Archive Garden History

Site Plan and Archive

Friends of the Wild Flower Garden

History of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Original date of published articles is given in brackets
April Weather & Opening Day	Quotes from the Garden log's of the first 50 years about the weather on April 1st. Early spring is not the norm. (2013)
Birdbath in the Prairie	Origin of the granite birdbath on the central hill - Upland Garden (2010)
Bloodroots - Double-flowered	Brief illustrated notes about the double-flowered Bloodroot that was in the Garden until the early 2000's.
Bog in the Woodland Garden	History, environment and the plant community of the bog. (2010)
Cary George	The Garden's fourth caretaker - notes and experiences (2010)
Clinton Odell	Student of Eloise Butler and a benefactor of the Garden (2002)
Eloise Butler	Brief history with photos
80th Birthday	Photos taken on Eloise Butlers 80th Birthday - 1931
Memorial Plaque	Photo and description of Garden Memorial
Notice of Death	Letter of Park Superintendent Theodore Wirth
Last Rites Ceremony	Garden ceremony of May 5, 1933.
Eloise Butler 100 aniversary Birthday Bash.	A summary of events on the 100th birthday anniversary of Eloise Butler - 2007
Garden History	Short history of the Garden and the Curator/Gardeners - a document of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, created as an appendix to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary Management Plan 2010-2015. (pdf file)
Garden Origins	Archive paper from Minneapolis Park Board.
Gertrude S. Cram	Friend of Eloise Butler and Martha Crone and provider of plants (2010)
Great Medicine Spring	A history of the attempt to improve water flow and quality.
Ken Avery	The Garden's third caretaker; Creation of the Ken Avery Birding Terrace
Ken Avery's Plant Bloom Dates (pdf)	Early and late bloom dates for 25 spring flowers, up through 1977, collected and averaged by former gardener Ken Avery.
Kids in the Garden	Illustrated article by Donna Ahrens on kids groups visiting the Garden in 2009. (Fall 2009)
Loren Borer (PDF 160 KB)	The Garden's program coordinator is interviewed by Donna Ahrens and we learn about her background and why she liked the Garden. (Fall 2011)
Martha Crone	The Garden's second Curator, Founding member of the Friends, first Friends' Secretary and First editor of The Fringed Gentian™.
Martha Crone Visitor Shelter	Photos and history of the 1970 Shelter
Martha Crone Annual Reports.	Summaries of her reports to the Minneapolis Parks Superintendent.
Memorials in the Garden.	Photo pages of the various memorials and dedications within the Garden.
Memorials in the Martha Crone Shelter	Photos and text on the background of Shelter memorials
Old Curator's Office	The old "office" that was replaced by the Martha Crone Visitor Shelter.
Old Curator's Office Sketch	Color drawing by Clinton Odell circa 1950
Past Seasonal Winter History	Historical Highlights of the Winter season of 2003, 1988, 1963, 1938 & 1913 (Winter 2012/13)
Past Seasonal Spring History	Historical Highlights of the Spring season of 2003, 1988, 1963, 1938 & 1913 (Spring 2013)
Past Seasonal Summer History	Historical Highlights of the Summer season of 2003, 1988, 1963, 1938 & 1913 (Summer 2013)
Past Seasonal Autumn History	Historical Highlights of the Autumn season of 2003, 1988, 1963, 1938 & 1913 (Autumn 2013)
Past History by Year	A year chart of links to the ongoing work-in-progress of the history of the Eloise Butler Wild Flower Garden and of The Friends of the Wild Flower Garden
Friend's Garden Projects-recent	Details of Current Project Plans and those most recently completed.
Friend's Garden Projects-past	Illustrated summary of past projects funded by the Friends.
Restoration of Hepatica Hill	Curator Susan Wilkins explains the background of Hepatica Hill. (Winter 2005)
Restoration in Upland Garden	A photo review of a five year restoration project in a section of the Upland Garden - 2009
Showy Lady's-slipper Rescue-2012	Staff from the MN Landscape Arboretum and the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden obtain rescued plants from up north 7/11/2012
Storm Damage June 2010	Photos of the thunderstorm damge in the Garden on June 25, 2010
Storm Damage May 2011	Photos of the tornado damge in and near the Garden on May 22, 2011
Susan Wilkins	A profile of the current Garden Curator.
Then and Now	Photo comparison of Garden scenes -past and present - all sections below. (2010)
- Then and Now	The Old Cabin Office and the Newer Visitors Shelter - 7 decades apart
- Then and Now	The old and new office - Winter Views- five decades apart
- Then and Now	The Site of the Old Garden Office -1935 & 2008
- Then and Now	Mallard Pool and the Rustic Bridge - 7+ decades apart
- Then and Now	Hepatica Hill - Fifty years apart
- Then and Now	Trees and Paths in the Woodland Bog - 1948 & 2008
- Then and Now	Foamflower in the Woodland Bog - 1952 & 2008
- Then and Now	East Woodland Path to the Shelter - 1952 & 2008
- Then and Now	Open Water in the Woodland Bog - 1950 to 2008
- Then and Now	The Entrance to the Upland Garden - 1948 and 2008
- Then and Now	Upland Hillside Early Plantings - 1950 & 2008
- Then and Now	Upland Central Hillside - 1948 & 2008
Upland Garden Development	History of how the upland was added to the Garden
Upland Garden 1993 Land Addition	Friends member Elaine Christenson writes on the 1993 land addition to the Upland Prairie Garden. (Winter 1994)
Eloise Butler's Writings	Essays from Annals of the Wild Life Reserve
Birdbath acquisition	New Birdbath and seeing a woodcock - June 1917
Experiences in Collecting	Finding the White Cypripedium - May 1914
March 1915	Notable Features of my Wild Garden
March 1915 (Spring)	Notable Features of my Wild Garden - a second essay listing a large number of spring plants in the early Garden
Occult Experiences of a Wild Gardener	Eloise relates how a medium told her that she has two ghostly botanist friends that want her to find the plant she is looking for.