Eastwood Park Reporter
Minot, North Dakota
Est. 1991
August 1992
Vol 2, No 8
Eastwood Park Founding Fathers
By Kay Cameron
In 1900, the island that would become Eastwood Park was farm land. But when George Hecker purchased the farm from Robert Rowan, he saw more than a piece of farm land. Hecker, being a land developer, saw it as a very beautiful residential addition to Minot. Because it was within walking distance from the business district in the heart of Minot, it was to be popular with the prominent business people.
In 1905, Hecker was offered a deal that he could not refuse, but he should have. He traded much of his real estate for shares in the Monarch Gold Mining Company. Later, he found that the shares were worthless. There was no mining company and no gold; just a salted mine. In early 1906, Hecker and his lawyer, Kalita Leighton, who was with the firm Greenleaf & Leighton, filed a lawsuit to reacquire the land. It was Leighton who acquired the land in an out of court settlement and assigned a fifty percent interest to Hecker.
On August 1, 1906, Hecker, Leighton & Greenleaf, offered lots for sale in the newly platted Eastwood Park. Although the land was beautiful, Hecker and Leighton added $1000.00 in greens and shrubs to the Oak, Elm and Ash trees, rose bushes and grape vines.
In 1909, Hecker gave his remaining interest in Eastwood Park to Leighton in return for one lot at 212 9th Street SE making this his residence.
Beyond these dealings, little is known about George Hecker. He owned and developed much of the Valley Street area which is known as Hecker's Additions 1, 2 and 3.
Without Kalita Leighton, there may never have been an Eastwood Park. Leighton came to Minot in about 1900 and started the law firm of Greenleaf & Leighton with his brother-in-law, Daniel Greenleaf. He was active in city government, serving on the city council. In 1917, Leighton was appointed district court judge and served until 1923. He then formed the law firm of Leighton & Brace.
Daniel Greenleaf, Leighton's law partner, came to Minot with his brother-in-law in 1900. He was also on the city council and was elected Mayor of Minot in 1904, serving until 1906. He was very influential in the development of Minot but it is not clear if he was directly involved with Eastwood Park.
Eastwood Park Association News
By LeAnn Derby, President
It's a date! The Eastwood Park Historic District Neighborhood Association Picnic will be Sunday, September 13, 1992 in the backyard of Dan and LeAnn Derby, 215 9th Street SE at 5:00 pm. Everyone bring a plentiful dish, your own drinks and utensils and we'll all have a great time. This will be our next meeting also.
At the last meeting, we approved the $550.00 to move the causeway fence down the river slope.
Kathleen Cunningham also set up a traffic study which took place Wednesday, July 29 at both entrances to Eastwood Park from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. This will give us a real idea of traffic flow and also help Wold Engineering design the intersection on Central Avenue for the new 7th street bridge. Thanks to all the volunteers.
Pete Hugret reported on a meeting he and Bob Coburn had with the city weed control folks about getting rid of the green duckweed in our river. Also, we learned that the flood gate from our oxbow to the main river is always open. The flow is not there only due to the fact that there isn't enough water to go through the gate.
Kari Conrad is making inroads on how to get our walking bridge to Roosevelt Park back. She'll have more on this later.
The Sensible Gardener
By Shan Cunningham
In addition to the commonly grown bearded iris, there are several species of iris that are of value in our climate. Iris sibirica is the easiest to obtain. Native of from Germany, across Russia and eastward into Siberia, this iris has been in cultivation since the Middle Ages. Today there are hundreds of named varieties available, ranging in size from twelve inches to well over three feet. They are available in both solid and bi-tone forms in colors from white and blue on toward purple and wine red. Siberian iris is tolerant of partial shade although it will bloom more freely in a sunny location. On the sunlight spectrum, rate this one between 5.5 and 8.0. Well, all of that is good news. The bad news is that Siberian iris requires a lot of water -- about as much water as a bluegrass lawn. So there is the first solution to the problem, plant this iris close enough to the lawn that it will be watered in the normal course of lawn care. Another is to plant it near a downspout from a rain gutter. In either case, work some extra peat moss into the soil to a depth of eighteen inches and leave a wide shallow depression to collect water. Plant the rhizomes an inch deep in the bottom of this depression and water deeply until the plants are established. Late summer is the best time to transplant Siberian iris. Once established, they need not be divided until the clump begins to die out in the center, a process that will take eight to ten years.
A little known iris whose cultural requirements are very similar to the Siberian iris is Iris setosa. This is the cold hardiest of all the irises and is native from Siberia across Alaska and into the Hudson Bay region. There are several varieties of this iris listed in botanical texts. Iris setosa var. arctica, native to the interior of Alaska does well this far south when given some protection from the worst of our summer sun. What is will not tolerate is spring. After it blooms in late-May or early-June, it will need very little additional moisture beyond normal rainfall.
Native to northern Minnesota, the Great Lakes and adjacent Canada, the blue flag or Iris versicolor, is another water loving iris that performs well in our climate. It does require more shade than the Siberian iris. Rate this one between 4.5 and 6.5, other than that, grow it as you would Siberian iris.
Finally, consider growing Iris missouriensis, the only iris native to North Dakota. Now reported from both Emmons and Kidder counties, this iris was, in the past, found along the Missouri River. Dam building and habitat destruction have reduced the native population to the point of extinction. The native plants have been assigned the varietal name pelogonus, which means clay-loving. This a small plant. The flower stalks are twelve inches or less in height, with one to three blossoms. The flowers shades of light blue or lavender. A rare white form also exists. iris missouriensis var. pelogonus requires full, prairie sun and heavy soil. It needs a little extra moisture until it blooms in early June. After that, it should be allowed to dry out and go dormant. Unlike other irises, this one must be transplanted only in the spring while it is actively growing. Seed, while slow to germinate, is the best source of new plants. Here is an opportunity to preserve a plant that will, otherwise, soon be gone.
Busse Gardens, Route 2 Box 238 Cokato MN 55321, is a very good source for Siberian iris. Their catalog lists nearly one hundred named varieties. They are also an excellent source for peonies and daylilies, two subjects for later articles. Busse also carries Iris versicolor. I have seed for both Iris sertosa var. arctica and Iris missouriensis.
The Sensible Gardener's Sunlight Spectrum
10 ------------ 9 ------------ 8 ------------ 7 ----------- 6 ------------ 5 ------------ 4 ----------- 3 ------------ 2 ------------ 1
Prairie -------------------- Full Sun -------------------- Partial Shade -------------------- Shade ------------------- Deep Shade
10 - Moss Rose--------8.5 Marigold, Zinnia-------8 Bearded Iris-------7 Petunia--------5.5 Impatiens-------4 Tuberous Begonia
Folk Tales Wanted
By Kay M. Cameron
There are many stories about things that have happened in Eastwood Park. They have never been written down. They have been just passed from one person to another. The Eastwood Park Reporter would like to print them for all to enjoy. To do this, the people that know these tales need to write them down and drop them off at 605 1st Avenue SE. This may take some time on the writer's part but it is time well spent recording history. At the moment, according to the North Dakota Historical Society, very little of Minot's history is written down. We are hoping to make this a monthly feature but that all depends on you.
The Eastwood Park Reporter needs you. Publishing the paper on a monthly basis is difficult some months since we don't always have time to do research. We do what we can to continue to put the paper out monthly but we need the input of other people to continue this in the future.
Traffic Survey Conducted
By Kathleen Cunningham
The first traffic survey in Eastwood Park was taken on July 25, 1992, from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Traffic was counted at two intersections. Both incoming and outgoing traffic was logged.
Traffic at the intersection of 9th Street and Riverside Drive totaled 1912 vehicles. There were 1789 passenger vehicles, 81 business vehicles, 2 semi-trailers, 26 motorcycles and 14 miscellaneous vehicles.
Traffic at the intersection of 8th Street and First Avenue totalled 1489 vehicles. There were 1389 passenger vehicles, 64 business vehicles, 1 semi-trailer, 15 motorcycles and 20 miscellaneous vehicles.
This process led to several discoveries. First, the starting time should be changed to 7:00 a.m. in order to record the morning traffic. Second the forms should be revamped for easier use. Third, categories need to be further defined to avoid confusion.
To get enough data and be statistically valid, the survey needs to be done for a day in August and three days in September. According to the Minot Traffic Department, surveys are usually done in September or April, which are considered the normal months.
A special thank you to all the volunteers, the survey could not have been done without them. More volunteers will be needed in August and September. Anyone interested should contact the Derbys or Cunninghams.