Why Is Harriet Island In St. Paul Called That?

Thousands of people flooded Harriet Island this past weekend to attend Minnesota's first Yacht Club Festival.  Harriet Island wasn't always called that.  It was known as Waken Island initially before the name was changed to Harriet Island after Harriet Bishop.  Bishop was an educator who helped found the First Baptist Church of St. Paul.  Bishop lived from 1817 to 1883 and is recognized as St. Paul's first public school teacher.

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German doctor Justus Ohage, who had acquired the island, sold it to the city of Saint Paul for use as a park in 1900. At first the park was successful, drawing in tourists, but by the 1920s, sewage from the Mississippi River had caused tourism to die down. Before he died in 1935, Ohage threatened to take back the island. However, this did not occur.

The park currently features walking and biking trails, and paddleboats.  The island also includes some commercial and residential properties.