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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Before light rail there were streetcars
Edina, Minn., July 27, 2004 –Travel back in time, when streetcars were Edina’s primary mode of
transportation. On Saturday, Aug. 7, the Edina History Museum will hold its grand opening of an
exhibit featuring the Como-Harriet streetcar line, which operated in Edina for almost 50 years and
influenced daily life and Edina’s growth.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes two-for-one ticket specials for the restored
Lake Harriet streetcar line, a program at 11 a.m. by streetcar historian Aaron Isaacs, hotdogs and
pop, and tours of the surrounding Arneson Acres gardens.
Edina became a “streetcar suburb” in 1905 when the track was extended from Lake Harriet to the
Jonathan Grimes farm at 44th Street and Grimes Avenue. Soon after, the farm was subdivided
and became the neighborhood of Morningside.
Most people depended on the streetcar for shopping, work and school. Former Edina resident
Corolyn Lundquist said it affected every aspect of daily life, including whom you dated and
married. Lundquist attended Minneapolis West High School before Edina got its own high school.
She said Minneapolis boys didn’t date girls from Edina because “it was too much work.” Going
from one city to another required a long walk and lots of time. The trip also required money for
City of Edina Edina Historical Society
4711 West 70th Street
Edina, MN 55435
Contact: Marci Matson
Executive Director
Work Phone 612-928-4577
Home Phone 612-866-4581
PRESS RELEASE
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streetcar rides to pick up the girl, take her out and bring her back home. Lundquist is an example
of a woman who married a boy from her own neighborhood.
The exhibit will include memories collected from Edina residents about the role the streetcar
played in their lives, the mechanics of how the streetcar operated, where the route went, vintage
photos and film, tickets, tokens and other objects. Thanks to a partnership with the Minnesota
Transportation Museum (MTM), the Edina History Museum has access to original artifacts from
the streetcar era.
MTM will give away coupons for two-for-one tickets to its restored streetcar line at Lake Harriet.
The Metropolitan Council will give away free posters and other items promoting the new Hiawatha
Light Rail Transit, a modern-day streetcar.
The Edina Family Center will assist with some “hands on” activities for children, who are as
enthralled as previous generations were with the streetcar. Families can plan to spend the
morning at the museum and surrounding Arneson Acres Park, where gardens maintained by the
Edina Garden Council will be at peak bloom. Garden Council members will give free tours, or
visitors can explore the grounds on their own. Hot dogs and pop will be sold at the old-fashioned
price of 50 cents each.
The Edina History Museum is located east of Highway 100 on 70th Street in Arneson Acres Park.
Call 612-928-4577 for more information.
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