Eloise Butler Wildflower Gdn

This immense, hilly preserve is the oldest wildflower park in the country.

by Contributor

In Short
Schoolteacher Eloise Butler feared that the wild beauty of Minnesota would fall to the ax of city life, and she set about to save it. As a result, in 1907 the Minneapolis Park Board created a preserve for native flora that Butler tended all her life. Originally three acres, the sanctuary has grown to nearly 15 acres. Now it's also home to refuge-seeking eco-junkies, birdwatchers, couples, runners (lots of steep, challenging paths) and families.