Powderhorn in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
2019 East Lake: Burma Shave
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Lake Este 2019: Crema de Afeitar Burma Shave
The Museum in the Streets: Minneapolis, Minnesota
| — | 27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure | — |
Photographed by McGhiever, May 26, 2019
1. 2019 East Lake: Burma Shave marker
Burma-Shave was introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company, owned by Clinton Odell. The brushless shaving cream was advertised in an innovative way: small signs were posted along the edges of roadways, spaced for sequential reading by motorists. Typically, six consecutive signs printed the rhyming lines of a poem, with the last sign naming the product. Sales soared. At its peak, Burma-Shave was the second-highest-selling brushless shaving cream in the United States. Introduced in the early years of the automobile, this billboard gimmick was adopted by many other promoters before the expanded Interstate highway system of the 1950s and increase in vehicle speeds rendered it less effective. Before World War II, the company moved to another Minneapolis location and was later acquired by Phillip Morris, which eventually discontinued the product.
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Erected 2012 by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 1.)
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 1925.
Location. 44° 56.895′ N, 93° 14.535′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Powderhorn. It is at the intersection of East Lake Street and E. Lake Street, on the right when traveling north on East Lake Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2121 E Lake St, Minneapolis MN 55407, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 2107 East Lake: Porky's Drive-In (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by McGhiever, May 26, 2019
2. View of marker at the southeast corner of E. Lake St. and 21st Ave. S.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 482 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on May 29, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 27, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
