. Scotty is listed in the 1933-39 Village directories, but is gone by 1942. In the fall of 1946, he is apparently living in the west half of the Village Pump House at 6021 W. 36th Street (not an address today).

There seem to be many stories about Scotty, some of which might be true:

• He was especially fond of kids, and entertained them with his tap dancing, jokes, and stories.  His usual greeting was “Scatta ma rat and a Bob tailed cat, skiddy, skaddy boo cat, stop that.” That was his way of saying hello.
   
• He was the Village Drunk, and Clayton Swenson remembers his father giving him money for booze, saying that if he didn't, others would just take advantage of him. (This is contested by another oldimer, however.)
   
• Son “Young Scottie” or “Tic” was part of the ensemble "Scottie, Billie & Mack" with Billy Klemick and Mrs. McCarthy. They often sang on WDGY radio.
   
• He barely escaped with his life when the truck he was riding in with Howard Bradley caught fire when gassing up at Reiss's; Howard died of his injuries, but Scotty got out in time.

Scotty lived in a dilapidated old wreck called the Dewey House in the 1930's. Built around 1898, the fourplex was first located north of Lake Street and east of now Library Lane. It housed many tenants in its time, until 1925 when it was severely damaged in the great tornado. The owner, purported to be Superintendent of Schools Herbert Carleton, failed to make repairs, so tenants were forced to move out and it stood without electricity and deteriorating for over 30 years, its only known tenant being the aforementioned Mr. Hudson, who lived on its less-damaged side.

This just in:  the Hennepin County Review (1932) includes this ad:

LEARN HAWAIIAN

through Scotty Hudson

GUARANTEED COURSE

Popular and Hawaiian Music

Price Reasonable

Taught by numbers the easy method

Home    St. Louis Park History    History Index    About the Society    Research Resources
Brookside Timeline    Something In The Water    The Re-Echo    Contact Us

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.