Streetcar Park
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/arpSByhZBHr5LLJw9
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WHY THE NAME STREETCAR PARK?
For over half a century from 1899 to 1951 there was streetcar service from St Paul to Mahtomedi as a part of an extensive network of street cars in the Twin Cities. This network stretched from Lake Minnetonka in the west to Stillwater and Mahtomedi in the east. It was standard gage of 4ft 8 ½ inches and powered by overhead electric wires. From about 1902 to 1932 there was also a branch line from downtown Mahtomedi/Willernie to Birchwood and downtown White Bear Lake as well as a branch to Stillwater. Fares were about 15 cents to ride all the way from St Paul to Mahtomedi and it was a popular summer recreational trip.
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Streetcar Park was the main Mahtomedi station as it was the end of the line. It had a wye to turn cars around. It was also the site of the Great Northern Railway Mahtomedi depot on the line that looped around the north side of White Bear Lake through Dellwood past here along Briarwood and eventually to Stillwater (via Duluth Junction and the current Brown’s Creek trail route.
A streetcar at Mahtomedi waiting to depart to St Paul. It stands at the location of the current trail about 100’ N of Quail.
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Sections of the Lake Links trail and other trails in the area follow the old streetcar lines. Within the current city boundaries of Mahtomedi there were intermediate stations at Hamline Lake (then called Fairmont), Maple St (called Oakleigh), Juniper (called East Shore Park), Hickory (called Lakeview), Dahlia (called Forest Heights), Veteran’s Park in present downtown Willernie/Mahtomedi (called Manor), Wildwood Beach (called Wildwood Park) , and Long Lake Rd/Lincolntown Ave (called Long Lake).
Here is a schedule from Sunday Aug 18, 1951, with streetcars about every hour from 8 am to past midnight.
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A Northbound street car crossing Quail (where the current trail crosses) in 1950?
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Photo credits : MNDigital archive www.mndigital.org Ian Harding Lake Links 2025
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