History, Houses & Hope History Walking Tour

On Sunday, June 8, Alliance supporters, and a few folks new to Alliance, gathered at Lake of Isles with Alliance Board Member, and former history teacher, Ben Olk to learn a little more about the city we call home. “History, Houses, and Hope” is an annual opportunity to explore a part of our housing past and consider how that affects the future of housing in Minneapolis. 

After coming together on the shore of the lake, Ben starts by honoring the Native people who cared for the land for generations prior to anyone considering building a permanent settlement in the area. He tells the story of that first permanent Native settlement on Bde Maka Ska and its eventual end before the story shifts to Lake of the Isles, which until the early 20th century was a swamp thought of as uninhabitable. As we begin our walk around the lake, Ben explains that following dredging of the area to create the lake as we know it, homes began being built around 1911. 

Making our way around the 2.6 mile loop, we stopped at many homes to learn about architecture (Prairie School, Tudor, Colonial, and on and on), their builders (inventors of Cream of Wheat, grain transportation techniques, less itchy long underwear), and who owns them today (Pohlads, Daytons, and some less famous names). Ben even told us about the one time he was in one of the larger homes for a party and how he won’t be invited back after spilling red wine on a white couch. 

We also discussed racial covenants, red lining, and other discriminatory housing policies that kept BIPOC Minneapolis residents from living in large sections of the city throughout much of the 20th century. We considered how income, credit scores, evictions, and criminal history locks so many out of finding home in 2025, and we talked about Alliance’s work to provide deeply affordable housing for these neighbors in all Minneapolis neighborhoods. It was a truly lovely day and fantastic opportunity to see the city in a new way. 

If you weren’t able to join us this year but still would like to support Alliance as we reach the end of our fiscal year, you can make a donation here, and we hope you can join us in summer 2026 for this educational and fun trip through Minneapolis past and present!