Longfellow in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
3012 Minnehaha Avenue South: Lauritzen Wagon and Blacksmith Shop
The Museum in the Streets: Minneapolis, Minnesota
— 27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure —
Martinus Nelson built a blacksmith shop here in 1888. The smithy serviced local horses and wagons that kept area dairy farms running. Danish immigrant Christian Lauritzen took over in 1898. Business was good in the growing community, and by 1904, Lauritzen built a more substantial shop with a brick façade. Five years later he moved his wife, Hilleborg, and their two children to a nearby home he had built on Minnehaha Avenue, where he lived out his life. Despite the rise of the automobile and the ever-decreasing number of horses in the area, Lauritzen continued to operate the blacksmith shop at this location until his death in 1942. The building survived for almost 100 years; it was torn down in the late 1980s to provide parking for an adjacent business.
Erected 2012 by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets®: Minneapolis, Minnesota series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.
Location. 44° 56.883′ N, 93° 14.031′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Longfellow. Marker is on Minnehaha Avenue near E. Lake Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2613 E Lake Street, Minneapolis MN 55407, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 3010 Minnehaha Avenue South: Fire Station No. 21 (a few steps from this marker); Longfellow School (within shouting distance of this marker); 2700 East Lake: Coliseum Building / Freeman's Department Store (within shouting distance of this marker); 2629 East Lake: Minnehaha Grill (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Minneapolis-Moline (about 300 feet away); 2721-23 East Lake: Lake Theater (about 500 feet away); Snelling Avenue: African American Community (about 600 feet away); 2730 East 31st Street: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 446 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on May 27, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2. submitted on June 8, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.