Edina Historical Society

_Before Arneson Acres housed the Edina History Museum, it was the home of Mort and Katherin Arneson. Their sprawling acreage had trees and plants they sold at their St. Louis Park nursery, a greenhouse and a fabulous sliding hill right outside their door. For many years, the Arnesons welcomed children to slide on their hill.

Today, Arneson Acres is a 14-acre city park better known for its beautiful gardens, but it is also a great place for all kinds of winter activities. Children still find the Arnesons' hill irresistible for sledding!

In the spirit of the Arnesons, the Edina History Museum will open its doors the first three Saturdays in February: 4, 11, 18. Sled down the hill, strap on your cross country skis or snowshoes, or enjoy a quiet walk around the park, and then stop in the lower-level Terrace Room to warm up before the fireplace. Enjoy hot chocolate and treats, and visit the museum exhibit rooms. Free. 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

One of our volunteers recently came across a newspaper clipping about Mort Arneson's practice of allowing neighborhood children to sled on his property while he vacationed in Florida every year. The Edina Courier published this story on the front page of the Nov. 9, 1967, issue:

Residents of the 70th Street and Normandale Road area presented Morten Arneson with a plaque for his "generosity in allowing the freedom and enjoyment of 'Arneson Acres' to the children of the following neighborhood families: G.T. Armstrong, MB. Blair, A.W. Brunsell, J.W. Buckley, D. L. Budolfson, D. O. Comb, W.C. Corwin, D. Giovanelli, J. L. Kamiske, Dr. M.F. Lynch, J. D. Murphy, K. Priebe, Dr. P.J. Scanlan, J. L. Sowle and J.C. Verdorn."

Now, as then, children flock to Arneson Acres for winter fun. Although the hill is brown now, I hope it is snow-covered by our February sledding parties. As the news story says, "Once the snow flies, sleds and skis will abound throughout 'Arneson Acres.'"

The Fortwingler name is probably not as familiar as most other pioneer families, such as the Bulls, Bairds, McCauleys and Delaneys. Unlike those families whose many descendants stayed in Edina, the Fortwinglers made their home here for one just generation.

Still, the Fortwinglers owned one of the larger properties in Edina for 22 years. From 1876 to 1898, the Fortwinglers owned a 267-acre farm bordered by Highway 100 to the west, 70th Street to the north, 78th Street to the south and West Shore Drive and Kelllogg Avenue to the east.

Yes, the Edina History Museum, Arneson Acres Park and Lake Edina of today are located within those boundaries.

Here is the Google map of the property today:

Here is the 1898 map. 70th Street is at the top border. Cahill Road is the street running north and south at left. Nine Mile Creek is shown to the left of the Fortwingler property.

Thanks to a Fortwingler descendant David Cassin, we have the photo and story of the family. Patriarch George R. Fortwingler had a circuitous journey that took him from Baden, Germany, to Edina.

Born on Nov. 28, 1823, George most likely fought in the German Revolution of 1848. In that conflict, he was seriously injured and left for dead when slashed across the forehead by the saber of a mounted horseman.

He immigrated to the United States in 1854 and lived in Ohio for a one year before moving to St. Paul, MN. He had two sets of twins with his first wife A. Reisslei: George and Caroline in 1856 and Julius and Julian in 1860.

According to Cassin, one day while Mrs. Fortwingler was working at home, she became frightened by some Indians and accidentally overturned a kettle of boiling water, which scalded her to death.

In 1864, George married a 19-year-old mail order bride, Ursula O. Renz, from his home of Baden. He had four children age 8 and under at the time.

The family moved in 1866 to Bloomington, MN, where George owned the "Half-way House" hotel, which was at the intersection of Old Shakopee Trail and Nine Mile Creek. The hotel was so named because it was located halfway along Old Shakopee Trail between Fort Snelling and Shakopee. Likewise, Nine Mile Creek got is name from being nine miles along Old Shakopee Trail.

Two years later the couple bought an 80-acre farm where Washburn Elementary is now located (bordered by 8th Street, 86th Street, Xerxes Ave and Penn). They had three children: Emma (b. 1870), Ethel Mary (b. 1871) and Hazel E. (b. 1878).

In 1876, the family moved to Edina and lived there until 1898. By this time, the oldest son George Jr. had died in a farming accident, Julius had moved to New York -- apparently to further an acting career -- and the other children had married. George and Ursula moved to Minneapolis until their deaths. George died on Aug. 1, 1916, at age 93. Ursula died on March 4, 1935, at age 90. They are buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

I have always said that I have the best view in Edina, with Arneson Acres'  gardens and trees attracting everything from weddings to wildlife. We've seen people gather for 90th birthday parties, class reunions and classes on the terrace, and eagles and owls swoop by our window.

Today, we watched a group of young people working on... something. Finally, we figured out that they were building track for a dolly for a video camera.

Then, a young fox scampered into the scene, as if on cue. He rolled on the hill in the sunshine, scratched his ears and watched the surprised humans, who watched back. Then, one of the young men started shooting film and for several minutes, the fox posed and played like a contestant on America's Next Top Model before going off into the woods.

Yes, we do get work done at the office. Why do you ask?