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On Century Blvd.  *  952-401-WINE

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V & S Jewelry

Mound * 952-472-3233

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952-442-4411

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Chaska 448-2050 

Shakopee 496-6700  Prior Lake 447-1700

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Weinzierl

Jewelers

Waconia  952-442-2885

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The Victoria

GAZETTE

The Hat Lady Continued

         Of the 40 acres that Herbert Hedtke purchased in 1935, only the four-acre farm site near Highway 5, where Virginia was born and lives today, remains Hedtke property.  “The Park doesn’t own it ... yet!” she exclaimed.

         The hat lady knows just how her dad’s 40 acres got dispersed over these past 75 years.  It began long ago.   “First Pa sold off a piece across Park Drive from us to Lonnie Spoerner.  I imagine Pa needed the money.  Spoerners first lived there in a chicken house, then built a basement and moved a little green house in and set it on top of the basement.  They had a outhouse there and everything.” 

         Hank and Agnes Williams came to purchase that place and lived in the little green house, which they enlarged, for many years.  “My folks enjoyed playing sheephead with the Williams,” said Virginia.  “When Dad died, then I filled in for them at the card table.” 

         Mr. Hedtke next sold a piece to Jim Fink.  “Jim was going to build a house and live there,” said Virginia, “but instead he built a house up in northern Minnesota.”  That’s the piece that is today called Goodman Park, which was donated to the City of Victoria by the Goodman family.

         “Then when Bill Maple came around buying up farms and land in the 1960’s, Dad sold him our field and woods down to Stieger Lake,” she said.  “I was in Alaska at the time, visiting my sister who still lives there, and I wasn’t happy to learn about it.  Dad said he sold it because he wanted a car.  He bought a Dodge, not even a new one.  I was in Alaska before the earthquake so it was before 1964.”

         Herbert Hedtke died in 1974, Evelyn died in 1994, and the remaining property was split among the three children.  “I got the home place, four acres,” said Virginia.  “My sister got what is now the north half of Parkview, developed by Muonio, about four acres, and my brother Bob got the three acres up on Schutz Lake.  Elmer Fink had let Dad buy that corner on Schutz where Dad hauled in a little cabin and put a dock for fishing.  It wasn’t part of the original 40.”

         Virginia’s brother Bob Hedtke died in 2008.  In 2009 his property was purchased by the Three Rivers Park District.  In fact, Three Rivers purchased 9 acres from Bob Hedtke.  Bob had purchased six adjacent acres from Milton Fink to increase privacy and give clear view over to Stieger Lake.

 

Click here to continue The Hat Lady.

 

November 2009

Herb and Evelyn Hedtke with toddler Virginia in 1938 in front of the old parsonage at the Lake Auburn Moravian Church.  When Virginia was married in 1968, she was the last bride to dress at that parsonage before it made way for the new one.