2021 Vol 15, Issue 3 May Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 We hope this brief introduction will help you better understand the community and transmit a sense of pride similar to what Gem Lake’s residents have demonstrated since its incorporation in 1959. Though among the smallest of Ramsey County’s incorporated cities, Gem Lake has been a presence since the earliest days of area settlement. Gem Lake officially traces its origins to a voter referendum on June 30, 1959 when over 100 of its future residents voted to separate from White Bear Township and form what was the known as the Village of Gem Lake. Well before this date people knew of the small lake that sparkled in the sunlight akin to a gemstone, a lake that would lend its name to the eventual city that grew up around it. A Ramsey County atlas published in 1874 already identified the small lake southwest of White Bear Lake as Gem Lake. Of course, neither the cities of Gem Lake or White Bear Lake existed at this time. All the land was part of White Bear Township which had been formed on May 11, 1858, the same day that Minnesota entered the union as the 32nd state. White Bear Township traces its original population to branches of the indigenous Lakota and Ojibwe peoples who inhabited the native hardwood forest and oak savannah open spaces of what became east central Minnesota. Rivalries amongst the indigenous inhabitants pushed territorial boundaries back and forth for millennia prior to the arrival of European explorers. Such explorers often stood upon a distant shore and boldly proclaimed all the land now belonged to their respective monarch, often the source of income for said explorer. But claiming land and occupying it were two different things, and eventually individual Europeans came to further explore and determine how best to earn a living from the land. In the case of the land that eventually became White Bear Township, fur traders from France, who came to the area via the French colony of Canada, were among the earliest to visit the area. These men from France (and in the early 1600s there were no French women accompanying the men) became known as French-Canadiens and followed the prized beaver for its pelts, which was popular in European fashion at the time. This is an aerial shot of Gem Lake, taken around 1929. The Gem Lake Villas area is lower left. The lake is upper middle. Goose Lake Road is visible across the upper portion of the photo. Though eventually the armies of Great Britain defeated the armies of France for control of the North American continent, many local names still reflect the French-Canadien (Canadien with an “e” being the French spelling while Canadian with an “a” is the Anglicized spelling of a European with ties to Canada) heritage imprinted on the area. Modern day Little Canada is a community south and west of present- day Gem Lake and visitors are informed on the Little Canada welcome sign that it was first settled in 1844. Its name leaves little doubt whence its first white settlers originated. French-Canadian fur traders left their mark on much of St. Paul and its surrounding suburbs. Names like Gervais, LaBore, Paranteau, Tessier, Vadnais, and others still identify roads, lakes, and landmarks in the area. These were names all associated with the fur trade and subsequent settlement by Canadian natives. Many farmed, some owned stores, while others still served as teachers or professionals. As the United States grew out of its former British colonies, new waves of settlers found their way to Minnesota and specifically to White Bear Township. Settlers with ties to Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway and many other European countries made the perilous ocean journey to America. They joined with others already living in places like Massachusetts or New York to expand (continued on page 3) Gem Lake’s Colorful History in a Nutshell (by Jim Lindner)