Golden Valley is a Great Place for Raising Kids

Editor's Note: Alison Roston won second place in the city's essay contest. All the winners were announced at the anniversary luncheon at the Golden Valley Golf and Country Club on Dec. 2. The first place essay will run tomorrow, an honorable mention ran Wednesday and another honorable mention ran Tuesday. Congrats to all the kids who gave us such great information about the city of Golden Valley.

Golden Valley is a great place for raising kids. This is the answer everybody gave me when I asked, “Why did you move to Golden Valley?” For the 125th anniversary historical contest I interviewed six people to learn about the history of Golden Valley.

First I interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Schmoyer. They moved to Golden Valley in1961. What Mr. S. remembers is that there was a duck pond at the corner of Duluth St. and Wisconsin Ave. Duluth Street was originally going to be a thru way to County Road 18, now called Highway 169, which is why it is a wider street. He also mentioned a nightclub and old time stores which are no longer there.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson moved to Golden Valley in 1973 from Robbinsdale. A realtor recommended them to move to Golden Valley for low tax rates and an excellent school district. They say the neighborhood is changing with younger families moving in and they like the Starbucks coffee at the fountain.

In 1955, Mr. and Mrs. Haroldson moved to their home in Golden Valley. They remember a farm on Plymouth Ave. and Winnetka Ave. He remembers the cows, pigs, chickens, horses, and ducks. There were not many houses on their block when they moved in. He told me that Kilmer Drive was named after the neighbor’s child. There was a muddy pond behind his home and the sewers drained the pond when they were built. Plymouth Road was a dirt road. There was a movie house near where Davannis is now and it cost 50 cents to see a movie.

During my interview with Mr. and Mrs. Sell, I found out that Valders Avenue was named after a town in Norway. They moved to Golden Valley in 1963. Wesley Park was a duck pond. John Brenna, the park and rec director, had people put all their extra dirt there to build up the park. All the roads were dirt and a certain number of homes had to be built in order for the roads to be blacktopped. He said that the best part of building in Golden Valley was that zoning regulations required bigger yards. Seeman developed the zoning laws of Golden Valley and now there is a park named after his wife. There was a Red Owl grocery store where the Golden Valley Commons is now. Along Winnetka where there is now a post office, were a gas station and a Super Valu, a blacksmith shop, and a theater. In 1960, city hall was built. Oak Knoll and West View were Golden Valley schools. The high school closed in 1980 and is located where Breck School is now. There was a hospital called Glenwood Hills and it was taken over by the Minneapolis Psychiatric Clinic, which is now the Courage Center.

Mrs. Siegel grew up near Wesley Park in the 1970’s. She remembers climbing a rocket ship and going down a cork screw slide. There was also a big yellow arch with swings and a wooden structure by the softball fields.

My dad grew up near Hampshire Park in the 1970’s. He remembers the merry go round at the park and he used to ride his bike to Reeds Drug which is now the Commons area. He remembers Down in the Valley as a free standing store with a reptile store beneath it. He misses the swimming pool at Brookview.

My history began only 10 years ago. I enjoyed learning about the city I live in and how it’s changed. It was fun meeting new people.