D Street

D

Dahl Ave. Roald Dahl (1919-1990) was an English author of the well-known books, James and the Giant Peach, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and many others.

Dale St. Dale Carnegie (1888 – 1955) was an American writer and lecturer and the developer of famous courses in self-improvement. He was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People (published 1936).

Daly St. Maureen Daly ( 1921 – 2006), was an American author best known for her novel Seventeenth Summer (1942). It was published for adults, but became one of the first to capture a teenaged audience. “Some scholars consider it the first Young Adult novel.” (from wikipedia)

Danforth St. Not named for him but, Deputy Governor Danforth is a character in The Crucible,  a 1953 play by Arthur Miller (1915-2005). The Crucible is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693.

Darlene St. Darlene Clark Hine (born 1947) is an American author and professor. She is known for her expertise in the field of African-American history. She edited a two-volume encyclopedia, Black Women in America, published in 2005.

Davern St. Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendor is an account of the drowning death of actress Natalie Wood while swimming off a yacht captained by Dennis Davern. The book is  written by Marti Rulli, a freelance writer from New Jersey, with the help of Dennis Davern.

David St. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) was a Welsh poet famous not only for his poetry but also for his public poetry readings. His last published poem was “Prologue” which he included in the beginning of his Collected Poems, 1934-1952. In the poem the last lines are: “Hullo, my prowed dove with a flute. Ahoy, old sea-legged fox, Tomtit and Dai mouse. My ark sings in the sun At God-speeded summers end, And the flood flowers now.” “Dai” is a Welsh nickname for David and a Welsh form of the name Dylan. “Tomtit” is a small bird and another reference to the poet. Notice the spelling of the third word in the first line, “prowed.” Some editions spell it as “proud” and some with the reference to the prow of a ship. Dylan is comparing himself to Noah and his writings to the ark. To this author’s mind that makes the “prowed” spelling more relevant.

Dayton Ave The street reference is to Lyman Dayton (1810 – 1865), an early real-estate speculator. Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906) was an African-American poet, novelist, and playwright. He was born in Dayton, Ohio. His poem, “Sympathy” includes the line “I know why the caged bird sings.” This verse later became the title for the 1969 autobiography by Maya Angelou. The first stanza includes these lines: I know what the caged bird feels, alas!        When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;    When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,    And the river flows like a stream of glass;        When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,    And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —    I know what the caged bird feels!

Dealton St. Named in 1912 for a family member, Alton D. Smith.  Good Eats: The Early Years is a cookbook by Alton Brown of the televison show Good Eats. Not a lot of recipes but lots of science and fun.

Decourcy Circle John deCourcey (1160-1219) was a Norman knight at the beginning of the 13th century. The story of his defeat of the French leader, and his winning the privilege to remain covered in the presence of the King, appears in Chapter 12 of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.

Deer Park Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a 1998 children's book retold by Eric A. Kimmel. Illustrations are by Janet Stevens. Look for Little Bush Deer hiding in the bushes. This author would like to mention that his children's literature professor at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, was Eric Kimmel.

Delano Pl. Delano, Minnesota, is the setting for the movies A Simple Plan (1998) and Grumpy Old Men (1993). The Delano  in the town’s name is from Francis Roach Delano of Massachusetts, warden of the first State Prison and the first superintendent of the Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad. Don Empson tells us that the street is likely a reference to the Delano in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s name. He got the name from his mother, Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt (1854 -1941). She was the second wife of James Roosevelt and subsequently the mother-in-law of Eleanor Roosevelt. Her story is told in Sara and Eleanor: The Story of Sara Delano Roosevelt and Her Daughter-in-Law, Eleanor Roosevelt  and was published in 2005 and written by Jan Pottker.

Delaware Ave. Solomon Bayley (circa 1771–circa 1839) was an African-American slave who was born in Delaware. He is best known for his 1825 autobiography entitled A Narrative of Some Remarkable Incidents in the Life of Solomon Bayley, Formerly a Slave in the State of Delaware, North America.

Dellridge  Ave.

Dellwood Pl. Dellwood, Minnesota, is a suburb of Saint Paul. The local story is  that  F. Scott Fitzgerald  (1896 –1940) spent his summers in a Dellwood cottage when he wrote The Beautiful and the Damned and The Great Gatsby.

Delos St. Delos Wheeler Lovelace (1894–1967) was married to Maud Hart Lovelace, the author of the Betsy-Tacy children’s books. He was  the author of the original novelization of the film King Kong (1933) published in 1932 by Grosset & Dunlap.

Dennis Rd. Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written, and illustrated by Hank Ketcham (1920-2001). It debuted on March 12, 1951.

Denslow St. William Wallace "W. W." Denslow (1856 – 1915) was an American illustrator and the original illustrator for L. Frank Baum’s book,  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. His brother was Leland Denslow for whom the street is named. (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live.)

Desnoyer Ave. Adam Desnoyers is an American author and winner of the 2003 O. Henry Prize for his short story, "Bleed Blue in Indonesia." Desnoyers is currently living in Lawrence, Kansas.

Desoto St. Doctor De Soto is a picture book for children written and illustrated by William Steig and first published in 1982. It features a mouse-dentist who must help a fox with a toothache without being eaten.

Deubener Pl. Walter H. Deubener (1887–1980) was a grocer from St. Paul, Minnesota, who in 1912 invented the square-bottomed handled paper grocery bag. Grocery shoppers either love them when the handles hold or hate them when they don’t. Following his death, his estate became Camp Courage North. The street is named after him. (thanks to Donald Empson and his book, The Street Where You Live. There are many books on invention. They make an enjoyable read. Here’s a good one: Shakespeare: The Invention Of the Human by Harold Bloom and published in 1998.

Dewey St. Dewey Dell Bundren is a character in William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying. Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) was the librarian who invented the Dewey Decimal system of classifying library books.

Dieter St. Dieter Dengler was an American Air Force pilot who was shot down over Vietnam in 1966. His story of how he survived as a POW and later escaped is told in the movie “Rescue Dawn.”

Doane Ave. Jonah LeRoy "Doane" Robinson (1856 – 1946) was the state historian of South Dakota who conceived of the idea for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Who Carved the Mountain?: The Story of Mount Rushmore is a children’s book by Jean L. S. Patrick and published in 2005.

Dodd Rd. Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneering publishing houses in America. They were in business from 1830-1990. They  published the work of new poets including Robert W. Service (1874-1958) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 – 1906). The Cremation of Sam McGee is among the most famous of Robert W. Service's poems. It was published in 1907 in Songs of a Sourdough.  Here is the first stanza: There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.

Donohue Ave. M. A. Donohue & Co., was an American publisher of many book titles for children in the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s. Keith Donohue (born 1959) is the author of the  2006 novel The Stolen Child, about a changeling, and which was inspired by the W.B. Yeats poem of the same name.

Dora Ct. Dora the Explorer is an animated TV series carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network.

Dorothea Ave. Dorothea Bisanz was married to Norbert who developed much of Highland Park along with his brothers. The street is named for her. (Thanks to Don Empson’s book for the information) Dorothea Dix (1802 – 1887) was an American activist on behalf of the mentally ill who created the first generation of American mental asylums. During the Civil War, she served as Superintendent of Army Nurses. She has a chapter in Outrageous Women Of Civil War Times by  Mary Rodd Furbee and published in 2003. Dorothea Lange (1895 –1965) was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Her most famous work is the 1936 photograph entitled Migrant Mother. Dorothea Brooke is the main character in the novel Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life, a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans. It was published in 1874. Dorothea S. Kopplin was the author of "Something To Live By", a teacher, and 1949 Minnesota Mother of the Year. Owner of the "Rosemary Home", her last wish was to provide housing to nursing students and business women in memory of her daughter Rosemary who died at the age of six from leukemia.

Doswell Ave. Charles A. Doswell III (born 1945) is an American meteorologist and prolific severe convective storms researcher. He was one of the first “storm chasers” for scientific purposes. You can read about the first storm chasers in Storm Kings: The Untold History Of America's First Tornado Chasers by Lee Sandlin, published in 2013.

Douglas St. Don Empson’s book tells us that the street was named for Stephen Douglas (1813-1861) who was very famous then and now is known mainly for having lost to Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential race. Here’s a good book on the subject: The Long Pursuit: Abraham Lincoln's Thirty-year Struggle With Stephen Douglas for the Heart and Soul of America  by Roy Morris, Jr. and published in 2008. Another Douglas is Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born 1945) an American professor of cognitive science. He is best known for his book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, first published in 1979. It’s thick but worth the weight. Excuse this author. Don Empson is much better at this type at humor.

Douglynn Ln.

Dousman St. Dr. Don Empson’s book tells us that the street is named for Hercules Dousman (1800-1868) who was known as Wisconsin’s first millionaire. He has his story told in The House On The Mound by August Derleth and published in 1958. Dousman was born on Mackinac Island in Michigan which was the site of a lovely summer week spent by this author when he was hitchhiking around the country so long ago. The statute of limitations is probably up by now so he can finally thank the Coast Guardsmen who let him sleep in the loft of the Coast Guard station. J. H. Smith (1858–1956) was a politician and pioneer from Dousman, Wisconsin, who co-founded the city of Anchorage, Alaska, which was the site of this author and his wife’s honeymoon so long ago. Actually, the newly-married couple decided to drive to Alaska from their home in Portland, Oregon, immediately after the wedding. Anchorage was the turn-around point.

Justus Ohage Blvd. The park at Harriet Island was built by Dr. Justus Ohage, St. Paul's health officer (1899-1907, who donated the land to the city in 1900. Harriet Island Pavilion was designed by Clarence W. Wigington, architect of the City of St.Paul and built by the WPA in the 1930's, Wigington designed more than 60 park structures, schools, fire stations, the Highland Park Water Tower, and the Holman Field Administration Building. He also designed six ice palaces for the Winter Carnival. Wigington was the first African-American municipal architect in the U.S. His story is told in Cap Wigington: An Architectural Legacy In Ice And Stone  by David V. Taylor and published in 2002.

Drake St. Dr. Ernest Drake is the fictional dragonologist in the book, Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons published in 2003 and written by Dugald Steer (born 1965).

Drewry Ln. An alternate spelling for “Drewry” is “Drury.” Drury Lane is a famous street in London, England. The nursery rhyme, “The Muffin Man” has these lines: Do you know the muffin man, The muffin man, the muffin man, Do you know the muffin man, Who lives in Drury Lane?

Duchess St. The Duchess is a character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865.

Dudley Ave. James Whale (1889 –1957) was an British film director, born in Dudley, England. He is best remembered for his four classic horror films: Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Dudley Riggs is the founder of the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis. Everyone who visits the Twin Cities has probably attended at least once.

Duke St. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899 –1974) was an African-American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra is a 1998 children’s picture book by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by her husband, Brian Pinkney.

Duluth St. Bob Dylan (born 1941), singer-songwriter, was born in Duluth, Minnesota. If his song Forever Young is a favorite of yours then get the children’s picture book version illustrated by Paul Rogers and published in 2008.

Dunedin Terrace Don Empson’s book tells us that the street is Gaelic for Edinburgh, Scotland. If you saw the 2014 movie, The Imitation Game, about the British effort to break the Nazi code then take a look at this book: Blood in the Sea: HMS Dunedin and the Enigma Code by Stuart Gill and published in 2004.

Dunlap St. Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898. It is now part of the Penguin Random House publishing house. Grosset and Dunlop were the original publishers for the Hardy Boys and the Nancy Drew series of young adult novels.