‘Cover Stories’ Archives
With New President Shelley Buck, Friends of the Falls Now Native-Led with Native-American Majority Board
New president of Friends of the Fall, Shelley Buck, with outgoing president Mark Andrew. Photo Credit: Nicole Neri By AMANDA WIGEN, Friends of the FallsFriends of the Falls, a non-profit working to transform the site adjacent to the Upper Lock on Minneapolis’ central Mississippi riverfront, made headlines on February 3 when it announced that retiring president Mark Andrew would be succeeded by Shelley Buck. Shelley is currently serving her sixth term on Prairie Island Tribal Council and serves as a board member of the Minnesota Wild Foundation, Great River Passage Conservancy, and Lower Phalen Creek Project. She has been a part of the project since late 2020 as a valued member of The Falls Initiative’s Native Partnership Council. Under Shelley’s leadership, the organization is now Native-led and has a majority Native American board of directors.“Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls) and Wita Wanagi (Spirit Island) were desecrated like so many of our sacred sites. For Friends [...]
The Grease Presser: Rediscovering Forgotten Trades of the Southtown Yards
IMAGE 1 IMAGE 2 IMAGE 3 IMAGE 1 1945 aerial view showing Southtown Yards in the center. Lake Street runs east/west along the bottom, and Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery can be seen in the lower left corner. Photo Credit: John R. Borchert Map Library, University of MinnesotaIMAGE 2 Contemporary aerial view marking the location of the old roundhouse between Hiawatha and Minnehaha Avenues, just south of East 26th Street. Photo Credit: Google EarthIMAGE 3 Patent diagram showing Oscar Zerk’s ingenious method of injecting grease into internal moving parts. By JOHN ANDERSENA century ago, South Minneapolis was home to thousands of skilled tradespeople. Right next to our neighborhood was the largest roundhouse of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul, and Pacific Railroad, more commonly known as The Milwaukee Road. The roundhouse had forty-six stalls and was completed before 1900. In the center was a ninety foot electrically operated turntable. Immediately adjacent were the [...]
Time to Activate An Uprising of Support Around East Phillips
East Phillips neighbors and allies overflowed the City Council Chamber on January 26 in opposition to the demolition of the Roof Depot building. The City Council approved the demolition on a 7-6 vote. Pending ongoing legal action, demolition is expected to begin in late February. Source: Delaney Russell By ANDREW FAHLSTROM Minneapolis is a deliberate settlement built on Native land. The land we live on was taken through brutal violence, unilaterally justified through force and broken treaties and lies. The repercussions of this original violence shapes so much about our lives to this day. As you read this, the now long-established City of Minneapolis is practicing its own version of Manifest Destiny on an area of land in the East Phillips neighborhood. The City is hell-bent on shoving a diesel vehicle parking lot and maintenance yard down the throats of our neighbors. It will sit on the site of the former Roof Depot business, which itself sits on top of a federal [...]
