History of Twin Cities Streetcar System

at Anoka City Hall

On Saturday, April 19, at 1:30pm, the Anoka County Historical Society will present a program with John Diers, co-author of Twin Cites By Trolley: The Steetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Diers will speak about the Twin City Rapid Transit Company’s (TCRT) extensive network of lines and cars, as well as the Minneapolis, Anoka, & Cuyana Range Railway, which carried passengers between Anoka and Minneapolis.

Few nineteenth century inventions did more to shape the growth and development of the modern American city than did the electric streetcar. For the first time, land use could be planned and zoned with residential neighborhoods organized near open spaces. People could buy homes away from commercial activities and travel to their jobs. From 1890 to 1954, the electric streetcar was synonymous with the TCRT. At its peak in the 1920s, TCRT’s 523 mile system carried 238 million passengers.

The location for this event, Anoka City Hall, is particularly adept as it was the site of the turnaround for the Minneapolis, Anoka & Cuyana Range’s line. Started in 1913, the line struggled with funding before it closed down in 1943.

As the Twin Cities metro area prepares to expand its light rail system with the Central Corridor connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2014 and the Northstar Commuter Rail running through Anoka County in 2009, the subject of Diers’ presentation should be of interest to most. The event is free to the public.

The Anoka County Historical Society, organized in 1934, is headquartered in the Anoka County History Center and Library at 2135 Third Avenue North in Anoka. For more information on its programs and activities, please visit www.ac-hs.org.