Shepard Road/Warner Road

Last updated
Shepard Road
Warner Road
The builder in 1,000 places (3735176976).jpg
Warner Road east of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, runs between the Mississippi River and train tracks
West endMN-5.svg MN 5
East endUS 61.svgUS 10.svg US 61  / US 10

Shepard Road and Warner Road are the names given to a four-lane road running along the banks of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [1] Shepard Road (County Road 37) runs from the southwestern boundary of the county to downtown Saint Paul. From downtown east the road is known as Warner Road (County Road 36; it runs to a junction with US Highways 61 and 10. [2]

Contents

The road is a four-lane highway which closely follows the Mississippi River and connects some of the most historic parts of the Twin Cities which grew up along the river. As its southern boundary over almost its entire length is the Mississippi River, [3] there is cross traffic at only a handful of intersections, and few signal lights. It is a principal arterial route into downtown Saint Paul.

Much of the road is atop or alongside wooded riverside bluffs, and it adjoins several parks and nature areas. In downtown Saint Paul it is on the riverbottoms.

Name

Shepard Road was named for George M. Shepard, chief engineer of St. Paul Department of Public Works from the 1920s to 1950s. [4] Warner Road is named after Richmond Warner, a former chairman of the St. Paul Port Authority. [5]

Routing

From the west, Shepard Road starts at Minnesota State Highway 5 on the east bank of the Mississippi River at the east end of the Fort Road Bridge, directly across the river from Fort Snelling. This fort, now in Fort Snelling State Park, was the first permanent Euro-American settlement in Minnesota at the Mississippi's confluence with the Minnesota River. The road curves from east-southeast to east by northeast on the river bluffs above Pike Island in the Mississippi, where Lieutenant Zebulon Pike purchased from the Mdewakanton tribe land on which Fort Snelling later was built. The island was the site of a prison camp for Indians captured in the Dakota War of 1862 and now part of Fort Snelling State Park. Adjacent to the park to the east and adjoining the road is Crosby Regional Park, a Saint Paul city park on the river bottom maintained as a nature area.

Continuing northeast, the road passes under the Lexington Bridge which carries Interstate 35E over the Mississippi. From that intersection to Warner Road's eastern terminus it is part of the National Highway System and is also a segment of the Great River Road. [6]

The road passes over the approach track to the Omaha Road Bridge Number 15, railroad swing bridge across the Mississippi. The road curves inland as it descends from the bluffs to the riverbank near downtown Saint Paul; it was relocated inland to make way for riverfront development. [7] Along the way it passes under the High Bridge.

As the road reaches downtown it rejoins the river bank and is located atop the levee where steamboats once stopped and where the city began. Here it passes under a succession of bridges, the Wabasha Street Bridge, St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge, the Robert Street Bridge, and east of the city center, the Lafayette Bridge.

In downtown, next to the Saint Paul Union Depot, the road's name changes from Shepard Road to Warner Road. As Warner Road heads east, it is located between former station tracks of the depot and the Mississippi. The road southeast between the Mississippi and Indian Mounds Park, a burial ground for Native Americans in Pre-contact times. The road turns to the east to its end at US Highways 61 and 10.

History

It was flooded by the Mississippi in the floods of 1965, of 1993, and 1997. [1] [8] [9] Shepard and Warner roads were built in the riverbed to help businesses grow in the floodplain. The roads also helped in the development of the riverfront. [10]

Importance

When constructed in the 1960s, the road was the only four-lane, restricted-access connection between the I-494 beltline and downtown Saint Paul, as I-35E had not yet been completed. The road remains an important route for trucks to bypass weight restrictions on Interstate 35E and slower traffic and signal lights on Highway 5. The road closely parallels Minnesota State Highway 5 for most of its length in St. Paul and takes traffic off of Highway 5 to bypass the middle of downtown St. Paul. The road is heavily used in St. Paul for traffic coming to and from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport served by Highway 5. Because of its importance, it has been looked at by the Commissioner of Transportation to be marked as a state route, but the road is not likely to become a marked route in the near future. [1]

Because of the location's proximity to railroads, The Webb Company was at one time on Shepard Road. Founded in 1882, Webb Publishing was among the largest printing companies in the United States, and printed magazines including The Farmer, books and telephone directories on Shepard Road. Webb was acquired by other companies, most famously by the British Printing & Communications Corp. (BPCC) of Robert Maxwell. [11]

The first assembly of the Territorial Legislature of the Minnesota Territory was held on June 1, 1849, in a hotel that was on Shepard Road. [12]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Ramsey St. Paul MN-5.svg MN 5 (West 7th Street)
I-35E.svgNational Route plate.svg
GreatRiverRoad.svg
I-35E  / Great River Road (National Route)
Western end of Great River Road overlap
West plate blue.svg
County 38 (MN).svg
CSAH 38 west (Randolph Avenue)
Childs RoadInterchange
US 10.svgUS 61.svgNational Route plate.svg
GreatRiverRoad.svg
US 10  / US 61  / Great River Road (National Route)
Eastern end of Great River Road overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul, Minnesota</span> Capital city of Minnesota, United States

Saint Paul is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center of Minnesota's government. The Minnesota State Capitol and the state government offices all sit on a hill close to the city's downtown district. One of the oldest cities in Minnesota, Saint Paul has several historic neighborhoods and landmarks, such as the Summit Avenue Neighborhood, the James J. Hill House, and the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Like the adjacent city of Minneapolis, Saint Paul is known for its cold, snowy winters and humid summers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great River Road</span> Highway designation

The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. It formerly extended north into Canada, serving the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. The road is designated as both a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road in several states along the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota County, Minnesota</span> County in Minnesota, United States

Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 443,341 in 2022. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.64 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the eleventh-largest city in Minnesota and sixth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Highway 5</span> Highway in Minnesota

Minnesota State Highway 5 is a 76.347-mile-long (122.869 km) highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 19 and MN 22 in Gaylord and continues east and northeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with MN 120 in Maplewood. The route passes through downtown Saint Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Snelling State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Fort Snelling State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of Minnesota, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. For many centuries, the area of the modern park has been of importance to the Mdewakanton Dakota people who consider it the center of the earth. The state park, which opened in 1962, is named for the historic Fort Snelling, which dates from 1820. The fort structure is maintained and operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. The bulk of the state park preserves the bottomland forest, rivers, and backwater lakes below the river bluffs. Both the state and historic fort structure are part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a National Park Service site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 35E (Minnesota)</span> Interstate Highway in Minnesota, United States

Interstate 35E (I-35E) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Saint Paul. It is one of two through routes for I-35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being I-35W through Minneapolis. Thus, both ends of I-35E are shared with I-35W and I-35.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 35W (Minnesota)</span> Interstate Highway in Minnesota, United States

Interstate 35W (I-35W) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Minneapolis. It is one of two through routes for I-35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being I-35E through downtown Saint Paul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi National River and Recreation Area</span> National Park Service area in the United States

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a 72-mile (116 km) and 54,000-acre (22,000 ha) protected corridor along the Mississippi River through the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, to just downstream of Hastings. This stretch of the upper Mississippi River includes natural, historical, recreational, cultural, scenic, scientific, and economic resources of national significance. This area is the only national park site dedicated exclusively to the Mississippi River. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is sometimes abbreviated as MNRRA or MISS, the four letter code assigned to the area by the National Park Service. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is classified as one of four national rivers in the United States, and despite its name it is technically not one of the 40 national recreation areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Highway 51</span> State highway in Minnesota

Minnesota State Highway 51 is a 11.274-mile-long (18.144 km) highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 5 in Saint Paul and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with Interstate 694 / U.S. Highway 10 in Arden Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland Park, Saint Paul</span> Neighborhood in Ramsey, Minnesota, United States

Highland Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern corner of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Also known as Highland District Council, it lies along the Mississippi River just north of Fort Snelling and across the river from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. According to the 2000 census Highland Park had a population of 23,202.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Rivers Regional Trail</span>

Big Rivers Regional Trail is a paved 4.5-mile (7.2 km) rail trail that overlooks the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers along the northern edge of Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It runs between the cities of Eagan and Lilydale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Minneapolis</span> History of a US City

Minneapolis is the largest city by population in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The origin and growth of the city was spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United States military presence in the area, and by its location on Saint Anthony Falls, which provided power for sawmills and flour mills.

The Riverview Corridor is a transit corridor connecting Downtown Saint Paul and the Mall of America in Bloomington via the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The corridor serves an area from the Saint Paul Union Depot to the Mall via parts of the Metro Green Line and the Metro Blue Line, and a route running parallel to West 7th Street, which runs southwest from Downtown Saint Paul. The corridor creates a triangle connecting opposite ends of the Blue Line and Green Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Steele</span>

Franklin Steele was an early settler of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, of Scottish descent, Steele worked in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania post office as a young man, where he once met President James Buchanan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neighborhoods in Saint Paul, Minnesota</span>

Saint Paul, Minnesota, consists of 17 officially defined city districts or neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Dakota County, Minnesota</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. Dakota County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, bounded on the northeast side by the Upper Mississippi River and on the northwest by the Minnesota River. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

The Canadian Pacific Railway's Merriam Park Subdivision or Merriam Park Sub, also known as the Short Line, is a railway line in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is run by the Soo Line Railroad, a U.S. in-name-only division of CP. It runs from the Saint Paul Yard, also known as the Pigs Eye Yard, westward to the Short Line Bridge over the Mississippi River, where rails continue as part of the Minnesota Commercial Railway. It was named for John L. Merriam, a Minnesota banker and politician. Completed by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in 1880, it shortened the route Milwaukee Road trains took between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis. Previous trains would exit Saint Paul and follow the Mississippi River southwest until crossing at Fort Snelling, where they would follow the path of today's Hiawatha Avenue and the Metro Blue Line toward the Milwaukee Road Depot. Originally built as an interurban route, it was eventually converted for heavy rail traffic because the Twin City Rapid Transit streetcar system had taken over the local transit market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Seventh, Saint Paul</span> Neighborhood in Ramsey, Minnesota, United States

West Seventh is a neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. This area is colloquially known as the West End, and is not to be confused with the West Side, a different neighborhood. The West End lies at the base of Summit Hill and along the western bluffs of the Mississippi River, spanning the entire length of West Seventh Street, or Old Fort Road; it is also known as the Fort Road area. Fort Road was a historic Native American and fur trader path along the Mississippi River from downtown Saint Paul to Fort Snelling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi River Trail</span> Long-distance bicycle route

The Mississippi River Trail is a designated bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses the shores of the Mississippi River in the United States. The trail extends from the headwaters at Lake Itasca in Minnesota to near the mouth of the river in Venice, Louisiana. Much of the trail’s 3,000 miles (4,800 km) follows roadways used by motor vehicles, although some of the route is on multi-use trails. The segment in Minnesota has been designated as U.S. Bicycle Route 45, part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Other Minnesota Routes
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2007-10-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Ramsey County Highway Map
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Metro Area map
  4. "Mississippi River Field Guide | Shepard Road". Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-10-31. Field Guide description for Shepard Road
  5. "Mississippi River Field Guide | Warner Road". Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-10-22. Field Guide description of Warner Road
  6. Great River Road driving directions
  7. Developers Take to the Riverfront Archived 2007-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1997 flood photos Archived 2005-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. 1997 flood information Archived 2005-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
  10. 557016_Book_r
  11. Hennessy, Frank and Friedman-Shedlov, Lara (processing and catalog 1995-2001) (1900–1992). "Webb Company Records". Accession numbers: 15,010; 15,623; 15,782, Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-10-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. "About Ramsey County - History, Demographics, Services and Cities". County of Ramsey (co.ramsey.mn.us). Retrieved 2007-10-27.
44°56′58″N93°4′32″W / 44.94944°N 93.07556°W / 44.94944; -93.07556