Inside the Mysteries of St. Paul's Wheelock Parkway

An exploration, historical and geographic, of St. Paul's Wheelock Parkway reveals the twists and turns of transportation infrastructure.

1 minute read

May 30, 2016, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Wheelock Parkway

Google Maps / Wheelock Parkway

Andy Sturdevant asks the question on the mind of plenty of people in the Twin Cities region: " Why does Wheelock Parkway exist?" Wheelock Parkway is that circuitous route connecting St. Paul's largest lake, Phalen to its second-largest, Como.

According to Studevent, the parkway "seems like a useful recreational route, but it doesn’t follow any sort of logical path to get there. It staggers across the orderly gridded streets of St. Paul like a tipsy barfly weaving around tables and chairs on his way back up to the bar."

Thus, the article digs into the history of the parkway, laid out in 1909, and its place as a "once and future keystone of the Grand Round trail system…" The article is part history and part celebration of one of a unique cities idiosyncrasies. 

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