HOW ST. LOUIS PARK GOT ITS NAME

The story of how St. Louis Park got its name from the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad is apocryphal at best. Legend has it that the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad had the intention of running to St. Louis, Missouri, but by 1886, when our Village was formed, it hadn't made it. In order to justify its name, the Railroad asked the Village to adopt the name St. Louis (as in, "I meant to do that").

The Post Office reminded the Village that St. Louis was already taken and it would be too confusing, so they settled on St. Louis Park and in exchange the railroad promised to build the "park" in St. Louis Park as well as a depot. That park was variously known as Bandstand Park and Central Park, and was very important to the Village as a gathering place for many years. It is still there, now called Jorvig Park. The M&SL depot, which was built some time in or before 1886, is gone, but the Milwaukee Road depot stands in Jorvig Park.

The problem with this story is that and made.  This was quite a bit before St. Louis Park's incorporation in 1886.

The problem with this story is that St. Louis Park was never the terminus of the railroad. The railroad's first leg to "Sioux City Junction" (south of Shakopee) was inaugurated on November 25, 1871.

The last spike of the single-track Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was driven in November 1871, and officials took an inspection tour 12 days before the line opened to passenger service. The line ran east-west through present-day St. Louis Park to Lake Minnetonka. The railroad was built to get a route east avoiding Chicago via St. Louis, to tap Iowa coal fields, to send lumber south and to get wheat to Minneapolis. The line has its eastern terminal in Minneapolis and extends south. It made it to Albert Lea in 1877, after hard times in the Panic of 1873. Eventually it merged with the Iowa Central and got as far south as Peoria. Its slogan, "The Peoria Gateway," emphasizes that it really was still trying to be an alternative to Chicago for eastbound traffic. Now the Chicago Northwestern , the line runs parallel to and south of Highway 7. Parallel and north of this track was the Milwaukee Road.

So we can see that the railroad was well past St. Louis Park in 1886.  Why it would our little burg to be named after it is still a mystery.

There is also some controversy as to what the future village was called before the railroad got involved, before incorporation. Some say it was known as Elmwood, but we’re pretty sure that that was only the name of the Post Office. We’re not sure what the area was called – unincorporated Hennepin County? Richfield Township? West Minneapolis? Minneapolis Township? A little of each? Here are some relevant facts, some of which seem to contradict each other:

· On March 6, 1852, the Territorial Legislature granted permission to formally establish the boundaries of Hennepin County. Previously, the area had been in Dakota County.

· The 15-section area that includes present-day St. Louis Park was surveyed in 1854 in anticipation of opening it up to private ownership. Although settlers couldn't buy property there before this happened, they staked their claims in anticipation of the survey.  Surveyors noted that most if not all of Richfield Township had already been claimed, and some improved.

· On May 16, 1855, 15 sections of Hennepin County were subdivided into present-day St. Louis Park, designated as township 117, Range 21.

· Minnesota achieved statehood on May 11, 1858.

· The Board of County Commissioners established Minneapolis Township (not the city of Minneapolis) on April 10, 1858. [Present-day Park was located within this very large area.]

Richfield Township was created in April 1858, and included St. Louis Park, parts of Minneapolis, Hopkins, and Fort Snelling, Edina, and the MSP airport. A map from 1874 confirms that the area that would become St. Louis Park was in Richfield Township. The township covered 63 square miles.

· The State Legislature first gave the name of Brighton to the area outside the Minneapolis city limits, but in response to objections, the name Minneapolis Township was restored on March 7, 1867. Also on March 7, the two northern tiers of Richfield Township, which included St. Louis Park, were added to Minneapolis Township.

· The St. Louis Park Land and Improvement Co. was incorporated in 1886. Incorporation papers list five men from Minneapolis and O.K. Earle and Joseph Hamilton (who lived in present-day SLP) from Minneapolis Township.

· St. Louis Park was incorporated as a village in December 1886.

In February 2008, the City officially adopted the slogan "Experience Life in the Park."  This was the first time that "the Park" had been used by the City government.  The slogan was developed with the help of consultant Periscope.

*St. Louis Park was named for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad, and the railroad was named for the City of St. Louis, but who was the City of St. Louis named for?  Wikipedia says it was Louis IX of France, who lived from 1215 to 1270.  He served as King of France from 1226 (crowned at age 11) until his death.  He married a sister of the wife of Henry III of England in 1234.  They had 11 children. He was apparently known for his piety and kindness towards the poor.  He went on crusades which were miserable failures, but they weren't held against him. 

When he died, much mischief was done to his body, and only one finger remained.  Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297.  Louis is the only French monarch to be made a saint. There is a portrait of St. Louis in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. This one was painted by El Greco.

St. Louis is the patron saint of France and hairdressers, among others.

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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.