Lilac Park Traditional Geocache

The road we know as Highway 100 was once known by the nickname "Lilac Way".  Lilac Way, named for the lilac bushes that were planted along the highway, was the brainchild of Carl Graeser, German immigrant and architect for the Minnesota Highway Department.  Graeser is now known as the "Father of the Beltway" for his dedication to creating a beltway system around the Twin Cities in the 1920s and 1930s, an idea that was foreign to most people at the time, as the road does not go "to somewhere" but "around somewhere."   Built during the Great Depression under the leadership of Graeser, this stretch of Highway 100 between Highway 7 and County Road 81 created many jobs under the Works Progress Administration, including those of the stonemasons who built the sturdy park tables, grills and walls.  Because this was still a rural area at the time, the highway became known as a leisure drive, where families could drive through in the Spring and see the lilac bushes in bloom, stopping at the five roadside parks for lunch or to just relax, a far cry from the bumper to bumper headache it has become today.  For more information on Lilac Way and its history, check out this link to streaming video from TPT television of their documentary on the topic.