June 4, 2015: Swede Hollow/Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary Trail (St. Paul)

Join the hiking group for an urban hike through historic "Swede Hollow" in St. Paul, along the southern portion of the Bruce Vento Regional Trail, and into the newly established Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. Swede Hollow is the ravine in St. Paul that once carried Phalen Creek to the Mississippi River. Phalen Creek was diverted into the Belt Line Tunnel in the 1920's. The ravine's first settler was Edward Phelan (his name was subject to various spellings) in 1841. In 1844, William Dugus built Saint Paul’s first sawmill on the creek. In 1865, the first train rolled through the valley, heading to Duluth. Early immigrants were Swedish and they named the valley "Svenska Dalen" or "Swede Hollow." Subsequent Polish, Italian, and Hispanic immigrants moved into the squatter homes built along the sides of the ravine. In 1956, St. Paul Health Department officials "discovered" that Swede Hollow had no sewer or city water service, they declared the Hollow a health hazard, and ordered the last 14 families to move out and the remaining homes destroyed. Once a former rail yard nestled at the foot of Daytons Bluff, the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary offers an array of unique and beautiful features, including towering sandstone and limestone bluffs, pristine underground springs and dramatic views of the Downtown Saint Paul skyline. The sanctuary includes the remains of the North Star Brewery Cave and of Carver’s Cave, known to the Dakota as "Wakan Tipi" or house of spirits, which was a landmark to early European explorers but which was seriously altered by the construction of the nearby railroad lines.

Directions:From the west, take I-94 to the east side of downtown St. Paul to the East 7th Street Exit. After exiting, follow Wall Street a couple of blocks to East Seventh Street and go east (left.) Continue on East Seventh Street about nine blocks, past the Highway 52 bridge turnoff, to the trailhead, just past the intersection with Payne Avenue. From the east, take I-94 to the Mounds Boulevard exit. Continue on Mounds Boulevard to East Seventh Street and turn west (left.) Continue down the hill along East Seventh Street a long city block to the trailhead. A small parking lot and the trailhead are on the south side of the street. Meet in the trailhead parking lot. Additional parking is available on the street on Payne Avenue.

Street plan of St. Paul around 1900, showing the railroad through Swede Hollow

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This webpage was last updated on May 31, 2014.