AGENDA
PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION and HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 7:00 P.M. via TEAMS
PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Patrice Erickson, Vice Chair; Cecilia Cervantes, Kim Harris, Tom Poul, Ken Ross, Shanti Shah, Kirk Spresser
HP COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson, Chair; Tara Kalar, Vice Chair; Rod Fisher, Valerie Ross, Pamela Spera, Paul Thorp
PRNR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Jake Freeland, John Hartle, Jessica Hovde, Garen McDowell, Ishan Nadkarni, Tommy Pan, Tanay Salunke
HP STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Sarthak Agrawal, Finn Bloch, Anna Patten, Devyn Stanton, Aarav Subbaiah
CITY STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Parks & Recreation Director Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Matt Bourne, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Manager Beth Novak-Krebs, Senior Planner
RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske
I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
II. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES – January 4, 2021
III. APPROVAL OF HPC MINUTES – January 11, 2021
IV. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION
A. MAC Garden Lease
B. Agreement with ISG for Riley Playground
V. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION
VI. NEW BUSINESS
A. Historical Properties Update (Matt)
B. Feldmann Family Interpretive Sign (Matt)
C. Flying Red Horse Status (Jay)
D. Staring Building Signs (Jay)
E. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Preservation Plan (Beth/Paul)
F. Replacing roof at Cummins-Phipps-Grill House (Beth)
VII. OLD BUSINESS
A. Covid-19 Programs and Facilities Update
VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION & STAFF
A. Parks & Recreation & Historical Experiences Share your experiences of past events, park/building visits, news articles, etc.
B. Recreation Services Manager No Report
C. Community Center Manager No Report
D. Parks and Natural Resources Manager No Report
E. Parks and Recreation Director 1. PRNR Work Plan
IX. NEXT MEETING
Next PRNR Meeting – Monday, March 1 at 7 p.m. via Teams Next HPC Meeting – Monday, March 15 at 7 p.m. virtual meeting
X. ADJOURNMENT
UNAPPROVED MINUTES
PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021 7:00 P.M. via TEAMS
PRNR COMMISSION MEMBERS: Larry Link, Chair; Patrice Erickson, Vice Chair; Cecilia Cervantes, Kim Harris, Tom Poul, Ken Ross, Shanti Shah, Kirk Spresser
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Jake Freeland, John Hartle, Jessica Hovde, Garen McDowell, Ishan Nadkarni, Tommy Pan, Tanay Salunke
CITY STAFF: Jay Lotthammer, Parks and Recreation Director Lori Brink, Recreation Manager Matt Bourne, Parks and Natural Resources Manager Valerie Verley, Community Center Manager
RECORDING SECRETARY: Jodie Fenske
Chair Link called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. All Commission members and Staff members were present. Student Representatives Nadkarni and Hartle were absent.
I. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion: Cervantes moved, seconded by Erickson, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 8-0.
II. APPROVAL OF PRNR MINUTES
Motion: Cervantes moved, seconded by Poul, to approve the December 7, 2020 minutes as presented. Motion carried 8-0.
III. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Lotthammer reported no City Council meetings have been held recently.
IV. REPORT OF PLANNING COMMISSION
Bourne reported no PRNR-related topics were discussed at the December Planning Commission meeting.
V. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, AND COMMUNICATION
VI. NEW BUSINESS
PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 2
VII. OLD BUSINESS
A. COVID-19 PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES UPDATE
Lotthammer stated the current Governor’s order runs through January 10, except for youth sports practices, which were allowed to start today. He expects the Governor will issue a new order this coming week which will likely relax restrictions starting January 11.
Bourne stated COVID-19 restrictions have not had much effect on the Parks and Natural Resources area since last month. With the recent snowfall, staff has been busy plowing streets and trails, grooming sledding hills, and flooding outdoor ice rinks to encourage large numbers of people to recreate outside.
Brink reported although the skating rinks have been open, the Governor’s Executive Order required warming houses to remain closed. Therefore, staff who would have been working the warming houses have been floating to various outdoor locations to monitor for safety and ensure users are social distancing.
In lieu of classes taking place at the Art Center, staff prepared take-home kits with instructions online or within the kit. More than 80 children participated in the take- home “classes.”
When the latest restrictions were put into place, registration had already started for an astronomy class at the Outdoor Center to view the “Christmas Star.” The decision was made to allow registered participants to view the astronomical event by household, rather than in a large group.
A program called Snowtime Saturdays will begin Saturday, January 9, and run each Saturday through February, weather permitting. Equipment will be made available, at no cost, to registrants at the Outdoor Center for households to try ice fishing, snowshoeing, kick-sledding, and cross-country skiing. Staff will be onsite to facilitate equipment check-out, fitting, and sanitizing, as well as to assist as needed. Volunteers from Let’s Go Fishing will assist with ice fishing.
Brink mentioned registrations filled quickly. Shah inquired if there is a way to reach more households. Brink explained if the next Executive Order allows for more than three households at a time, the program will be offered for extended times and possibly expanded to include Sundays. Free equipment will be available for check-out at Staring Lake Park once warming houses are allowed to open. The equipment (ice skates and snowshoes) will be checked out for use only within the park.
Spresser commended Brink for the creative solutions and offering these opportunities to residents to enjoy outdoor activities in the winter.
PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 3
Verley reported the Community Center reopened on December 19 per the Governor’s Order. The 25 percent capacity allowed basically only the fitness floor to open. However, as of January 4, more amenities were allowed to be offered at limited capacity. The additional amenities include lap swimming, fitness classes, open skate, hockey rental, open gym, and indoor pickleball. Since these options are mainly available by online registration, it allows staff to track users in the building for measuring capacity and contract tracing.
A new restriction with the latest Order mandates twelve feet (versus the standard six feet) of social distancing on the fitness floor and in classes. Every fourth piece of fitness equipment is available (versus every other piece previously) and classes are held in the gymnasium rather than studios to allow for further distancing. Another new restriction with the latest Order mandates masks be worn at all times within the Community Center. Instructors and participants must wear masks during classes. A reservation system was mandated for treadmills, not just for classes as in the past, and restrictions were mandated for the shower area. Verley stated even with these additional restrictions, accommodations were made to remain in full compliance.
Verley requested Commission feedback regarding billing for January membership fees. Due to the timing of the most recent Executive Order, and capacities being limited, no charges were billed for January 1 through January 10. A decision needs to be made and communicated to members regarding charges for the remainder of January. Considerations include health insurance reimbursements, many members still fairly engaged and planning to use the facility, open hours are near pre-pandemic availability. Options discussed include charging 50 percent of membership dues, charging starting Monday, January 11 at 67 percent, and charging nothing for January since the billing date has passed.
Commission members and student representatives provided feedback. Spresser suggested pricing be different depending on if the twelve-foot versus six-foot distancing remains. He also suggested charging per visit. Student Representative Salunke suggested a 50 percent membership would be more fair than 67 percent since wait times are longer with the twelve-foot distancing. Ross inquired if the billing system had the capability to charge by use. Verley responded it would be a new process to figure out, but it could be accomplished since it would be a similar model to charging non-members a daily fee. She added an advantage to the per-use charge would be that all users would need to check-in at the front desk which would allow for contact tracing and capacity measuring.
Erickson inquired what percentage of the twelve hundred remaining members are currently using the facility. Verley was unsure but would advise at the next meeting. Spresser suggested not charging members a set percentage until they made their first visit to the facility for the month.
PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 4
Lotthammer reminded the group members have not been charged in six weeks. Staff is weighing many considerations including what is the right thing to do and what works administratively. He added new members are inquiring as comfort levels increase, although not at the usual volume of previous years. Verley added the mask mandate at all times seems to be the major deterrent for users at this time. Lotthammer invited Commission members and student representatives to email or call with ideas in the next few days. Verley thanked the group for their feedback
VIII. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF
A. PARKS AND RECREATION EXPERIENCES
Commission members and staff shared recent parks and recreation personal experiences.
Link commented on all the park users he witnessed ice skating, sledding, cross country skiing, biking, hiking, and ice fishing while he biked through Staring Lake and Purgatory Creek Parks last Sunday. He commended Bourne and staff on keeping the trails open, particularly when the plows cover them with snow.
Student Representative Salunke commented Community Center staff has been particularly helpful and friendly, especially when the weight room gets backed up and staff moves them along so everyone gets to use the equipment.
B. RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER
C. COMMUNITY CENTER MANAGER
D. PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGER
1. Deer Management Plan.
Bourne provided a history of the City’s Deer Management Plan and how it has evolved since its inception. A citizen task force was created in 1993 as a committee consisting of residents and City staff, with input from DNR staff and animal rights group members. The committee looked at major factors influencing deer population, including traffic safety, landscape and property damage, public health (Lyme Disease), artificial feeding, and lethal vs non-lethal abatement. After seven months of meetings and discussions, the committee presented a formal deer study report to the City Council with recommendations to create a formal Deer Management Plan and hiring a contractor to perform deer removal in certain areas of the City.
A relatively recent update to the Plan includes Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer. CWD is found in roughly half the states in the U.S. but still relatively rare in Minnesota. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 5
Artificial feeding of deer is a major concern since CWD is spread through deer saliva. Hennepin County is now under a DNR Feeding Ban after cases of CWD were found in the southeast metro area.
In accordance with Department of Natural Resources (DNR) guidelines, a goal of the City’s Deer Management Plan is to maintain 20-25 deer per square mile of natural habitat. The total natural habitat in Eden Prairie is approximately eight square miles, a majority of which is publicly owned land of conservation areas and parks. In conjunction with nearby cities, Eden Prairie has entered into agreements with the Wildlife Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) since 2016 for annual removal of deer. Staff works closely with the (DNR) and the Eden Prairie Police Department to ensure adherence to the annual safety plan prior to, during, and just after the removals are taking place. All deer removed are donated to local food shelves and families in need.
The Department tracks the number and locations of resident deer complaints and vehicle-deer collisions within the City. In addition, annual aerial surveys are performed in partnership with Three Rivers Park District. Bourne reviewed the 2018 and 2019 deer survey and removal statistics. An aerial survey taken on January 30, 2018 found 227 deer. Twenty-nine deer were subsequently removed in the winter of 2018-19. An aerial survey taken on March 7, 2019 found 242 deer. Thirty-four deer were subsequently removed in the winter of 2019-20.
The most recent survey taken on January 21, 2020 found 260 deer. The plan is to remove a few more deer than last year to return to comfortable maintenance levels.
Ross inquired and Bourne responded larger does and older females are taken before bucks. He reiterated artificial feeding is an issue and Ross inquired if the City has an anti-feeding ordinance. Bourne responded the harmful side effects of feeding are publicized rather than instituting a ban. Erickson inquired and Bourne responded he receives approximately forty calls per year from residents regarding deer nuisance complaints. Each November social media posts and newspaper articles publicize the deer removal process will be taking place.
Poul inquired if wildlife management is performed for other animals, specifically turkeys. Bourne responded the USDA performs removals for the City based on a complaint basis. Link inquired if the maintenance number of 225 deer could be lowered for easier management. Bourne explained the number is used as more of a gauge for trends rather than an exact science.
PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 6
Bourne reiterated partnerships with the USDA, Three Rivers Park District, DNR, and neighboring cities have positively affected the success of the Deer Management Plan.
2. Riley Lake Play Area.
Bourne displayed preliminary plans prepared by ISG Inc., a landscape architecture firm hired by the City, for the next phase of the Riley Lake Park. The boat launch and beach areas were upgraded in the past few years and the proposed new plans will continue to tie together all areas of the Park, specifically the playground and pavilion areas.
The playground at Riley Lake Park was already scheduled for replacement due to its age, condition, and accessibility compliance. ISG was hired to assist staff in designing the new playground and extended area to improve circulation, add more of the popular amenities from the first phase, and to continue with the Northwoods feel of the Park.
After the first brainstorming session, ISG presented three concepts: a nature and lake theme, a resort theme, and a Northwoods cabin theme. Features of the different concepts included a buffer from the parking lot, an outdoor kitchen, added lawn games, separated play areas, another open-air pavilion, seating areas, etc. After staff reviewed and discussed the pros and cons of the different concepts and amenities with ISG, they returned with a preferred concept sketch, which Bourne displayed for Commission feedback.
The preferred concept reduces the size of the play container slightly. The playground is not a main draw for visitors to this park as there are many other amenities. Reducing the size slightly allows for additional seating with shade structures. Features of the preferred concept include another paved plaza with lighting and seating and an outdoor kitchen area to showcase the pavilion which is popular for rentals.
Additional features include keeping the open lawn area, more seating with umbrellas and Adirondack chairs, an elevated deck platform with lounge chairs, a limestone seat wall, shade structure with picnic tables, bike racks, and hammock posts.
Bourne continued his presentation by displaying inspirational photos of catenary lights, an elevated deck, paved patio pockets, nature-themed play structures, limestone retaining/seating wall, outdoor grills, furnishings, and a plantings palette.
Bourne reiterated the presentation is just a concept at this point and requested feedback from the group as park users and commission members. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 7
Link inquired and Bourne responded the distance from the play area to the pavilion is now approximately 25 feet and will be increased to approximately 100 feet. He added the current playground is fenced and the proposed playground will not be fenced but will have seating and other barriers instead. Link inquired if the playground could be closer to the pavilion and Bourne responded the sightline will still be available and it’s also important for the playground to be close for the beach users.
Spresser commented he likes the up-north feel of Riley Lake Park and that each City park has its own personality. He suggested as many Adirondack chairs or other seating as possible, as well as ensuring there are enough changing stations for increased usage in the future.
Ross inquired and Bourne responded the playground will be slightly closer to the volleyball courts but still far enough away for the noise not to be an issue. Poul commended the design work and the preferred concept options. He believes the changes will be well received and heavily utilized. Brink suggested easy access for the City’s food truck be included in the plans.
Link suggested an intentional path from the parking lot to the beach rather than users cutting through the landscaping. Bourne commented planned landscaping will provide a good buffer between the playground area and the parking lot. In addition, landscaping and seating areas will be used to keep children from darting out in front of bikes coming off the LRT Trail. Link and Bourne discussed the possibility of different colored pavers or sharp turns to reduce the speed of bikers coming through the Park.
Ross concurred with accessibility for the food truck, and suggested more direct access from the parking lot to the beach/boat access area to prevent users from parking cars in the boat parking lot.
Bourne thanked the group for its feedback and will relay the input to the consultants. Final plans will be brought back to the Commission prior to construction. Bourne estimates the plans will be finalized soon so bids can be accepted in spring and construction completed by late fall. Spresser suggested timing construction so the park can be used all summer.
E. PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR
1. Parks and Recreation Department Work Plan.
Lotthammer shared the 2020-21 Parks and Recreation Work Plan that will be presented to the Council on January 19 at 5:00 p.m. A Microsoft Teams notice will be sent to all PRNR Commission members. The presentation will also be shared with other Departments, City managers, and all City employees. A final document will eventually be published online. PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 8
The Department’s goals are set in conjunction with the City Council’s goals: to promote community well-being and safety; to provide high- quality, efficient services; to preserve and beautify the environment; to create a sense of community; and to execute innovative and sustainable practices.
Community well-being and safety will be preserved through expanding adaptive swim programs, continuing virtual fitness memberships created during COVID-19, continuing the free Fitness in the Parks program, upgrading and creating new trails and sidewalks, creating additional small sledding hills and snowshoe trails, and expanding outdoor fitness and recreation opportunities.
High-quality and efficient services will be provided by again hiring a summer marketing intern, continuing use of outdoor display signs, publicizing social media marketing and contests, producing alternative language materials and platforms, originating text notifications for programs, expanding room and building rentals, creating an improved online registration user experience, creating additional virtual programs, online classes, and discussion groups (especially for seniors), installing keyless park building door access, and offering free Wi-Fi in parks.
Preserving and beautifying the environment will be accomplished by further designing the Community Center plaza as a gathering space, continuing to infuse public art throughout the community, planning for art at Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) station platforms, maintaining a webpage featuring public art, including art projects at community events, expanding native plant areas, restoring areas with invasive species, and continuing tree treatment, removal, and replacement.
Continuing to instill a sense of community will be accomplished by developing a Welcome Back campaign, hosting sensory-friendly pool events, expanding cultures represented at PeopleFest, continuing to offer free Citywide events, expanding pop-up events in neighborhood parks, installing a splash pad at Nesbitt Preserve Park, installing additional park features, hosting a grand reopening of the Staring Lake Park building, creating additional event space, ensuring inclusive practices in program design, communication, and delivery, reaching new customers, removing barriers, evaluating and improving Senior Center spaces, researching emerging sports trends, expanding staff recruitment strategies to diversify the City’s workforce, and supporting youth development through mentorships and internships.
Innovative and sustainable practices will be ensured by monthly reviews of Community Center operations, maintenance, and expenses and periodic PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MINUTES January 4, 2021 Page 9
reviews of Community Center and Senior Center processes and traffic flows.
Cervantes commended Lotthammer and staff on the excellent work plan and incorporating Council expectations. She commended past efforts of including opportunities for the City’s diverse community members and inquired if there were plans to expand or at least research activities and sports for additional cultures. Lotthammer responded current efforts include engaging existing contacts to assist in expanding involvement within their culture. Future efforts will include surveys to diverse community members to determine their interests.
2. PRNR Work Plan.
Lotthammer shared the 2021 work plan, noting topics will be added as the year progresses. The February meeting will be a joint meeting with the Heritage Preservation Commission. Topics will include historic properties, the Feldmann sign, the Flying Red Horse sign, Staring Lake Building signs, and the Yorkville-Bloomington Road Preservation Plan.
IX. NEXT MEETING
The next PRNR Commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 1, at 7 p.m. via TEAMS. It will be a joint meeting with the Heritage Preservation Commission.
X. ADJOURNMENT
Motion: Erickson moved, seconded by Poul, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 8-0. Chair Link adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m.
UNAPPROVED MINUTES
EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION
TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2021 7:00 P.M. (Virtual Meeting) 8080 MITCHELL RD
HPC COMMISSION MEMBERS: Steve Olson-Chair; Tara Kalar-Vice Chair; Pamela Spera; Valerie Ross; Paul Thorp; Rod Fisher
COMMISSION STAFF: Beth Novak-Krebs, Staff Liaison Kristin Harley, Recording Secretary
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES Devyn Stanton, Aarav Subbaiah, Anna Patten, Finn Bloch, Maia Chevez, Sarthak Agrawal
I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Chair Olson called the meeting to order at 7:13 p.m. Absent was commission member Kalar and Spera.
II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
MOTION: Fisher moved, seconded by Ross to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0.
III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION: Due to technical difficulties the minutes from the December 21, 2020 meeting will be considered for approval at the March meeting.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
A. 2020 ANNUAL REPORT AND 2021 WORK PLAN (NOVAK-KREBS)
Novak-Krebs explained the changes she had made to the Work Plan, as suggested by the commission members. It and the accomplishments would be presented by her and Olson at the City Council Workshop on February 2, 2021. Ross asked if there would be further discussion of the Flying Red Horse. Novak-Krebs replied there would be an update at next month’s joint meeting with Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. The commission members agreed on this final draft of the Work Plan for 2021. Novak-Krebs offered to find out how the other commission members could attend the Council Workshop virtually.
EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 11, 2021 Page 2
B. PRESENTATION OF NEW COMMISSIONER TRAINING CURRICULUM (NOVAK-KREBS)
Novak-Krebs displayed a PowerPoint and explained the curriculum. In the organizational chart the HPC would work with the Facilities Department. The slide explained the relationships among the City Council and departments. She gave a short history of the commission, its structure, commissioner terms, and meeting structure. She reiterated the rules of quorum and minutes, and added meetings were run by Robert’s Rules of Order. She explained the motion and voting processes. Motions could be amended, and she explained this procedure. Novak-Krebs went over the ethics rules, which would be explained to new members by the City Attorney during orientation.
She displayed the timeline of local preservation. Eden Prairie adopted a Heritage Preservation Ordinance in 2010. This also established the processes for the approval of Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), and the criteria and process for approving one. She explained the designation process of a heritage preservation site and the nine criteria to evaluate a COA. She explained the National Register of Historic Places, Cultural Resources Survey Sites, and locally designated heritage preservation sites. Eden Prairie had two sites on the National Register, the Cummins Phipps Grill House and the Glen Lake Children’s Camp. Ten sites were locally designated. The curriculum concluded with an overview of HPC work tasks and resources for commission members.
Fisher asked to include information on the roles of consultants at various stages. Olson stated this was a nice complement to the Statewide training but noted almost all properties were owned by a government entity. To his understanding private entities did not need to produce similar paperwork. Stanton asked to include some of the properties Eden Prairie has lost, including, Anderson Frame School, the Good Farmstead, the Dorn Homestead, the Krueger Farmstead and the Goodrich Farmhouse. He also suggested constructing markers for sites that have been lost. Olson suggested he develop this idea and bring it to the next meeting. Thorp stated he found the Minnesota Individual Property Evaluation Form and offered to work with Stanton. Olson did not remember having a COA about properties that were lost in Stanton’s list.
Fisher asked a link to the SHPO training manual. Olson suggested he would find it on the Stillwater, Minnesota website (https://mn.gov/admin/assets/00_Minnesota_StatewideTrainingProgram_Manual_BO OK_Final_web%281%29_tcm36-371994.pdf). Ross asked for and received confirmation this was the manual former staff Lori Creamer had gone through with the commission at an earlier date.
V. OLD BUSINESS
EDEN PRAIRIE HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION January 11, 2021 Page 3
A. STUDENT ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATION (FINN & AARAV)
Subbaiah gave his presentation on the Prince application. Fisher asked for and received confirmation the application for Prince’s Paisley Park was submitted.
VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION AND STAFF
VII. REPORTS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY
VIII. FYI ITEMS
Fisher asked if the commission had done anything with the Watershed District. It came out with a website devoted to the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek District’s history and he thought this was a potential resource for a partnership with the HPC.
IX NEXT MEETING
The next HPC meeting will be held on Monday, February 1, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. online.
X. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION: The commission members agreed to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:08 p.m.
CULTURAL LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE Yorkville and Bloomington Road
James A. Brown Conservation Area
Eden Prairie, Hennepin County Minnesota
PREPARED FOR THE City of Eden Prairie
SUBMITTED BY John S. Gertz 2020 This page intentionally left blank
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CULTURAL LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PLAN For The
Yorkville and Bloomington Road James A. Brown Conservation Area Eden Prairie, Hennepin County Minnesota
Prepared For
City of Eden Prairie 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Submitted By
John S. Gertz 1933 Birch Street White Bear Lake, Minnesota 55110
With contributions by Paul Thorp, Surveyor, HPC member; Robert C. Vogel, Pathfinder CRM, LLC. Jeff Cordes, retired City of Eden Prairie Forestry Technician
2020
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Table of Contents
List of Figures ...... 4 1. Introduction and Acknowledgements ...... 5 2. Project Location ...... 5 3. Project Background ...... 5 4. Sources and Methodology ...... 6 5. Management Purpose ...... 6 6. Performance Standards for Historic Preservation Projects...... 7 7. Broad Policy Goals ...... 8 8. How to Use This Plan ...... 8 9. Recommended Best Management Practices ...... 9 10. Treatment Approach ...... 13 11. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Historical Context ...... 14 12. Environmental Context ...... 18 13. Floodplain Forest ...... 22 13.1 Floodplain Trees ...... 22 13.2 Terrace Trees ...... 22 13.3 Understory and Ground Species ...... 22 14. Oak Savanna ...... 23 14.1 Trees ...... 23 14.2 Understory and Ground Species ...... 23 15. The Big Woods ...... 23 15.1 Trees ...... 24 15.2 Understory and Ground Species ...... 24 16. Invasive Species ...... 25
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17. Red River Trails ...... 26 18. Interpretive Planning ...... 31 19. Glossary ...... 38 20. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Preservation Site Boundary ...... 39 21. References ...... 41 22. Additional Recommendations ...... 44
List of Figures
Fig. 1. Road grading near Frederick-Miller Spring, undated photo, Eden Prairie Historical Society…………14 Fig. 2. Pull behind road grader, Historical Construction Equipment Association…………………………………….14 Fig. 3. Corduroy road construction unearthed at Frederick-Miller Spring, photo, John Gertz…………...... 16 Fig. 4. LiDAR imagery of James A. Brown Conservation Area, MN DNR………………………………………………….17 Fig. 5. Minnesota pre-settlement vegetation biomes map, MN DNR……………………………………………………..18 Fig. 6. Floodplain forest, Photo, MN DNR……………………………………………………………………………………..……….22 Fig. 7. Prairie opening on Eden Prairie bluffs, photo, John Gertz……………………………………………………………23 Fig. 8. Big Woods, photo, MN DNR………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24 Fig.9. Invasive honeysuckle, photo, MN DNR…………………………………………………………………………………………25 Fig. 10. Invasive buckthorn, photo, John Gertz.……………………………………………………………………………………..26 Fig. 11. 1855 General Land Office Survey map of Eden Prairie, Bureau of Land Management.………………26 Fig. 12. Oxcart train, photo, Minnesota Historical Society……………………………………………………………………..28 Fig. 13. Bloomington Ferry, 1892, photo, Bloomington Historical Society……………………………………………..29 Fig. 14. Oxcart plans, Manitoba Historical Society…………………………………………………………………………………30 Fig. 15. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Preservation Site boundary map, John Gertz…………..40 Fig. 16. 1864 Plat Yorkville and Bloomington Road map, Paul Thorp……………………………………………………..40 Fig. 17. Eden Prairie legacy oak, James A. Brown Conservation Area, photo, John Gertz……………………….45
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1. Introduction and Acknowledgements
In 2020, the City of Eden Prairie hired John S. Gertz to prepare a Cultural Landscape Management Plan for the Yorkville and Bloomington Road heritage site. Mr. Gertz also received contributions from Robert C. Vogel, who is familiar with the site and adjacent area having completed survey and archaeological work on Hennepin Townsite in 1994, and a survey of the Minnesota Valley Road (Yorkville and Bloomington Road), Hennepin Townsite and Schlampp segments, respectively. Paul Thorp, Heritage Preservation Commission member and professional surveyor, also contributed. Mr. Thorp produced the Yorkville and Bloomington Road boundary verbal description included in this document. Jeff Cordes, retired City of Eden Prairie Forestry Technician contribute valuable expertise on the site’s vegetation. This was especially helpful in evaluating the current condition of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road, and determining rehabilitation recommendations for the heritage site.
It should be noted that the terminology, historic site, heritage resource, and historic property are used interchangeably. Moreover, some items in the report have been Bolded, to provide quick reference to important points, and items of general interest have been added in text boxes.
This report has the following objectives:
• Development of appropriate guidelines and tools to inform site management decisions. • Evaluate the current condition of the roadway for integrity issues. • Recommend steps that can be implemented to preserve and enhance the sites integrity. • Provide a written description and heritage site boundary to delineate the area preserved as a local Heritage Preservation Site.
2. Project Location
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road segment lies entirely within the 76.7-acre James A. Brown Conservation Area (Sections 35 to 36 of Township 116 North, Range 22 West), which is owned by the City of Eden Prairie. The roadway passes through the conservation area for an approximate 1, 200 lineal feet. The roadbed is located about mid-way up the bluff in this location, at approximately 730-740 feet above sea level (ASL). The Minnesota River below is roughly 690-700 feet ASL.
Vegetation cover today is quite different than it was in 1864, when the road was constructed. The roadway alignment today is heavily overgrown with both native and invasive vegetation. This current danger to native species is of concern and is addressed in this plan.
3. Project Background
Despite its relatively short course through the James A. Brown Conservation Area, the roadway and nearby cultural resources have gained the attention of the City and other agencies with a vested interest in the historical resources associated with the Minnesota River Valley. Prior survey work in proximity to the roadway include the Hennepin Townsite, plated in 1854 (Pathfinder CRM); Murphy’s Ferry;
5 archaeological survey at Hennepin Townsite (Bear Creek Archaeology); and most recently a literature search and Phase 1 archeological survey of the roadway and associated features (Two Pines Group, LLC.); and local designation documentation for the Yorkville and Bloomington Road (MacDonald & Mack).
Though not the primary focus of this plan, it is of note that past Eden Prairie history projects have referred to an association between the Yorkville and Bloomington Road and the Red River Oxcart Trails. Specifically, the so-called North Route, which began by crossing the river at Murphy’s Ferry, and traveled on the north side of the river destined for Fort Snelling. While no primary source of information has been found to validate this, it is possible a route of some type was previously present along the river bottom terrace and bluff. Other nearby river crossings were located at Shakopee and Bloomington during the time of oxcart transport. More on this interesting possibility is provided in Section 17: Red River Trails.
4. Sources and Methodology
Background research for this project includes the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), which possesses the John R. Cummins Diaries and Papers, 1834-1921, and Works Projects Administration, Minnesota, Red River Trail Maps (MHS). Scott County and Carver County Historical Society collections include multiple county histories, many with early settlement and development histories of Shakopee, Murphy’s Ferry, and associated interests, as well as early accounts of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road. Aerial photography studied for this project is located at the University of Minnesota, John R. Borchert Map Library. The original Eden Prairie survey plat information came from the U. S. Department of The Interior, Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) was useful in providing information about the state’s biological regions and native plant studies and LiDAR imagery.
Field work was conducted in September and October and included walking the road. Despite the overgrown vegetation along the road, it was photographed. The roadbed as constructed is visible, and clearly retains a visible presence, and other than the overgrown condition, conveys a sense of the original character. Vegetation was noted, including mature native tree species, and non-native invasive species. Some erosion and infill have occurred and was noted. Nearby historic features associated with the Hennepin Townsite were also noted during the field work.
5. Management Purpose
The purpose of this plan is to provide guidance, options and tools that can be used to inform site management decisions. This plan presents heritage preservation standards and guidelines for use by City officials and staff, outside agencies, property owners, and citizens, and all others responsible for site maintenance and potential future use. The plan describes a heritage resource management approach.
It is important to note the site management plan has no regulatory authority in and of itself, however, certain types of activities may require review and approval by the City and Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). More details are found in Section 8: How to Use This Plan.
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The plan discusses issues and management practices unique to the Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Preservation Site. In addition, the plan includes specific recommendations (protocols), for certain types of activities.
The primary goal of heritage site management planning is to engage and educate City decision makers on matters relating to the stewardship of heritage preservation resources, to provide philosophical consistency and integrate preservation with other property management objectives, and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of site operations. Good heritage resource management is inherently sustainable. It is also important to note that all decisions regarding the planning and execution of plans be guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes. Also, it is recommended that decision makers consider the information in The Secretary of The Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings. These Standards all offer something of use to managers, City staff, maintenance personnel and contractors who might be called upon to undertake planning or work projects on the Yorkville and Bloomington Road. More information on the Standards can be found in Section 10: Treatment Approach and Section 21: References. 6. Performance Standards for Historic Preservation Projects
The following standards mirror the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and are adopted by Ordinance in City Code Chapter 11.05, Heritage Preservation Sites. These standards are the basis for evaluating all proposed work that has the potential to impact a Heritage Preservation Site and subsequent approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).
• Every reasonable effort shall be made to provide a compatible use for a property which requires minimal alteration of the building, structure, or site and its environment, or to use a property for its originally intended use. • The distinguishing original qualities or character of a building, structure or site and its environment shall not be destroyed. The removal or alteration of any historic material or distinctive features should be avoided when possible. • All buildings, structures and sites shall be recognized as products of their own time. Alterations that have no historical basis and which seek to create an earlier appearance shall be discouraged. • Changes which have taken place in the course of time are evidence of the history and development of a building, structure or site and its environment. These changes may have acquired significance in their own right, and its significance shall be recognized and respected. • Distinctive stylistic features or examples of skilled craftsmanship which characterize a building, structure, or site shall be treated with sensitivity. • Deteriorated architectural features shall be repaired rather than replaced, whenever possible. In the event replacement is necessary, the new material should match the material being replaced in composition, design, color, texture, and other visual qualities. Repair or replacement of missing architectural features should be based on accurate duplications of features, substantiated by historic, physical, or pictorial evidence rather than conjectural designs or the availability of different architectural elements from other buildings or structures.
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• The surface cleaning of structures shall be undertaken with gentlest means possible. Sandblasting and other cleaning methods that will damage historic building materials shall not be undertaken. • Every reasonable effort shall be made to protect and preserve archeological resources affected by, or adjacent to, any acquisition, stabilization, preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction project. • The Commission and Council shall also consider, when appropriate, the Secretary of the Interior’s Specific Standards for Preservation Projects
Archaeology needs mention here, as it is often overlooked in preservation planning. The Yorkville and Bloomington Road was in use for nearly 30 years, and probably saw some continued use beyond its abandonment in 1892. During that time, it is not unreasonable to assume items associated with road building, maintenance, and transport were lost or discarded. It is also possible that Native American burials exist within the road corridor or near it. Familiarity with state laws concerning archaeology is important. Be aware that the following statutes govern all undertakings concerning archaeology:
Field Archaeology Act (MS 138.31 – 138.42) Directs state agencies to consult with the Minnesota Historical Society if projects they undertake will impact potential archaeology sites. A requirement for all sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Private Cemeteries Act (MS 307.08) Directs state agencies to cooperate with the Office of The State Archaeologist (OSA) and Indian Affairs Council when known or suspected burial grounds may be affected by proposed activities. This act also requires agencies to submit construction and development plans to the OSA for review when human remains are known or suspected to exist in the project area. There are felony and misdemeanor penalty provisions under this statute. 7. Broad Policy Goals
The City of Eden Prairie has adopted the following broad policy goals with respect to the Heritage Preservation Site program:
• Safeguard the heritage of the City by preserving sites and structures which reflect significant elements of the City’s cultural, social, economic, political, visual, or architectural history. • Promote the preservation and continued use of historic sites and structures for the educational and general welfare of the people of the City. • Foster civic pride in the beauty and notable accomplishments of the past. 8. How to Use This Plan
This document is intended to be used by City officials and staff, outside agencies, property owners, and citizens, and all others responsible for site maintenance and potential future use. Some of the recommendations are general rules, some applicable to specific types of site activities. In most cases, decision makers will need to consider a combination of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to determine the best approach to a specific management issue. In most historic preservation projects, at least some repair or alteration of a heritage resource will be required.
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By ordinance, certain kinds of site-level activities could require a COA. COAs ensure that important heritage preservation resources are not adversely impacted by projects involving demolition, exterior alteration, relocation of structures, new construction, or excavation. No work involving the above- mentioned impacts to any Heritage Preservation Site is permitted without a COA and City Council approval. All COAs are reviewed by the Heritage Preservation Commission, which is required to base its review decisions on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The management plan incorporates many of the concepts embodied in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, but the BMPs are not intended to be the authoritative guide for COA decisions. Managers should be aware that compliance with the permit application process and issuance of a COA is required for all Major Work and that this includes any proposed undertaking by the City as well. This is to ensure that the historic property is not inadvertently endangered or degraded. Major Work – means any alteration to a building, structure, object, or site that is beyond normal maintenance. This could include replacement of deteriorated elements, site alteration to restore a landform, additions, door and window replacement, roofing, site plantings, signage, ground disturbing activity or excavation. The above examples do not constitute a complete list of Major Work items, and all project proposals should be carefully evaluated.
The City’s Heritage Preservation Sites municipal code allows for certain project undertakings to be considered Minor Work, defined in City Code as: Minor Work – means small scale repairs and ordinary maintenance to correct problems or damage to the exterior that does not include a change in design, material, or outward appearance of the cultural resource. Examples of minor work include, but are not limited to, touch-up painting, window and door repair, caulking, fastening loose materials and roofing repair. Minor work can be approved by City staff after consultation with the HPC. No COA is required to undertake minor work.
Examples of pre-approved minor work on the Yorkville and Bloomington Road are likely to be maintenance related. For example:
• Erosion control upkeep. • Ongoing removal of trees and shrubbery, native and non-native. • Culvert inspections. • Drainage swale upkeep. • Mowing and weed control. 9. Recommended Best Management Practices
Please note: The following recommendations are based on the preservation approach, Rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation is discussed more thoroughly below in Section 10: Treatment Approach.
Best Management Practices (BMPs) are the centerpiece of site management. A BMP is a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has proven to produce a desirable outcome. A commitment to using BMPs in any field is a commitment to using all the knowledge at one’s disposal to achieve success. BMPs are frequently used in natural resource management, government administration, and health care fields. BMPs are a proactive site-level management tool based on the concept of informed decision making that takes into account the needs of the heritage resource, City policy objectives, site capabilities, existing regulations, financial constraints, and the best information
9 that is currently available. The approach recognizes that management decisions are based on a wide range of factors and that the best practices are those which are flexible, and outcome based.
Put another way, BMPs should be thought of as a menu, not a mandate. The best practices may change over time, but the underlying principals will not. This document is intended to be used by City staff, public officials, contractors, consultants, and others solely responsible for the preservation, protection and use the Yorkville and Bloomington Road.
1. Recommended – Rehabilitation undertakings for the Yorkville and Bloomington Road must take into consideration the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes. This is essential. While the Yorkville and Bloomington Road is a designated Heritage Site, it is a cultural landscape type of site. An important distinction and essential to proper preservation planning. Much of the BMPs recommendations are based on the cultural landscape guidelines.
2. Not recommended – Do not permit the operation of heavy equipment on the roadway. This is a significant threat and could result in long-term damage to the road’s surface and underlying elements and contribute to erosion events.
3. Recommended – Evaluate and make every effort to provide a reasonable use of the roadway as seen fit at some future date. To this end, all uses considered shall ensure minimal alteration to the landscape and its surroundings.
4. Recommended – Carefully assessing any potential damage for the type and extent of any recreational or educational programs which would utilize the site.
5. Recommended – Develop and implement a maintenance plan. Done in consultation with the HPC an approved site maintenance plan will identify and prioritize routine and preventative maintenance tasks and specify the frequency in which they are to be performed.
6. Not recommended – Do not defer maintenance of the roadway. If allowed to happen, this will result in overall damage to the roadway’s environmental and historical integrity.
7. Recommended – Perform routine inspections by City staff to identify preservation issues and determine appropriate rehabilitation treatment strategies.
8. Recommended – Ensure that site maintenance includes ongoing measures to arrest the deterioration or damage of the site due to natural events, as they may occur.
9. Recommended – Prioritize stabilization, repair and rehabilitation projects.
10. Recommended – Survey and locate the centerline of the historic roadway and place monuments to guide future maintenance and repair work. This is also important if disputes arise over the boundary for the Heritage Site.
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11. Not recommended – Do not alter the landform of the roadbed. The original road’s elevation, width, and drainage features are all part of the character defining features of the roadway. Preservation of these key elements is essential to the preservation of the site’s integrity. Topography occurs both naturally and, in this instance, due to human intervention via road construction.
12. Recommended – Complete a landscape inventory. While there may not be a prescribed way to do a landscape inventory, it is meant to minimally provide a record of the existing conditions at the present time. It helps provide a baseline of general conditions, physical features, natural features, and damage. This is especially helpful in planning next steps in the preservation planning of the roadway’s environmental setting.
13. Recommended – Conduct timely site repairs. There should be an ongoing assessment process. Repairs differ from maintenance. Repairs will likely need COA approval, whereas maintenance is regarded as ongoing measures established to keep the site in good shape. Areas with potential repair needs will be erosional ravines, washouts, accumulated overfill, naturally occurring events (weather events), and damage due to vehicle use.
14. Recommended – Erosion control. Maybe the single most important tool used to prevent ongoing damage to the integrity of the site. The entire length of the City owned portion of the roadway should be assessed for erosion damage and a plan be prepared to address any problems. This would be done in consultation with the HPC. This planning step is highly recommended.
15. Not recommended – Do not permit digging or excavation activities without proper review. The entire roadway surface and subsurface elements are highly susceptible to damage. Along its length there is a possibility of subsurface archaeological artifacts. These unseen features are important to the overall benefit and value of the site, especially to any future interpretation or educational use of the heritage site. Wagon wheel ruts, along with discarded or lost items, corduroy construction timbers, and more could be intact. It is especially important to protect these features and items from destructive activities.
16. Recommended – Remove noxious plants. As noted in Section 16. Invasive Species, this is necessary to retain through Rehabilitation the roadway’s historic appearance and feel. Specifically, European buckthorn, Tatarian honeysuckle, and Amur honeysuckle should be removed. Clearing this vegetation will result in a more historically correct setting.
17. Recommended – Remove native tree and plant species. Many native, but non-typical trees and other vegetation varieties have made their way through succession and established themselves within the bluff’s transition zone. These trees should be considered for removal only within the 18’ original road alignment as surveyed in 1863.
NOTE: Highly valuable specimen trees; bur oak, white oak and cottonwood were observed in the vicinity of the roadway. Some of these legacy trees were observed extremely near the original 18’ road grade. According to Jeff Cordes, some of the bur oak trees observed are approximately 250 years old and capable of living over 400 years. These trees should be added to future survey work conducted for the historic roadway. They should be considered culturally relevant and contributing to the road’s landscape significance. At the time of the road’s construction in 1864, the oaks may have already been 100 years
11 old. What might have been happening in America when these now massive oaks were seedlings in 1770?
1770s: Just for the fun of it.
The Boston Massacre occurs when British troops fire into a Boston mob. The Townshend Acts has duties on many goods repealed, but not on tea, angering locals. William Clark, explorer and partner of Meriwether Lewis, and later Governor of Missouri Territory, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, is born. The town of Monterey, California is established by Father Junipero Serra and explorer Gaspar de Portola. Monterey would serve as capital of California from 1777 to 1849 under the flags of Spain and Mexico. The rise of the American Revolution is gaining momentum.
18. Recommended – Plan for change. Site management practices should seek to emphasize historical continuity while acknowledging the inevitability of change.
19. Recommended – Proper plant removal. It is essential that the removal process be done in a way that does not damage the sensitive ground surface, or underlying features. This would negate the use of heavy machinery, or pulling (uprooting), of plants. Removal of most noxious plants observed can be removed by hand, via cutting to ground level. Some walk-behind machinery may be used under the right weather conditions.
20. Recommended – A protocol for emergency response. This considers the possibility of natural disaster. Fire is the most likely event that would threaten the heritage site, but it is the response by fire fighters that can also cause damage. Heavy equipment used in fire suppression could severely damage the roadway.
21. Not Recommended – Use of pesticides. Unless professionally trained and applied by licensed applicators, the risk of damage or killing of native trees is a threat. Especially a concern given the legacy trees nearby.
22. Not recommended – You assume the roadway is protected. The James A. Brown Conservation Area’s purpose and future use may not necessarily coincide with the interests and goals of historic preservation. Incorporate the Yorkville and Bloomington Road in any future discussion or planning for the James A. Brown Conservation Area.
23. Recommended – Understand the regulations of the underlying zoning. The James A. Brown Conservation area may have requirements for permitting. This should be discussed with City staff since regulations may exist that address environmental issues, including water, air, soil, and wildlife.
24. Recommended – Provide the appropriate City staff with the COA permitting process for a Heritage Preservation Site. Inform staff that the Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Site has a spatial boundary within the conservation area, which is thirty (30’) feet in width. It is important that this proactive measure be taken; too many sites are damaged by a lack of awareness.
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10. Treatment Approach
The recommended treatment approach for the Yorkville and Bloomington Road is Rehabilitation. The Secretary of The Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Preservation Projects defines four approaches: Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Preservation, and Restoration. Rehabilitation is the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.
The Treatment approaches for Cultural Landscapes utilizes the same Standards for Historic Preservation Projects, just applying them to a different range of resource types. There are four general types of cultural landscapes, not mutually exclusive: historic sites, historic designed landscapes, historic vernacular landscapes, and ethnographic landscapes.
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road is a Historic Vernacular Landscape type and will utilize Rehabilitation guidelines for site treatment. Historic vernacular landscapes include transportation resources e.g., trails, roads, highways, railroads, maritime, and riverine resources, but are not limited to them alone. Character-defining features are found in its association with early transportation, mid- nineteenth century road building, and its environment. Defined as a geographical area (including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein), associated with the historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting vegetation patterns that existed during the established period of significance (1864-1892), its physical characteristics, and pattern of historic use.
Today, the roadway retains a strong sense of place, and still conveys a high degree of physical and environmental integrity, albeit overgrown. Given its location in the floodplain/bluff transition zone, it has been relatively free of damaging alterations due to agriculture, and unwanted human activity. The roadway is a high value historic cultural landscape resource. The preservation and protection objectives should focus on maintenance and repair issues. The Period of Significance (1864-1892) is noted on the Minnesota Historical Society’s, Minnesota Individual Property Inventory Form for Inventory No: HE-EPC- 285 (Yorkville and Bloomington Road). This standard survey inventory document was prepared by Two Pines Resource Group, LLC, in 2018. The establishment of a period of significance is needed to provide a chronological period of time that best exemplifies the historical values used to determine things like a sense of place, physical integrity, patterns of historical use, end of use, etc. The Yorkville and Bloomington Road’s period of significance is from construction in 1864 to abandonment in 1892. Of further relevance here is that certain features of a historic property are considered contributing or non- contributing in relation to the period of significance. For example, structures, or objects introduced to the site after the period of significance would be considered non-contributing and might be slated for removal from the site. When considering treatment approaches or reviewing a COA, it will be helpful to consider the period of significance. To aid in this it is recommended that review of existing documents prepared for the City of Eden Prairie be consulted. The documents are cited in Section 1: Introduction and Acknowledgments, and in Section 21: References.
The Minnesota Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office assigns inventory numbers. The Heritage Preservation Commission can assign a local registration number using the prefix: EP-HPC- XXXX.
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Figure 1. Road grading near Frederick - Miller Spring - Source: Eden Prairie Historical Society.
11. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Historical Context
Building roads in the mid-nineteenth century was no easy task. Like today, the road engineer and builder faced several challenges. First and foremost was location. U. S. Army Corp of Engineers, Lieutenant Colonel, Q. A. Gillmore (Practical Treatise on Roads, Streets, and Pavements, 1876), listed the following as governing the engineer in locating a wagon road: (1) The present and prospective amount of traffic over the road; (2) Its general character, whether light or heavy; (3) Figure 2. Mid-nineteenth century pull behind road grader - Image source: Historical Construction Equipment Association. The convenience and necessities of the community tributary to the line; (4) The natural resources of the country through which the road must pass. In addition to considering the
14 above, Gillmore, like other road planners of his time were also concerned with grades (descents and ascents that minimized the use of braking); proper drainage; tractive force (the quality of the road surface to overcome the resistance which oppose the vehicle’s movement); excavations; embankments; and of course costs, both to build and maintain, and to vehicles and animals. This last cost was largely determined based on road surface quality, e.g., natural earth, poorly maintained rutted roads took a toll on wagons and draught animals alike. Sounds a lot like the annual spring pot-hole season. Road building in the 1860’s was a labor-intensive undertaking. Surveyors laid out the roads axis by driving stakes, which corresponded to points on a map. It was common practice at this time to write on the stake either cut or fill, with the corresponding number of feet. This was to communicate to the builder the “balanced cuttings” along the road. Balanced cuttings considered the amount of earth removed via cutting and balanced that with the amount of earth needed to fill low points, build embankments, etc. In the case of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road, this would have been most important along the bluff, where side slope cutting would have been most prevalent.
Road width for rural country roads was typically 16-18 feet wide. Roads were classified according to construction type. The Yorkville and Bloomington Road fell into the Earth Roads type, also known as the common wagon road. This type of road might sound crude and minimalist, but a lot went into their design, location, and construction. They were not without their issues though. Gillmore names the challenges referring to the common rural earth road as having many “defects and mitigation strategies” and further noted that “The road should not exceed a 1 and 30 grade ratio or a 1 and 120 slope ratio from the center line to outside edges. Side ditches should be deep and wide. Trees and other vegetation should be removed from nearby to allow sun, and wind to access the road. Gravel, where possible should be used to fill hollows, shallow ravines, and underlying drains employed to move water under the road.”
Roads in Eden Prairie and surrounding areas at that time were a mixed bag of rutted, muddy trails to better maintained dirt tracks. Hills, valleys, and water obstructions all played into the passage, or not, of animal drawn transport. Road maintenance was relenting. Through Eden Prairie, a substantial portion of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road was built along the lower slope of the bluffs. Not an easy location for grading, but it offered a route without precarious grades to overcome. However, the bluff’s slope had challenges of its own, with numerous ravines, seeps and springs and slope cutting to overcome.
1864 – More interesting facts. First Minnesota Volunteers muster out of service at Fort Snelling after four valorous years of service. More Minnesotan’s engaged in Battle of Nashville than any other Civil War battle, the last major battle of the Civile War. Long Walk of the Navajo: Bands of Navajo escorted by U.S. troops from Arizona to Fort Sumner in the Pecos River Valley, at least 200 hundred die on the 300-mile march. General Ulysses S. Grant put in command of Union forces. Nevada becomes a state. Rebecca Lee becomes the first African American women to receive a medical degree. Territory of Montana formed. Robert E. Lee’s family estate is turned into a national military cemetery (Arlington). Gold is discovered in Montana.
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By the mid 1800’s the steel moldboard road grader was replacing the older metal covered wooden moldboard grader, making road building much more efficient. The horse or team of horses still provided the motive power, harnessed to the grader’s drawbar. The operator controlled the side- shift, allowing for the angle and depth settings of the moldboard. As grading proceeded, it was typical the smaller ravines and wet depressions (spring seeps) Figure 3. Corduroy construction at Frederick-Miller Spring - Photo source: John Gertz. would be infilled. To prevent washouts, it was common to use corduroy construction as a means of channeling water under the road surface and preventing erosion. It is of note that Ed Schlampp, a past owner of property with a remnant section of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road, did indicate he had seen corduroy construction on his property (1994, Vogel, Survey of the Minnesota Valley Road). Corduroy utilized timbers cut and laid perpendicular to the road’s axis. Once in place the timbers were sometimes stabilized by attaching a timber on the top and bottom outer edges. This type construction can be seen in Figure 3, a photo taken at Frederick-Miller Spring during repairs to the spring’s east side underground piping. Prior to the spring outlet relocation to the east side of Spring Road, the road was likely in a constant wet muddy condition due to water flowing over the road. This is likely the reason the original road was corduroyed in this vicinity. Once the timbers were installed the road was then filled with gravel or earth, or both and graded.
Maintenance was ongoing and that responsibility fell to the local jurisdiction. Those living along the roads right-of-way were assessed for an annual road tax. These funds were used for general maintenance of the road, which was also carried out by locals. Locals were not always happy about the tax or the work. John R. Cummins, local resident, and Town Supervisor in 1864 was not overly enthusiastic about the benefits to Eden Prairie residents of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road. Cummins met with Hennepin and Carver County Commissioners as early as 1863 to discuss the road and per his responsibility as Town Supervisor assist with the local review of its location. In 1863 The Minnesota State Legislature passed an act to approve the road’s construction. Cummins noted in his diary for 1863 and 1864 his comments and opinions on the matter:
October 26, 1863 Was obliged to go to town on the infernal road business. The commissioners [Hennepin County] would apportion no money on it. March 15, 1864 Very cold. The commissioners met at the Frenchman’s [La Riviere’s on Pioneer Trail?] to view the road from Chaska. One of them did not get there until 1 o’clock, and they did not get further than Dudley [Dudley owned land near Hennepin Townsite] tonight.
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March 17, 1864 Started this morning _____ at the road crossing at ______ferry and came under the bluff all the way to the creek and rising the bluff up the ravine at the creek.
March 18, 1864 Very cold wind N. W. and strong. Mercury 3 below this morning. This new road is a great swindle on Hennepin Co. making us expend 2 or 300 dols, for the benefit of Carver Co.
Cummins’s opinion that this road “being a great swindle” is debatable. As noted, the maintenance for this road fell to Cummins and other Eden Prairie residents. The road, as viewed by Cummins, was not especially beneficial to Eden Prairie. Carver residents felt differently and pointed to the benefits of
Figure 4. LiDAR imagery showing the Yorkville and Bloomington Road cut on the bluff - Image source: MN DNR. efficient delivery of their goods to markets in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This was the reason behind seeking a better route to market, and the more direct and passable route the better. As surveyed, the road entered Eden Prairie on the west following a low terrace below the bluff, continuing near the Minnesota River at Hennepin Townsite, and then rising to approximately 730 feet ASL along the bluff to its terminus at today’s Riverview Road, just west of Purgatory Creek. From that point east, better roads could be travelled through Bloomington with connections to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road continued in use for nearly thirty (30) years. The portion of road in the James A. Brown Conservation area east to its junction at Riverview Road was officially abandoned in 1892. This was done in favor of turning the road north at the western end of the conservation area, where it ascended the bluff and followed Riverview Road east to Bloomington.
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12. Environmental Context
Figure 5. Minnesota's settlement vegetation by region - Image source: MN DNR.
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At the time of Eden Prairie’s original survey by the General Land Office (GLO) in 1855, things looked vastly different regarding vegetation. Important information we have today on the pre-settlement landscape can be found in the surveyors notes from 1853-1854, and important works found in, N. H. WInchell’s, Geology of Hennepin County, first published in the fifth annual report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota (1876), and The Original Vegetation of Minnesota (1930), by F. J. Marschner, compiled from the U. S. General Land Office Survey Notes.
Winchell described Eden Prairie as mainly “rolling or hilly with lakes, some marshes and heavily timbered.” He refers to the City’s naming saying it was “derived from the prairie that makes up a belt about a mile wide along the southern part of the town.” This, according to local history, is the same location visited by Elizabeth fry Ellet in 1853, an author from New York, who it is thought disembarked from a boat at Hennepin Landing, ascended the bluff and was taken aback with the beauty of the prairie atop the bluff. Later she is said to have referred to the location as Eden Prairie.
Trees and other vegetation noted by Winchell and mapped by Marschner include the many species we see today, but in vastly different scale and numbers. Winchell also noted a common close, clay soil of grayish color that is associated with the heavily timbered parts of the county, particularly the western portion. The heavily timbered parts of Eden Prairie in the 1850s-1860s would be typical of the rest of the county. Tree and other vegetation species noted on the GLO survey, and compiled by Winchell and Marschner, respectively, are listed below: Trees
American elm Basswood Sugar maple Red oak Butternut Bur oak Red elm Soft maple Bitternut White ash Black oak Ironwood Black ash Wild plum Juneberry American crab-apple Aspen Tamarack Box elder Great-toothed poplar Black cherry Cottonwood Water beach Willow Hackberry
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White birch White oak Red cedar White pine
Shrubs and woody vines
Virginia creeper Bittersweet Frost grape Hazel Smooth sumac Wild red cherry Wolf berry Black-cap raspberry High blackberry Choke cherry Thorn Rose Prickly ash Staghorn sumac Wild rose Round-leaved cornel Common elder High-bush cranberry Black currant Alternate-leaved cornel Panicled cornel Red-osier dogwood Speckled alder Sheep berry Elder Honeysuckle (Lonicera parviflora) Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliata) Yellow honeysuckle Kinnikinnick Dwarf cornel Prickly wild gooseberry Smooth wild gooseberry Ninebark Meadowsweet
The natural landscape in 1864 was described by surveyors in 1853-1854. The upper hilly sections of the town were thickly wooded glacial moraines and contained lakes, marshes, and streams. Nearby Minnetonka, Hopkins and Edina shared a similar topography. Roads of sorts already existed but were a jumble of earth roads that negotiated the woods, hills, and waterways. These roads were fraught with problems. Moving goods to market from Yorkville (Chaska) and beyond, to Minneapolis and St. Paul
20 meant a long and arduous trip over oft times muddy and rutted roads. In retrospect, a new road following the Minnesota River bottom, even if it rose along its bluff slope seemed a much better, more direct option. In 1864 the Minnesota River Valley was not as adversely impacted by annual flood events, so building along its terraces or bluff was feasible and, in this case, practical, at least for residents of Chaska and Minneapolis.
The river bottom was at that time much as it is today, with some notable changes. Elm is mostly gone, and invasive species both native and non-native have made inroads and are found throughout the floodplain forest and bluff transition zone. Vegetation along the river terraces were typical floodplain varieties and the landform relatively open and flat, with some undulations and small seeps, springs, and creeks. The bluff was nearly tree free in 1864. The vegetation cover would have been a mix of predominantly open prairie, with scattered oaks, cedar, and wooded creek valleys. The bluff itself was and is a unique blend of transition forest types of floodplain, oak savanna, prairie, and Big Woods. Many events over time have altered the historic plant communities e.g., settlement, agricultural uses, fire, road building, plant disease and invasive species. All things considered; the river valley was not a bad place to build a road in 1864.
When John Cummins arrived to inspect his prospective land purchase in 1856, he stood on the bluff overlooking the Minnesota River Valley and later noted in his diary that the land looked “like an old settled country.” He marveled at the prairie grasses and variety of flowers. “The prairies are now almost covered in aster; they are almost all colors. There is another little flower one of the most handsome I have seen for some time,” (John R. Cummins Diary, September26, 1858). Cummins was admiring the complexity and variety of Eden Prairie’s settlement landscape features in what today we call the Eastern Deciduous Forest biome. Cummins viewed tall grass prairie, oak savanna, floodplain forest and the “Big Woods.” The vegetation types that were native to these biomes were unique to conditions present at the time of settlement. In 1854 when the General Land Office conducted the survey of Eden Prairie, we know from the surveyor’s field notes that the native landscape was largely intact, as Cummins would attest to two and four years later. The landscape by 1864 would have seen additional impacts due to expanding settlement and agricultural uses, but the bluff transition zone and floodplain forest remained relatively free of development, much as they do today.
Invasive plants are a threat. Beyond the obvious environmental harm done by invasive plants, they will also degrade the historical significance of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road. This can happen due to the aggressive nature of invasive plants in out-competing native species, thereby damaging the original environment associated with the roadway from the 1864-1892 period. They should be eradicated from the historic site as recommended in the BMPs. Native varieties that have volunteered into the site, but not a species found in the historic period biomes should be removed as well.
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road followed a predominantly floodplain forest route. At points mostly east of Hennepin Townsite the road began to traverse the bluff transition zone, and wooded ravines and creek valley environment. The bluff transition zone in this area is unique, rising in floodplain forest through oak and prairie openings, Big Woods trees in the creek valleys, and finally prairie atop the bluff. As noted by Winchell, many species of trees were identified in Hennepin County in the GLO survey. Trees and ground plants species listed below are more specifically related to Eden Prairie and should be considered appropriate for management purposes of the historic roadway. The list, however, should not be considered a complete finding, and instead highlights species commonly found in the pre-settlement landscape.
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13. Floodplain Forest
The floodplain forest is the dominant forest type found in the Minnesota River Valley, with the terrace forest found primarily along its margins at slightly higher elevations whose flood events are less severe. The floodplain forest bottoms typically show evidence of flood events with debris fields, and silt and sand deposits.
13.1 Floodplain Trees
• Silver maple Figure 6. Floodplain forest - Source: MN DNR. • Black cherry • American elm • Cottonwood • Willows • Red maple • Bitternut hickory 13.2 Terrace Trees
• Basswood • Bur oak • Swamp white oak • Hackberry • Black ash • Black walnut 13.3 Understory and Ground Species
• Poison ivy • Wood nettle • Stinging nettle • Jewelweed • Riverbank grape • Cut-leaf coneflower • Clearweed • Moonseed • Indigo bush • American plum • Nannyberry
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• Hawthorns • Winterberry • American hazel • Juneberry • American elderberry • Canada elderberry 14. Oak Savanna
Bur oak is the dominant tree species, with areas of tall grass prairie mixed with maple and basswood. Sparsely treed oak savanna’s took hold in Eden Prairie on the rolling glacial moraine ridges, and along the bluff slopes and ravines.
14.1 Trees
• Bur oak • Pin oak • White oak Figure 7. Prairie opening on bluffs – Source: John Gertz. • Basswood (less common) • Maple (less common) 14.2 Understory and Ground Species
• Big bluestem • Indian grass • Little bluestem • Side-oats grama • Heart-leaved alexanders • Purple and white prairie clovers • Goldenrod • Smooth blue aster • Prairie phlox • Rough blazing star • Gray-headed coneflower • American plum
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15. The Big Woods
At the time of Euro-American settlement this sub-type of forest made up a significant portion of the Eastern Deciduous Forest biome. The majority of Eden Prairie’s forest habitat was Big Woods. At the time of the General Land Survey, elm was a predominant species. Unfortunately, today we have lost most of the American elm to Dutch elm disease.
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road did not traverse this forest in Eden Prairie, but due to its proximity, it was not uncommon to find a mixing of species, especially in the transition zone between floodplain and bluff top, or along the many incised creek valleys and ravines that penetrated upland areas. 15.1 Trees
• American elm • Sugar maple Figure 8. Big Woods – Source: MN DNR. • Bur oak • Ironwood • Northern red oak • Aspen • White oak • Black cherry • Red maple • Bitternut hickory • Butternut • Pin cherry 15.2 Understory and Ground Species
• Zigzag goldenrod • Large-flowered bellwort • Virginia waterleaf • Bloodroot • Lopseed • Early meadow rue • Wild sarsaparilla • Pennsylvania sedge • Honewort • Columbine • American plum
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• Nannyberry • Hawthorns • Winterberry • American hazel • Canada elderberry 16. Invasive Species
The state list is long, but for the purposes of this management plan, those species observed during field inspection of the roadway are noted.
• European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), observed • Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica), observed • Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), observed
Figure 9. Honeysuckle – Source: MN DNR.
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Figure 10. Buckthorn – Source: John S. Gertz.
17. Red River Trails
Figure 11. 1855 General Land Office Survey Map. Red line indicates WPA’s interpretation of Oxcart route in Eden Prairie – Source: Bureau of Land Management.
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The above route (highlighted in Figure 11), was described and illustrated in The Red River Trails Oxcart Routes Between St. Paul and the Selkirk Settlement 1820-1870, 1979, by Rhoda Gilman, et al. It should be noted, too, that the northern route that entered Eden Prairie was first denoted by the Work Projects Administration (Walter W. Belde, 1938), and the route is based on conjecture, not primary source information. The WPA indicates the trail crossing at Murphy’s Ferry, and again, about two miles east at the Bloomington Ferry. Once on the north side of the river the trail is shown going north between Rice and Grass lakes and ascending the bluff near present day Frederick-Miller Spring. The trail continues northeasterly to a point south of present-day Starring Lake, and then turns southeasterly following what appears to be the road shown on early plat maps that passes through the early platted (1853) Hennepin Townsite. From that point the road goes east and appears to join the Bloomington Ferry road.
In reviewing the WPA’s proposed northern oxcart trail routing, and early Eden Prairie plat maps, it is not precisely possible to determine which road system might have been used. It is known, however, that oxcart travel was difficult and challenged by terrain obstructions that would hinder the movement of animal drawn carts. Routes travelled were developed along river routes, over open prairie, and through forests. Over time some routes were improved but remained mostly an earthen network of routes connecting western Canadian provinces with St. Paul. The carts could be onerous at times and were often driven by Metis (pronounced may-tee). The Metis were of French and Native American heritage (History of the Red River Valley, Volume I, 1909). They were skilled oxcart operators and endured the hardships of this early mode of transportation throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and the western provinces of Canada (Harry B. Brehault, 1971-72, The Red River Cart Trails: The Fur Trade).
The oxcart was simple, relatively cheap, or free if you could make it yourself. Carts were light, stood about 5 ½’ to 7’ tall and had large and heavily dished wheels, sometimes up to 3’, which helped stabilize the cart. Wheel rim widths on some carts measured up to 8” to help negotiate muddy or swampy conditions (figure. 14.). Carts were usually built of wood alone, which made repairs on the trail easier. No axle grease was used in the belief that it picked up dirt which lead to rapid wear. This in turn created the loud squealing emitted from the wheel assembly, which the carts were known for. The cart trains (Figure 12., carts lashed together allowing the ox or oxen reduced resistance), could be heard approaching from great distances and the sound was considered very annoying.
A single ox could pull as much as 1,000 lbs. about 18 miles in a day (roughly 30 Kilometers). The nemesis of cart travel was mud and steep grades. Though the carts were designed to deal with rough conditions, mud could slow or even stop progress all together. Steep grades were avoided where possible, the carts were not equipped with a braking system, and a loss of control of a heavily laden cart would put loads and lives at danger.
Starting in the 1830’s and continuing well into the 1850’s, the carts that traveled the Minnesota River Valley trails were off loaded at Traverse des Sioux onto keelboats operated by the American Fur Company. The keelboat became the principal mode of transporting the goods to Mendota. Fewer oxcarts made the journey to Mendota and Fort Snelling.
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However, in 1869 2,500 carts travelled to St. Paul during the season. But those days were ending. Cart travel diminished rapidly as riverine transport and railroads reached the far-flung territories once plied by the oxcart.
Figure12. Oxcart train near St. Paul – Source: Minnesota Historical Society.
Is the Yorkville and Bloomington Road part of the earlier Red River Oxcart trail system? While it cannot be stated that it was not, it might be as likely that if the carts transferred to the north route in or near Eden Prairie, they likely sought a route to ascend the bluff and gain access to the prairie. This could have happened at Spring Road or Riverview Road adjacent to the James A. Brown Conservation Area. Both locations offered early trails to the bluff top. The route cut into the bluff east of the conservation area in 1864 would have presented a less than favorable route, especially the bluffs slope. Moreover, Richard Murphy was granted his license to establish what we know as Murphy’s Ferry (also referred to as Murphy’s Landing), in 1864. This date puts Murphy’s Ferry crossing in operation towards the end of the oxcart era.
By this time much of the cart cargo heading to Mendota or St. Paul was being loaded onto packet boats at Traverse de Sioux. However, there was a ferry license granted to Thomas A. Holmes at Shakopee in 1853. The Holmes ferry crossing, which Holmes let to John Hare could have served oxcart traffic crossing to the Eden Prairie side of the river. The Bloomington Ferry, built by Joseph Dean and William Chambers, began operation in 1854 providing yet another early river crossing option (History of the Minnesota Valley: Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, Scott County, Chapter XLVIII, Edward D. Neill, 1882). The Bloomington Ferry is also noted on the WPA map of the Minnesota Valley Oxcart Trails.
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Figure 13. Bloomington Ferry at time of new bridge construction in 1892 – Source: Bloomington Historical Society.
Today, a remnant of the trail leading from Murphy’s Ferry into Eden Prairie exists near the ferry crossing itself. Other possible relict road features associated with early travel can be seen at Hennepin Townsite (old ferry road), and another road feature nearby Fredrick-Miller Spring that is routed along the west side of Riley Creek. This feature has been noted by previous City staff and is visible on LiDAR imagery. This trail should be more thoroughly researched, as it may be part of an earlier trail route through Riley Creek valley and predate the current Spring Road alignment and relocation of the spring itself to the east side of the road.
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Figure 14. Oxcart Plans – Source: Manitoba Historical Society.
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18. Interpretive Planning
Why? What is it you're trying to achieve.
Evaluation. How What? What will are we doing? you interpret.
Who? You will Manage. How will need to think it be managed? about your audience.
How? How will you do it.
Why Interpretation?
Interpretation provides a means to increase the public’s awareness of the City’s cultural resources. A greater understanding by the public of, and appreciation for, cultural resources, they are more likely to support the City’s preservation efforts. Moreover, greater appreciation garners new partnerships and community commitment to public stewardship. Interpretation is also fun! The simple fact is, people enjoy learning about the past, e.g. people’s lives, where they worked, how they went about daily living, their trials and tribulations, etc. all become interesting when presented in an appealing, concise manner. This becomes especially relevant when this history took place in their backyard, so-to-speak.
What is Interpretation?
Interpretation can be many things, but at its core and by all definition’s, interpretation is about sharing your enthusiasm for somewhere or something, which is significant. In a word, it is communication. “Interpretation is a communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the inherent meanings in the resource,” as defined by the National Association for Interpretation. Dr. Sam Ham of the University of Idaho identified the characteristics of interpretation as pleasurable and entertaining, relevant to the audience, organized, and having a theme.
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Interpretation goes beyond mere facts and aims to reveal what things mean, how they fit together and why they matter. The process however is not formal, does not require testing to measure acquired knowledge or skills and abides by no formal schedules or class structure. Furthermore, the audience is strictly voluntary, has no time commitments and assumes a nonacademic approach. Information transfer of facts and figures is not the purpose of interpretation. Instead, interpretation is a communication approach that aims to do the following: • Inform • Entertain • Enhance understanding • Generate curiosity • Provoke thought
Additional goals of interpretation may include the following: • Persuade • Orientate • Explain • Develop a local sense of place • Promote an organization • Influence behavior
Because of interpretation’s subjective nature, success is often hard to measure. Therefore, good interpretive planning and techniques become essential. Planning will result in a delivery product or method to best transfer the information. Interpretive products and services include: • Brochures, handouts, and guides • Programs and guided tours • Interpretive panels at sites • Media productions • Participation in community events, festivals • Web based informational materials for community access
Why?
You need to ask yourself why you want to interpret your site, what are the goals. Your reasons could include education, recreation, marketing, promotion, raising funds or simply to give your visitors an enjoyable experience.
What?
Ask yourself if there is a story to be told. If there is you will need to ask yourself what is special about this story, is it the place, its people, architecture, landscape, object, etc.
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road offers a wide range of possibilities. It is more than just a road, it is a look into early transportation, road building, economics, environment, and human needs. It is a snapshot in time waiting to be seen.
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Who?
It is essential that you understand your intended audience. For example, who are they and why will they come, how many will come, what interests them, how long will they stay, where are they from, what ages do they represent, what do they already know.
How?
You will need to know the cost and how you will fund and implement the interpretation. Can you do it in house or will you need professional help. Interpretive writing is a skill; do not attempt to do it yourself without adequate training – it is much harder than it seems!
Management
Who is going to be responsible for seeing the interpretive plan through to completion? Will it require staffing, specific skills, materials, maintenance, buildings, or money?
Evaluation
The big question is how are we doing? Ask yourself is it working, have we met our goals, how can we improve. It is not always easy to answer these questions, but with a good effort you can determine your course of action.
Every cultural resource is unique, but where does it fit into the larger historical context? Is it a single site or is it one of many under the control of one organization? Interpretive planners must consider these questions to move ahead with either a strategic or local plan.
A strategic plan is the best way to deal with a large area, big subject, or multiple sites. It gets everything in perspective and gives everyone an opportunity to be involved. It is best for multi-organizational use, each developing their own interpretation, or one organization that wishes to develop interpretation plans for multiple sites.
Local plans are best used for small or individual sites. Local plans are detailed plans and set out a program of work. The plans are detailed enough that they can be put into practice. They will include: • Objectives • Interpretive themes • Content • Methods • Media • Funding • Implementation • Action plan • Evaluation
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Themes
Themes express what it is you want to say about a place. They are usually arrived at after careful inventory is taken of potential interpretive features of a given site. Not everything can be included in the interpretation, however. Too much information will be boring; only the essence need be developed into a theme. Working with themes takes practice. You work from the general toward the specific and arrive at aha. Themes help you organize; keep you focused and provide continuity.
Themes should: • Be stated as a complete sentence • Contain one main idea • Reveal what the interpretation is about • Be as interesting as possible • Be as specific as possible
Objectives
Objectives can be grouped into interpretive objectives and management objectives.
Interpretive objectives should be specific about visitor outcomes. These are important in weighing the success of the interpretation later. Objectives can be defined as learning, emotional or behavioral, as per the theme. They cover such things as: • What you want people to know • What you want people to feel • What you want people to do
Management objectives are intended to achieve certain outcomes deemed desirable by managers, owners, or operators of heritage sites.
Examples of management objectives might be: • Increases annual visitor numbers to the site by 25% • Decrease wear-and-tear on the resource by limiting the number of visitors • Financial objectives • Marketing objectives
Remember to evaluate. Evaluation will help you know if you are successful in meeting your objectives, and how you can improve. Evaluation methods vary and depend largely on what your information needs are, budget, and technical requirements in data gathering. Evaluation is generally divided into indirect, direct, quantitative, and qualitative.
Indirect evaluation relies on observation of your visitors and is unobtrusive. Direct evaluation relies on visitor interviews or questionnaires. Quantitative evaluation provides numerical data in the form of counts, time spent, coded questionnaire data for statistical analysis. Qualitative evaluation provides data in the form of opinions, attitudes, perceptions and feelings, or descriptions of feelings.
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Designing Interpretation
As stated earlier, interpretation is all about communication. For interpretation to work well it needs to follow good communication principles. Your interpretation needs to be effective, hold the attention of the visitor and impart a message with a purpose. Four important principles to help you achieve this are: • Getting attention • Making it enjoyable • Make your communication relevant to your audience • Giving it structure Interpretation takes many forms. You must decide which will best meet your objectives. It will help to keep in mind that these rules apply to all interpretation, regardless of the type or method you choose to deliver it: • Be selective and concise • Be clear who you are talking to • Use everyday language • Use stories and quotations • Use metaphors and similes that relate to everyday experience • Make all aspects of your project work together • Make route directions, instructions, and warnings clear • Test ideas as much as possible
Interpretation Formats
Selecting an interpretation format can be daunting. One type of interpretation might suffice, or several types may be employed at a site. It will depend on budgets, audiences, maintenance, ownership, themes, and spatial limitations. Whichever you choose, pay close attention to all the details, this is where you can falter, even with a great story to tell.
Personal interpretation: Often the most successful interpretation. • Guided tours • Visiting places with trained docents or tour guides • Watching demonstrations • Hearing stories – real or mythical • Taking part in organized activity, e.g. learning how to make candles • Watching or taking part in performances, e.g. re-enactments
Outdoor panels: Multi-tasking at its best, they work all day long. • Passive use – no staff needed, provides information at any hour • Focuses the attention of visitors • Can provide route or trail information to orient visitors • Integrates pictures and graphics with text to illustrate hard to explain features, e.g. construction techniques, settlement patterns, etc. • What is available to do at the site • Extent or limits to the site
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Publications: Leaflets, booklets and newsletters can fulfill many needs. • Promoting the site • Offering background information on the site – an historical perspective • Explaining what there is to do, how to get the most out of the site • Can be kept by visitor for use later • Acts as a guide for the site – a self-guided tour • Can help generate funds
Multi-media: These media can engage and interact with the senses. • Masses of information at your fingertips • Great effects • Reach large or targeted audiences • Consistent high-quality productions can be achieved • Condense hundreds of years of history into a brief timeframe
Historic buildings: A great place to get in touch with. • Historic buildings are big artifacts – interpreting their history can be especially fascinating. • Buildings can provide space for interpretive exhibits. • If accessible, a favorite of school groups, scout groups and community history interpretive tours • Combined with historical landscape the site can offer passive and active interpretive programs and needed amenities for visitors • Prime location for re-enactment programs
Interpretation Opportunities
The Yorkville and Bloomington Road is a valuable historic asset. It offers the public a rare look at a mid- nineteenth century type of rural vernacular roadway common in Eden Prairie in 1864. The site combines a high level of integrity and a general sense of its original form and function. A well-planned interpretation program can help visitors understand how important roads were to early travelers, local commerce, and how roads were built and maintained. The Yorkville and Bloomington Road offers that connection between the past and present, and is a unique, if not rare property type. Eden Prairie is fortunate to have this intact historic road. Themes and sub-themes should be broken down into topics. For example:
Theme 1: Trails to new roads. • Early trails • River travel • Fighting Mother Nature
Theme 2: The need for better roads. • Mud, ruts, streams, and hills, oh my! • Let us improve our roads • Better to bring our goods to market
Theme 3: The politics of road building • We need a road in your town, ok?
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• How it gets approved • Who pays for it?
Theme 4: The road is A Great Swindle! • What locals thought about the road • Why build it on the bluffs? • How do you build a road on a bluff in 1864?
Theme 5: The environment and the road builders • What difficulties the builders faced? • How was that road built on a bluff? • Maintain along an earthen road in 1864? Interpretive Format Recommendations
There is no current plan to provide interpretation of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road. However, that time will likely come, and maybe sooner rather than later. To pre-plan for this eventual scenario is a good idea. It is also one the responsibilities of the HPC, i.e., engage with the public and provide educational opportunities that feature local heritage sites. Recommended approaches are: • Outdoor panels – Outdoor panels should be placed strategically at the site to provide passive interpretation for visitors. Panels should focus on the Yorkville and Bloomington Road, but also the historic sites nearby. This will help provide a better context and greater understanding of the larger landscape. • Personal interpretation – When it becomes feasible, guided tours led by city staff and HPC members should be offered. • Publications – a leaflet series on Eden Prairie history could be offered. Leaflets could be prepared based on local themes, e.g., the Yorkville and Bloomington Road might be included in a leaflet about the City’s Minnesota River Valley history. • Multi-media production for local cable access is another possibility, and can reach many more people, especially those that may have accessibility issues.
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19. Glossary
Alteration: Is any act or process which changes one (1) or more of the exterior architectural features of a building, landform, or object.
Architectural Details: The small details like moldings, carved woodwork, etc. that add character to a building.
Certificate of Appropriateness: A permit issued by the City Council authorizing any proposed alteration, construction, restoration, or relocation of a designated Heritage Preservation Site. Generally, any work that would permanently alter the site or building will require a Certificate of Appropriateness. See Minor Work, Maintenance and Repair for examples of the types of undertakings that do not require a COA.
Historic Integrity: The authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s historic or prehistoric period. Used in determining a properties historical significance.
Historic Property: A district, site, building structure or object significant in American history, architecture, engineering, archaeology, or culture at the national, state, or local level.
Heritage Preservation Site: Is any area, place, building, landmark, structure, lands, districts, or objects which have been designated (zoned HP) a Heritage Preservation Site by the City Council. Essentially, the designation is an overlay zoning for the purpose of protecting the historic resource. The City’s underlying zoning remains intact. Each heritage site has an HP boundary, which effectively defines the spatial limits of the HP zoning.
Maintenance: Activities necessary to prolong the useful life and aesthetic appearance of a historic resource. Examples are cleaning gutters, removing nuisance weeds and shrubs, cleaning of surfaces, etc.
Minor Work: Is defined as small scale repairs and ordinary maintenance to correct problems or damage to the exterior that does not result in a change in design, material, or outward appearance to the historic resource. Examples of minor work include, but are not limited to touch-up painting, window and door repair, caulking, fastening loose materials, roofing repairs, etc. Minor work does not require a Certificate of Appropriateness. You are encouraged to consult with staff if you have any doubts about the extent or type of the work, or if a COA might be required.
Preservation: Is defined as the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property. Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials, and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project.
Property type: A grouping of individual properties based on a set of shared physical or associative characteristics.
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Reconstruction: Is defined as the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific time and in its historic location.
Rehabilitation: Is defined as the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.
Repair: The replacement of deteriorated materials which are impractical to save, such as broken window glass, severely rotted wood details, lost shingles, damaged or poorly functioning doors, fallen shutters, dropped gutters, etc. Keep in mind that repairs should be as close as possible in material, methods, and manner to the original.
Restoration: Is defined as the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make the properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards: The standards for historic preservation projects adopted by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Generally regarded as the standards for historic preservation projects in the U.S. and adopted by many local municipalities, including the City of Eden Prairie, for determining issuance of a COA and compliance with locally zoned historic properties and districts.
20. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Preservation Site Boundary
A 30.00-foot-wide permanent easement for preservation purposes over Outlot C, The Bluff at Riverview, Hennepin County, Minnesota.
The centerline of said easement is described as follows:
Commencing at the Northwest corner of Section 35, Township 116, Range 22; thence South 1 degree 31 minutes 03 seconds West along the West line of said Section 35 a distance of 1800.45 feet to the beginning of the centerline to be described; thence south 76 degrees 18 minutes East a distance of 1091.87 feet; thence South 73 degrees 23 minutes East a distance of 445.50 feet; thence South 67 degrees 08 minutes East a distance of 456.72 feet; thence South 77 degrees 38 minutes East a distance of 772.20 feet thence South 75 degrees 53 minutes East a distance of 1122.00 feet and said centerline there terminates.
[Boundary written verbal description – Source: Paul Thorp, Surveyor]
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Figure 15. Yorkville and Bloomington Road Heritage Preservation Site boundary – Source: John Gertz
Figure 16. Original plat of the Yorkville and Bloomington Road – Source: Paul Thorp
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21. References
Beck, L., and Cable, T. 2002 Interpretation for the 21st Century: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture. Sagamore Publishing; 2nd addition.
Belde, Walter W. 1938 Red River Trails A, B, C, and BC. U. S. – WPA (Publisher).
Borchert, John A. and Neil C. Gustafson 1980 Atlas of Minnesota Resources and Settlement. Third Edition. University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and the Minnesota State Planning Agency, Minneapolis.
Brehault, Harry B. 1971-1972, The Red River Cart Trails: The Fur Trade Manitoba Historical Society, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Brochu, Lisa 2003 Interpretive Planning, National Association for Interpretation, Fort Collins, Colorado.
By various authors 1909 History of the Red River Valley, Volume I Harold Printing Company, Grand Forks and C. F. Cooper & Company, Chicago.
Carver County Historical Society 555 W. 1st. Street Waconia, MN 55387 https://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org
Cummins, John R. 1834 – 1921, Papers, Diaries. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
Ecological Classification System Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the U. S. Forest Service have developed an Ecological Classification System for mapping landscape types in Minnesota. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecs/index.html
Eden Prairie Historical Society City of Eden Prairie.
General Land Office (GLO) 1855 Township 116N, Range 22W. US Department of The Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Washington D.C.
Gillmore, Q. A. 1876 A Practical Treatise on Roads, Streets, and Pavements, D. Van Norstrand, Publisher, New York.
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Gilman, Rhoda R., Gilman, Carolyn, and Stultz, Deborah M. 1979 The Red River Trails Oxcart Routes Between St. Paul and the Selkirk Settlement 1820 – 1870, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.
Ham, Sam H. 1992 Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets, North American Press.
Hennepin County Landowner Guide for Conserving Natural Resources Hennepin County Environmental Services A useful booklet and quick reference tool to help guide management of natural resources commonly found in Hennepin County. https://www.hennepin.us/-/media/hennepinus/residents/environment/protecting-land- water/landowner-guide-ch-2-protect-natural-areas.pdf
Historical Construction Equipment Association WWW.HCEA.net
LiDAR Imagery Aerial MnTOPO, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
MacDonald & Mack Architects 2019 City of Eden Prairie Heritage Preservation Commission Yorkville and Bloomington Road Nomination. On File at the City of Eden Prairie.
Michelle M. Terrell, Ph. D. 2018 Literature Search and Phase I Archaeological Survey of The Town of Hennepin, City of Eden Prairie, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Two Pines Resource Group, LLC. On file at the State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul.
Minnesota Early Settlement Vegetation Map Minnesota IT Services, Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo), St. Paul. www.mngeo.state.mn.us?chouse/land_use_historic.html
Natural Vegetation of Minnesota at the Time of the Public Land Survey 1847 – 1907, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Biological Report No. 1, St. Paul.
Road Records, Bloomington Minnesota 1858 – 1964, Minnesota Historical Society.
Schweigert, Kurt P. 1992 City-Wide Cultural Resources Survey of Eden Prairie, Minnesota Year 1: 1992. Tellus Consultants, Inc. Minneapolis. On File at the City of Eden Prairie.
Scott County Historical Society 235 Fuller Street South Shakopee, MN 55379
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Secretary of the Interior’s Standards U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington D. C.
• Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm
• Secretary of the Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/treatment-rehabilitation.htm
• Secretary of The Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/landscape-guidelines/index.htm
Sharpe, Grant W. 1976, 1982 Interpreting the Environment, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Tilden, Freeman 1967 Interpreting Our Heritage, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
Turtle Mountain – Souris Heritage Association, Manitoba, Canada. An interesting source of information on Red River cart history. http://www.vantagepoints.ca
Ververka, John 1994 Interpretive Master Planning, Falcon Press.
Vogel, Robert C., David G. Stanley, and E. Arthur Bettis 1994 Historic Landscape and Archaeological Surveys in the City of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. SHPO Report HE-($-16. Prepared for the City of Eden Prairie – Heritage Preservation Commission. Bear Creek Archaeology, Inc., Cresco, Iowa. On file at the City of Eden Prairie.
Vogel, Robert C. 1994a 21HE219. Minnesota State Site Form. On file at the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul. On file at the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office.
Vogel Robert C. 1994b Minnesota Valley Trail North – Schlampp Segment. Eden Prairie Cultural Resources Survey Historic Landscape Inventory Form. On file at the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office, St. Paul.
Winchell, N. H. 1876 The Geology and Natural History of the County of Hennepin, Fifth Annual Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota. Published by Pioneer Press Company, 1877.
2007 Native Plant Communities & Rare Species of the Minnesota River Valley, Biological Report No. 81 Minnesota County Biological Survey, Division of Ecological Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
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22. Additional Recommendations
It is recommended that additional archaeological survey be conducted for the Minnesota River Valley Floodplain zone in Eden Prairie. Past and recent archaeological surveys have shown that this area of Eden Prairie is likely to yield important information on the City’s past. A thematic study is recommended. Thematic studies are organized to look at links across time but remain deliberately permeable. Themes are more generalized, stepping away from site specific studies. The river valley has in common environmental, landscape, and settlement history. Finding common links to the area include Native American occupation, Euro-American settlement, riverine transportation, road transportation, early exploration, land speculation (Hennepin Townsite), and agricultural development.
The educational value of the river valley’s history has great potential for students and citizens alike. It is recommended that interpretive planning be incorporated as part of the overall preservation planning process. It should also be a part of any recreational planning done by the City or outside agencies. It is likely that at some future date the James A. Brown Conservation Area, or lands adjacent to it, will be utilized for recreational use. The neighboring City of Bloomington has fully developed their recreational and cultural resource planning for the Minnesota River Valley in their municipality (Minnesota River Strategic Plan, 2016, City of Bloomington), working in partnership with another stake holder in river valley conservation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The HPC should expect and plan for the eventuality that at some near future time this planning will take place in Eden Prairie as well.
Natural resources should not be overlooked. The HPC should look for and interpret those natural resources that interface with human activity. An example is Frederick-Miller Spring, which has transcended its purely natural features and become a culturally significant fixture of human activity. The legacy trees noted near the Yorkville and Bloomington Road should be considered culturally significant as well as naturally significant. The trees are more than merely old, they are witness trees to Eden Prairie’s ongoing living history story. The Yorkville and Bloomington Road, like all the City’s Heritage Sites are a snapshot in time. They are tangible pieces of Eden Prairie’s past and have something to say to today’s residents.
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Figure 17. Rod Fisher, HPC member, standing by the 250 (approximately) year old legacy bur oak. The tree, and others like it, are alongside the Yorkville and Bloomington Road – Source: John Gertz
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Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission 2021 Important Dates / Work Plan
Day, Date Time Location Group Focus Monday, Jan 4 7 pm Via Teams PRNR Meeting Deer Management, P&R Dept Work Plan, Riley Lake Play Area Tuesday, Jan 19 5 pm Heritage Rooms Council Workshop Update by Chair Historic Properties Update, Feldmann Family Interpretive Sign, PRNR & HPC Monday, Feb 1 7 pm Via Teams Flying Red Horse Status, Staring Lake Park Building Signs, Meeting Yorkville and Bloomington Rd Preservation Plan Monday, Mar 1 7 pm Via Teams PRNR Meeting Special Events, Youth & Adult Athletics Monday, Apr 5 7 pm Via Teams PRNR Meeting Riley Lake Play Area, Senior Center Bldg Monday, May 3 7 pm Via Teams PRNR Meeting Board & Commission Banquet. All Commission members and Thursday, May 6 pm Garden Room Banquet Students invited. Monday, June 7 7 pm Via Teams PRNR Meeting Urban Forestry Mgmt Plan Monday, July 12 7 pm Heritage Rooms PRNR Meeting Monday, Aug 2 7 pm Meet at Senior Ctr PRNR Meeting Bus Tour PRNR & Monday, Sept 13 7 pm Maint Facility Sustainability Park Maintenance Commission Meeting Monday, Oct 4 7 pm Community Ctr PRNR Meeting Community Center Operations Monday, Nov 1 7 pm Heritage Rooms PRNR Meeting Nesbitt-Preserve Splash Pad Monday, Dec 6 7 pm Heritage Rooms PRNR Meeting Round Lake Bldg
Updated 1/29/2021