The Park Today
In the early days of Minneapolis, Cedar Lake figured more prominently as a major train switching yard than as a park. Despite the presence of the railroad and a large ice-cutting operation, land was purchased around the perimeter of Cedar Lake for houses, hotels and other urban structures. Eventually the lake was connected to nearby lakes. Most of the railroad facilities closed in the mid 1980’s. Tracks were removed and buildings were razed. Nature slowly reclaimed the area. Flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees took root on the land and wildlife such as deer, foxes, song birds, hawks, and many other species returned. When citizens raised money to buy the land, they envisioned and then created a new kind of park: a wild, yet urban, nature preserve linked by trails to the Mississippi River and other portions of Chain of Lakes Regional Park. The lands and waters that make up Cedar Lake Park have changed significantly over time. Today the park’s topography, ecological features and human activities vary greatly from place to place.
The images in this section reflect the park’s wildness, its urban surroundings, and its wide diversity–in topography, ecology, and human uses–both now and in the past.
Photos in this section highlight Cedar Lake Park’s diversity and its beauty. Come visit the park!
Woodland Path
St. David’s Society daffodils
Sunset Bench
Linda’s Spiral
Brownie Lake
Prairie Path
Canoe in Isles/Cedar canal
Fishing
Cedar Grove
Cedar Meadows
Picnic lawn
Prairie and the city
South Beach
Western Extension
Looking west.
Western Extension
Looking east.
Dock at Cedar Point.
Kayak
Historic Photos
The photos in this section show Cedar Lake and surrounding land from around 1850 to 1950. Click on images at right to see larger views with annotations.
For more information about the human history of this area, see Neil Trembley’s articles in the CLP Master Plan (pages 23-27) and in the Cedar Lake Park Association newsletters.
Loading Ice
Loading Ice. Men loading ice cut from Cedar Lake. Note Kenwood station and Hotel Kenwood in background.
Dingley Dock
Dingley Dock. Dingley Dock on the east bay of Cedar Lake. Long ago, mounds of rubbish replaced the dock. (c.1890)
Dingley’s Boathouse
Dingley’s Boathouse. Dingley’s Boathouse, with the old Burnham Bridge in background at right. Note land much more filled in. (c. 1900) Photo: Wallof
Tracks and Ice house
Tracks and Ice House. Looking east into downtown: tracks (where Cedar Lake Trail is now), houses on the Kenwood Bluff, and the Cedar Lake Ice House on the right. (c. 1900)
Hidden Beach
Hidden Beach. Looking west from Kenwood: Dingley’s boathouse (where Hidden Beach is now). (c. ????)
Hotel Kenwood
Hotel Kenwood. The Hotel Kenwood, built in 1896 at 21st and Sheridan and torn down in 1928. Home to railroad workers and immigrants. (c. 1900) Photo: Wallof
Kenwood Station
Kenwood Station. Kenwood Station, 21st and Upton. (c. 1890) Photo: Wallof
Lake and Ice House
Lake and Ice House. Northeast edge of Cedar Lake and Cedar Lake Ice House. Sliver of land to right (now Hidden Beach) leads out to Dingley’s Boathouse. (c. 1900) Photo: Wallof
Oak Grove Hotel
Oak Grove Hotel. Oak Grove Hotel with proprietors Mr. and Mrs. Scott. The Jones Harrison Residence now occupies this site on the southwest corner of Cedar Lake. (c. 1870) Photo: Minnesota Historical Society
Bluff and Prairie
Bluff and Prairie. Looking west: Bryn Mawr Bluff, railroad tracks (where Cedar Lake Trail and prairie are now). Note Cedar Lake in background. (c. 1900) Photo: Wallof
Brownie Lake
Brownie Lake. Looking southeast to Brownie Lake with the old Cedar Lake Bridge (torn down in1918) and Cedar Lake in the background. (c. 1890)
Burnham Bridge
Burnham Bridge. The old Burnham Bridge, looking southeast from Dingley Dock. (c. 1890)
Aerial Photos
These aerial photos, taken in 2001, document the double spiral of the memorial Cedar Grove. Sixty-six cedar trees are now visible from the air. With the help of the GPS system, the spirals have been extended from the heart of the park outward into the surrounding city.
A view of Cedar Lake Park from the northeast. Prominent features include, from left to right, the Kenilworth Trail and rail, Upton Woods, the Hidden Beach peninsula, Cedar Lake, Cedar Point swimming beach, the spirals of the memorial Cedar Grove, the Cedar Lake Trail and restored prairie, and the main line of the Burlington Northern railroad. The railroad line was first established in 1858 on a causeway across the original north end of the lake.
The northeast cattail marsh and the algae shallows around it. Note the white rings to the left. They are isolation chambers deployed as part of ongoing Eurasian milfoil research conducted since 1995 by the University of Minnesota Fisheries Department. To date, they have found a weevil that will eat milfoil, survive the winter, and reproduce. However, sunnies love to eat the weevils. Research continues.
The spirals in the Heart of the Park area. Note the memorial cedar trees located along each spiral. Each tree was individually purchased to honor a special person and to raise money for the park. Also visible in this photo are the summer solstice sunrise line and the runic calendar, as well as the secondary bike/walk cinder trails that describe a pyramid enclosing the center of the spirals.
Northeast shore of Cedar Lake. With the Kenwood bluffs on the right and the Bryn Mawr bluffs on the left, the park is an oasis of tranquillity that allows hundreds of people to pursue a myriad of activities from sunrise to sundown. Downtown Minneapolis is just one mile east (right) on the Cedar Lake Trail.
Park Foundation
Founding of the Park