News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Friday January 9th 2026
“Bring a shawl and get a baby” from a 1908-09 Baby Farm 3341 Nicollet Avenue
![“The babies [from the Baby Farm on Nicollet Avenue] are buried in unmarked graves at various locations throughout the cemetery.” This heart shaped grave marker is for Emma Bertta who died June 30th 1886, marker of a heart shaped cross and whose family did provide this marker.](https://alleynews.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/004.02-oct-09-tales-photoBabysMarker18861.jpg "004.02 oct 09 tales photoBabysMarker1886")
The babies from the Baby Farm on Nicollet Avenue are buried in unmarked graves
Between June 24, 1908 and September 6, 1909, 27 infants died at the same address–3341 Nicollet Avenue South. These babies (13 girls, 13 boys, and one whose gender was not recorded) were under the care of “Doctor” Hans Oftedal. As the quote marks suggest, Hans Oftedal was not a licensed physician; he was the proprietor of one of several “baby farms” operating in Minneapolis at the time.
Baby farms were essentially unlicensed boarding houses for infants whose parents were too poor to care for them. The parents surrendered their children to baby farm operators and paid a fee for the care that they believed their children would receive. In some cases, the parents intended to come back and reclaim their children, but in other cases they expected their children to be adopted by families who could provide for them. Adoption was unregulated at that time, and Minneapolis had the dubious distinction of being the baby-trafficking capitol of the Upper Midwest. The Minneapolis Tribune described the adoption trade in Minneapolis as one in which people could “Bring a shawl and get a baby.”
In October 1909, “Doctor” Oftedal shut down his baby farm.… Read the rest ““Bring a shawl and get a baby” from a 1908-09 Baby Farm 3341 Nicollet Avenue”
Frequent + Biker = Freiker Rhymes with Hiker
Freiker + Dero = More Hiking and Biking at Seward Montessor
Dero Bike Racks
By Kathy Kurdelmeier
Dero Bike Racks in the Seward neighborhood has paired up with Seward Montessori, a Minneapolis Public School, to make the school the most walked and biked to school in the city… maybe the state.
Dero Bike Racks has donated a Freiker/Dero ZAP system to the school, a system designed to encourage kids to bike and walk to school. Freiker (frequent + biker, rhymes with hiker) a non profit company out of Boulder, Colorado, pioneered the concept using RFID technology. Dero Bike Racks manufactures the ZAP unit. The system is the first to be used in a Minnesota school, one of a only dozen throughout the country.
Each registered student is given a RFID (radio frequency identification) tag. Each time the student walks or bikes to school they pass under the ZAP unit, which emits a beep and records their trip and mileage into the Freiker database.
That information will be used to provide incentives to individuals and classes that walk and bike the most. The school also hopes to incorporate the information into the classroom, teaching the students about their carbon footprint and the benefit of walking and biking to themselves as well as to the environment.… Read the rest “Frequent + Biker = Freiker Rhymes with Hiker”
THE Murder and Mayhem TOUR
Do you ever think that you would have liked to live back in the “good old days?” Think again. Murders, suicides, rail yard accidents, mill explosions, car wrecks and drownings were pretty much the order of the day. On our (occasionally irreverent) tour, you”'ll hear about some of the highlights of Minneapolis”' history and be introduced to some of the city”'s more outrageous low-lifes. We”'ll visit the graves of Harry Hayward, mastermind of Minneapolis”' crime of the 19th century, and the victims of the Macedonian Murders, the city”'s worst mass murder. And that”'s just for starters. This tour is co-sponsored by Friends of the Cemetery and the Hennepin History Museum. Suggested donation is $5.
What Would Your “Last Meal” on Earth Be?
Last Meal: What would be your last meal on earth and who would be your dining companions? Have a fun conversation with these questions as your starting point. The Last Meal celebration will feature gourmet sandwiches and desserts from The Salty Tart, a bakery owned and operated by nationally-acclaimed pastry chef, Michelle Gayer. The Salty Tart”'s sandwiches and pastries have received rave revues ”“ come see why she was nominated for a James Beard award and why she received four out of four stars from the Star Tribune.… Read the rest “THE Murder and Mayhem TOUR”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
