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150 Years at the Center of the Twin Cities: The Intersection of University and Prior Avenues

An Historical Exhibit Funded by the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission

Where is the exact geographic center of the Twin Cities? And what do we know about its history?

Some believe that the intersection of University and Prior Avenues in St. Paul is the center, and claim that there was a floor marker in a restaurant, now gone, that marked the exact spot. While some of the early buildings and activities are no longer present, there remains a considerable historical record showing what life was like on this corner, going back to the time when the State of Minnesota was founded.

A group of residents and businesses set out to discover all that happened at this intersection, and their findings are now being presented in a variety of ways. An on-line exhibit is being installed at www.universityavenuehistory.com., with interactive maps showing a variety of historic pictures and property records, drawings and ephemera. In addition, an exhibit will open at the galleries of the Ramsey County Historical Society in Landmark Center, 75 West 5th Street, St. Paul, on February 15, 2009. There will be a “sneak preview” sampling of this exhibit at the University UNITED Annual Awards Program on Monday, December 15, 2008 at 5:00 PM at 225 University Avenue. Finally, the exhibit will be shown as a work in progress at U-PLAN, 1956 University Avenue at Prior Avenue. The public is invited to stop by. It is hoped that the publicity from these previews will help locate additional historical materials to be included in the final exhibit. Ultimately, all this information will be presented in a printed article.

Considerable information is known about a number of the early important businesses at the corner. The Minnesota Transfer Rail Lines were set up by James J. Hill to facilitate exchange of freight between ten rail lines. Barrett and Zimmerman, one of the largest horse-trading firms in the country was located there, as well as Union Park, an early “suburban” real estate development. There were also lumber yards, businesses tied in to the railroads, restaurants, motels, a bridge, and a long gone YMCA facility. Because of its central location and proximity to the huge rail transfer yard, this corner has a fascinating history that sheds light on the development of the entire region and state.

A number of the businesses at this intersection today have been there for generations. The descendants of the horse trader Moses Zimmerman continue to own a commercial property called the Zimmerman Building, and have been doing business on this corner for four generations. The Barrett and Zimmerman Horse Brokerage building, still standing, is now owned by an organization of African immigrants who have established the Eritrean Community Center. This intersection represents in microcosm the larger changes that have occurred in our region over time. This is a transitional moment in the history of the corridor, as the new light rail line will undoubtedly bring about major changes. This research project will help document the important history of one portion of the corridor, and will serve as the model for similar histories that will be done for the entire corridor.

Minnesota Transfer Railway

The impetus for the establishment of the Minnesota Transfer Railway can be traced to a derailment in Minneapolis which caused considerable backup delaying, among others, the train of James J. Hill. The “Empire Builder” determined the solution was the creation of a large transfer yard where many separate train lines converging into the bustling Twin Cities could be accommodated without congestion. Shortly thereafter he started to acquire land for this purpose in the Midway area.  The Minnesota Transfer Railway Company was incorporated on March 10, 1883. The next year, the Company acquired approximately one mile of track from an unincorporated association known as the Union Stockyards – Minnesota Transfer, which had started in 1880. Original members of the Minnesota Transfer Railway Company included the Manitoba (later Great Northern Railway), Omaha, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee and M&StL. Officers for the new Transfer Railway were representatives from the various member rail companies. Over the years, additional train companies passing through the Twin Cities, bought into the non-profit Transfer company, which quickly expanded to ten rail lines. In 1889 the Transfer assumed control of the 14 miles of track of the Minnesota Transfer Company, which had started a decade earlier. This line carried livestock from Fridley to the affiliated Minneapolis Stock Yards & Packing Company’s plant in New Brighton.

By the 1950s, the Transfer Railway had over 150 miles of yard and industrial tracks servicing over 2,500 cars daily, and over 700 employees. A considerable industrial cluster of 400 industries developed around the yard, which both originated and received freight.