Victory Memorial Parkway, or Victory Memorial Drive, is a section of the

Grand Rounds Scenic Byway The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is a linked series of park areas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that takes a roughly circular path through the city. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board developed the system over many years. ...

that lies between Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States and

Robbinsdale, Minnesota Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota,. The population was 13,953 at the time of the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Minnesot ...

, United States. The parkway runs along the northwestern and northern boundaries of the

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

neighborhood and Camden community. Trees and memorials located throughout the parkway were established to honor the memory of the

servicemen The term serviceman, alternatively service member, refers to enlisted members of a nation's armed forces. More generally, the term can be applied to officers as well. For more information see: *Soldier *Sailor *Airman *Marine *Coast guard ...

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapo ...

. A wide central

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

within the parkway serves as a recreational park. The Victory Memorial Parkway also provides visitor access to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

, North Mississippi Regional Park and Shingle Creek.

History

The

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is an independent park district that owns, maintains, and programs activities in public parks in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It has 500 full-time and 1,300 part-time employees and an $ ...

(MPRB) began acquiring land for the "Parkway" in 1910. The parkway was completed in 1921 and was dedicated as a memorial to servicemen and

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

s from Hennepin County who died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A statue of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

erected on the northwestern curve of the parkway was dedicated on May 25, 1930 by surviving members of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in honor of their comrades who gave their lives in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Various improvements have taken place since that time including the installation of the

bicycle path Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...

(trail) in 1975. When the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 pe ...

regional park system was created in 1974, the parkway along with other major parks in Minneapolis became part of the regional system. In 2003, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill designating “Victory Memorial Drive” as a state historic district. Over the years, the original monuments had fallen into disrepair and many of the hundreds of elm trees planted had died. Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota funded a $6.7 million project to repair the Parkway. Victory Memorial was rededicated in June, 2011. Improvements include new and refurbished monuments and memorials, including a restoration of the nearby Grand Army of the Republic Circle and a statue of Abraham Lincoln, and dozens of new trees and flower beds. Victory Drive itself was resurfaced with new asphalt. An annual 5 and 10K

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

is held during the first week of September along Victory Memorial Drive. The MDRA Victory Race is sponsored by the Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) and will be in its 31st year in 2013.

Photo gallery

Image:victory_-kiosk.jpg, An informational kiosk on the parkway Image:victory_-byway.jpg, A pedestrian sign on Victory Memorial Drive Image:victory -lincoln.jpg, Statue of Abraham Lincoln on Victory Memorial Drive

References

External links

Victory Memorial Grand Rounds

MPRB Victory Memorial Parkway Master Plan

America's Byways - Victory Memorial Parkway
{{Coord, 45, 2, 13, N, 93, 19, 9, W, display=title Streets in Minneapolis Shared-use paths in Minneapolis

History

Photo gallery

See also

References

External links