History of the Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watersheds

Native Americans of the Woodland Period were the first settlers in the Shingle Creek and West Mississippi watersheds. White settlers began arriving in 1850-1851, and by the time the Public Land Survey was conducted in the area a few years later, much of the land was already claimed. Much of the southern part of the watersheds developed as truck farms for growing vegetables and flowers. The northern, sandier soils were perfect for growing potatoes. The western part of the watersheds was mainly row crops and pasturage. Osseo Road, now called Brooklyn Boulevard, and CR 81, now called Bottineau Boulevard, were built on former Indian trails and served as transportation corridors between the trade centers of Robbinsdale and Osseo and the markets of Minneapolis.
 
By the turn of the 20th century, pockets of development pushed out from Minneapolis, and many of the settled areas began incorporating as villages and later cities. As the post-World War II housing boom began farmland was subdivided and the area became almost completely suburbanized.

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History of the Shingle Creek Watershed

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