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, "that's what I meant.")  This story can't be right because by then the railroad was way past St. Louis Park. The railroad's first leg to "Sioux City Junction" (south of Shakopee) was inaugurated on November 25, 1871.  The book Milestones on the Prairie, recounting the history of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad, says:

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.

It seems that there was a deal, however, whereby the railroad would build a depot in the new village if it was named after the railroad.  Since the depot was built a year after the village was incorporated, this would be consistent. 

Here is a blurb from some publication:  "City founders linked the community name to the railroad because they believed the railroad would help transform this village of 45 families into a center of trade and industry."  We have seen no indication that anyone had such visions before T.B. Walker came along in 1890, albeit that was only four years later.

Another story is that the original intention to call the village St. Louis was quashed by the Post Office to avoid confusion with St. Louis, Missouri.  This theory has flaws because the Post Office here was called Elmwood.  A popular but probably incorrect theory is that the would-be village was known as Elmwood, but that was probably just the name of one of several disparate settlements that would eventually make up the village. 

So what was the area called before its incorporation?  Unincorporated Hennepin County? Richfield Township? Minneapolis Township? A little of each? Here are some relevant facts, some of which seem to contradict each other:

· Minnesota became a territory in 1849.

· 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.

· In 1853, a treaty between the Sioux and President Millard Fillmore gave clear title and possession of the land to the United States.  

· The Township of Minneapolis was subdivided in 1853 and recorded in 1854. 

· 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 had 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 what became part of St. Louis Park, designated as township 117, Range 21.

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

· Richfield Township was created in April 1858, and included parts of St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, Hopkins, Fort Snelling,and the MSP airport. The township covered 63 square miles. 

· Minnesota achieved statehood on May 11, 1858.

· 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, 1867, the two northern tiers of Richfield Township, which included St. Louis Park, were added to Minneapolis Township. [But this conflicts with the map that shows the SLP section south of Minnetonka Blvd. in Richfield Twp in 1874.]

· 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 south of Minnetonka Blvd.) 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.