Historian digs into Columbia Heights, Hilltop history

It was a rare piece of Minnesota that voted against Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election, spurring sensational press speculation of secessionist leanings.

Nestled between Hennepin and Anoka, Manomin County was the smallest in the state.

Too small to survive on its own, that little dog tail of land that is now Columbia Heights, Hilltop, Fridley and Spring Lake Park ultimately chose to join Anoka County in 1870.

"They felt they had more in common with rural Anoka County than the city below them," said historian Sara Given.

From farm fields to World War II-era enclave for working-class families, Given will explore the history of Columbia Heights and Hilltop starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Columbia Heights Public Library, 820 40th Av. NE.

Given, volunteer coordinator for the Anoka County Historical Society, has pored through history books, old newspapers and other source materials to create her presentation. She shared some highlights with the Star Tribune.

The Village of Columbia Heights formed in March 1898, separating from Fridley Township. At the time, it consisted of 1,696 acres, 100 citizens and 20 houses.

"It had two growth spurts," Given said. The more recent was during World War II, while the first was between 1900 and 1920, when "the streetcar was coming up from Minneapolis," Given said.

It became a popular day trip for city dwellers who would journey to Columbia Heights on the streetcar to go to an amusement park and to tour the funeral rail car that had carried President Lincoln's body and was displayed in the city.

"The Depression hit the area pretty hard. A lot of people living there were working-class folks," Given said.

The World War II war effort re-energized the city.

"A lot of people moved out there to be closer to the defense plants," Given said.

Columbia Heights has long been known as an immigrant enclave, first with a strong Polish presence. Those roots are still evident and honored today. Columbia Heights' sister city is Lomianki, Poland.

Now the region's new wave of immigrants from Africa and Asia are drawn to the city on Minneapolis' north border. Columbia Heights' population peaked in the 1970s at around 23,000. It's now stable around 20,000, Given said.

Measuring only one-tenth of 1 square mile, Hilltop has a smaller footprint than the Mall of America.

Now surrounded by Columbia Heights, Hilltop fought to maintain its autonomy, Given said.

"There has always been this tension between the two," she said.

The land that is now Hilltop was originally a dairy farm. It was later a golf course and then the Hilltop Stables and Oak Grove Riding Academy in the 1930s. It was transformed into a manufactured-home community as part of the post-World War II housing boom.

Hilltop leaders rushed to incorporate in 1956, fearful that Columbia Heights, which banned manufactured homes by statute, would try to annex it. The city now has nearly 750 residents living in four manufactured-home communities.

Shannon Prather • 612-673-4804