Diamond and Pearl Lakes- a short history FRIENDS OF DIAMOND LAKE Diamond Lake Revision 1.0 !1 7/31/2019 This history of Diamond Lake expands and clarifies the historical background in section 1.3 of the 2009 Lake Management Plan for Diamond Lake (https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/ rx1dll/diamond_lake_management_plan.pdf ). References to publicly available documents are included so interested readers can trace the history themselves. Over the last century, there have been several plans for the lake and surrounding area, but not all of them have been implemented – or implemented completely. Do you have additional materials about Diamond Lake you’re willing to share? Please contact us at: Website www.friendsofdiamondlake.org [email protected] Facebook Friends of Diamond Lake We’re also interested to hear anecdotes, observations, or questions you may have about the area. Sincerely, Board of Directors Friends of Diamond Lake August 2019 Revision 1.0 !2 7/31/2019 1819-1822 United States builds Fort Snelling where Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers meet. Map Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society “Territorial Imperative” Rhoda R. Gilman in Minnesota History Magazine Winter 1998-1999 2 Diamond and Pearl Lakes were within the boundaries of the Fort Military Reservation although the details were unclear since the 1805 expedition by Zebulon Pike, which purported to purchase the land from the indigenous Dakota, did not actually have the authority to do so1. Revision 1.0 !3 7/31/2019 1851 Treaty with Dakota People J.R. Sloan “St. Anthony Falls” oil on canvas 1852 This 1852 painting by J.R. Sloan shows the Mississippi River from a bluff above St. Anthony Falls. To the right is the small village of St. Anthony and to the left is what will become Minneapolis. The 1851 treaty signed at Mendota by the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute Dakota ceded much of what is now southeastern Minnesota to the U.S. The Fort Snelling Military Reservation was opened to land claims in 1855 and white settlers rushed into Minneapolis 2. Revision 1.0 !4 7/31/2019 1854 U.S. Surveyors’ Original Plats Diamond Lake and what is now Todd Park are shown as a single body of water and are connected to Pearl Lake. Brown’s Creek has not yet become Minnehaha Creek and the marshy connection between Pearl and the Creek is shown. Original vegetation was noted as oak woodland in the uplands and low wetlands frequently identified as tamarack bog.7 Portion of U.S. Surveyor General’s Office Plat Map from General Land Office and the Bureau of Land Management11 Revision 1.0 !5 7/31/2019 1873 Hennepin County Plat Map Diamond and Pearl Lake are identified separately and a road appears between them. Also a road is shown on the eastern shore of Diamond Lake cutting over the connection to its east arm. Note that almost all the sections are shown as being privately owned and Mother Lake is south of Lake Amelia (present day Nokomis). Brown’s Creek is now Minnehaha Creek. All of this area is Richfield and, in fact, Minneapolis’ southern border did not extend to even 54th street until 1887.13 See Appendix 1. Wright, George Burdick, 1835-1882. Map of Hennepin County, Minnesota. 1873. Minnesota Historical Society, reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/mhs:865 Accessed 22 Feb. 2019.12 Revision 1.0 !6 7/31/2019 1925 Park Board receives donation of land around Pearl Lake and a portion of Diamond Lake Clarke’s Diamond Lake Realty donates 16.4 acres around Pearl lake and a portion of Diamond Lake.6 1926 Minneapolis Park Board Develops Plan for Diamond Lake An extensive plan was developed for a park around the lake in spite of the fact that all the land had not been acquired yet and, in fact, was not yet part of Minneapolis. In 1926 voters in north Richfield approved annexation by Minneapolis and the city’s southern boundary became the present day 62nd street. 6 See Appendix 1. 1926-1936 Park areas surrounding Diamond Lake are acquired by the MPRB. The 1927 annual report of the park board mentions the intention to acquire an additional 116 acres around Pearl Lake and Diamond Lake with all but 21 acres of the land considered to be “swamp or lowland”. Park superintendent Theodore Wirth’s plan was to fill Pearl Lake and dredge Diamond Lake to create a beach on the north shore. Wirth compared the plan to what had been done at Lake Nokomis where a lake with well-defined shores was created from swampy land. Finally, in 1936, the board purchased 72.32 acres around the lakes. Purchases of land by the board during the Depression were rare but this purchase was probably possible because the total cost was only $1035.6 Theodore Wirth’s original plan for Diamond/Pearl from the 1930 Park Board Annual Report.10 Revision 1.0 !7 7/31/2019 1937 Pearl Lake is filled. The original plan was to dredge Diamond Lake and fill Pearl Lake with the dredged up soil. At the time, the Park Board also was responsible for Wold-Chamberlain field which was in the process of renovation. The decision was made to haul fill from the airport to Pearl utilizing Works Project Administration (WPA) labor. 4 This was an extremely dry period and Diamond Lake had no standing water. 1939 Diamond Lake Park development plans delayed indefinitely In the 1939 Park Board annual report, park superintendent Christian Bossen reports that final plans for improvement would require three to four years of construction and that neither the city nor the federal government, through WPA, would commit to any financing longer than 12 months. Without that financing, the project to develop Diamond Lake Park did not proceed 6. 1940 The City of Minneapolis begins installing the storm sewer network Eventually, 800 acres of land drain to Diamond Lake through storm sewers.7 1941 Drain from Diamond Lake to Minnehaha Creek installed Due to the new storm sewer system and a return to normal rainfall, the wetland filled with water and experienced sudden changes in water level. An outlet drain was built from the lake to the creek. The drain was built level so that if either the creek or the lake became elevated, drainage would occur to the other body of water.7 1948 Final Acquisition of East Arm of Diamond Lake Park Board now owned all of the swampy area east of Portland Avenue which eventually became Todd Park. 5 1953 MnDNR study of Diamond Lake Concludes the lake cannot be a fish supporting wetland because of lack of oxygen during winter months when freeze occurs down to the lakebed. Revision 1.0 !8 7/31/2019 1958 Construction of Todd Park begins Playing fields were created when the park board received $75,000 in bonding funding in 1963. The playing fields were renovated in 1991. 6 1960’s Interstate 35W constructed. Hard surface area draining to Diamond Lake increases. 1991 The MPRB reconstructs weir structure in WPA drain pipe. Wetland Conservation Act becomes law. Outlet elevation was adjusted to 822.0 feet msl (Mean Sea Level) from previous level of 820.1 feet msl. Increase in elevation was made to encourage establishment of aquatic plants.9 The Wetland Conservation Act was passed in Minnesota. The goal of the Act was to stop the net loss of Minnesota's remaining natural wetlands. The Act designates that before any activity regarding draining, filling, or excavating occurs in a wetland an attempt must be made to first avoid the impact to the wetland, and if the impact can not be avoided, it must be minimized and if minimization is not possible the wetland must be replaced with one of equal public value. The Act protects existing classified wetlands. 2007 - 2010 MnDOT Crosstown Commons project on HWY 62/35W interchange. The project included reconstruction of the large storm sewer outfall in the northwest corner of Diamond Lake. The 60th street and 1st avenue pond (Lake Mead), which had been constructed previously in 2000, added water quality ponding to treat stormwater runoff from the freeway before discharge into Diamond Lake.8 2008 Diamond Lake neighbors organize Friends of Diamond Lake. In 2009, coordinating with Healthy Lakes and River Partnership Committee and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Friends of Diamond Lake created a lake management plan. The document’s intent was to “create a record of historic and existing conditions and influences on Diamond Lake, and to identify the goals of the Diamond Lake community.” In 2017, Friends of Diamond Lake became a 501c charitable organization. Revision 1.0 !9 7/31/2019 2010 - 2012 Go Blue! Project Friends of Diamond Lake partnered with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Hedberg Landscape, Hale Page Diamond Lake Community Association, MPRB, Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, and Metro Blooms to provide cost share to property owners in the Diamond Lake watershed for storm water mitigation projects. These projects included installation of rain gardens, permeable pavers, rain barrels, and rain exchange systems. 2014 - 2016 Blooming Alleys Project The project, known as Diamond Lake Blooming Alleys for Clean Water, grew out of an effort by Friends of Diamond Lake and Metro Blooms to implement stormwater- mitigation and improve the lake’s water quality. Metro Blooms performed an engineering analysis to identify alleyways which contributed the most pollution into Diamond Lake. Four alleyways participated in the project, with Metro Blooms requiring each alley to have 20-percent participation. Features added included rain gardens, pervious pavement, and native plantings to reduce the amount of runoff that would otherwise flow into storm drains.