Evolving Pathways
I often reference my researching process as metaphorical “walk through the forest of all knowledge”. When doing so, I’ll sometimes realize that, while I try to stay focused on one pathway, other topics from different paths will distract me. As a result, I find myself wandering deeper into the forest and, subsequently, getting very far from my original research goal. . . This article is a byproduct of distracted research for my prior article, “The Best Time of the Year!”.
The image above is an incredibly common one, taken in Spring Park, near Hotel Del Otero. Originally known as Lover’s Lane, this walking path followed some of the shoreline’s contour as it travelled through the woods. Strollers could enjoy a serene and scenic afternoon in nature while also getting away from the bustle of the busier parts of the town. Naturally, as time went on and the area evolved, Lover’s Lane would evolve too. By the 1920’s, it was straightened, widened, and intentionally smoothed over to allow for automobile travel. While still known as Lover’s Lane, it resembled something more akin to a public thoroughfare than a couple’s private retreat. As the road network continued to expand, it became part of Shoreline Drive and, subsequently, Highway 15.
To the average resident today, the term “Lover’s Lane” is almost entirely lost. Unlike outdated names such as Red Bridge, which has been replaced and painted green for decades, Lover’s Lane is not a title still used. Perhaps this is because, unlike Red Bridge, it’s not an immediately recognizable location. The path and roadway through the trees is nondescript and, without the annotations, we’d be unlikely to tell it apart from walking paths in Deephaven, Excelsior, or any other town across the greater Midwest.
So, for our purposes, what makes Lover’s Lane unique and worth mentioning? Honestly, its relative insignificance is precisely what makes it worth our memory. In the same way we happily remember the Red Bridge and the memories made around it, so too was the case for Lover’s Lane:
A place where real people made tangible memories that lasted them a lifetime.
Image sources:
Header image: Minnetonka Minute private archive
2nd image: Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, Minnesota Digital Library
