Bancroft history: Linda’s story
By Jessica Breslin
Note from the Author: This article is meant to share stories of Bancroft’s history from the perspectives of your neighbors. Not all details are fact-checked.
Linda has been a resident of Bancroft since the mid-1970s, but that is not where her history with Minneapolis began. Linda lived on the block of 44th and 28th until she was around 10-years-old. After General Mills relocated from downtown to Golden Valley, her family moved to Wayzata - at the time a small town no one had heard about. Even living so far outside of the city, she couldn’t stay away. Linda and her friends would ride their bikes on the 12.5-mile trek to the Walker Art Center and beyond. Linda began her higher education at the University of Minnesota but after becoming pregnant her junior year, she discontinued her studies, got married and moved to Northside Minneapolis. She and her husband lived in poverty in a run-down 1880s Victorian home converted duplex for $60/month. Then, out of the blue, they came home to a condemned sign on the door and they had a measly 2 weeks to find a new home. During her time in the Northside, Linda learned a lot about generational poverty, being destitute and learning how beneficial community is. To this day, she still misses the camaraderie from that neighborhood.
After a quick search for a low-cost neighborhood with access to a bus line – Linda to this day only takes public transport- they found Bancroft. In the mid-1970s, they moved onto 39th and 10th and rented their home for $275/month. After 2 years of renting, Linda and her husband bought the home for $20,000($125/month for mortgage, taxes and insurance). The house needed major repairs. It had the original shingles, the roof leaked, there was water damage throughout the house, the electrical wiring was a fire fighters’ worst nightmare and they had an octopus furnace that only worked at 15% efficiency. So, Linda got to work and spent the last 50 years bringing it back to life. It is a true joy seeing the original gas fixtures she had converted to electric mixed with art from her travels – more on that later.
When they first moved to Bancroft, the neighborhood was filled with diversity in the way of ages, races, religious beliefs and incomes. Many neighbors were Swedish and Norwegians who had built their homes in the early 1900s and still lived there. Everyone supported one another and you knew everyone that lived on your block. There were no privacy fences or air conditioning so, even though the privacy was limited, the neighborhood felt safe. Since I met Linda almost 10 months ago, she has told me stories of neighbors catching a murderer – they didn’t know he was a murderer at the time- and chasing away thieves. There was community through solidarity.
In the 80s Bancroft was already progressive. She remembers multiple gay couples on the block and, even though some of the older generations didn’t start out as open minded, as they got to know their new neighbors, they changed their tune. There was an interracial couple that lived on the block that were unmarried, had 5 kids and ran a strip club. Their oldest son came out as transgender and began their transition. There was no animosity or negativity towards them because no one cared. Linda described the neighbor’s feelings as “your personal life is your business, just don’t play loud music and keep your lawn mowed.”
In the mid-90s Linda joined the Peace Corps for 7 years. She went to Kingston, Jamaica and St. Lucia. After she reluctantly came back to the states, she spent 3 years in battles with the St. Lucia government and US government to adopt her daughter Rashel. When Linda met her, Rashel was 9 months old. As Rashel grew older, she would toddle over to Linda’s home for regular visits. They simply adored each other. It was clear that Rachel was neglected and Linda stopped at nothing until she could bring Rashel to safety and give her the life a child deserves. Unfortunately, the next period of Bancroft’s history did not provide the safety she wanted for her daughter.
In 1989, the Wilharm Drug Store (and infamous Soad Fountain) on the corner of 38th and Chicago was sold and became Cup Foods. Around that time, the neighborhood saw an increase in gang violence, drug dealers and prostitution. Families began to move out and slum lords began to move in. Linda knew of multiple homes around hers that were used for drug stashes or drug production. There was nightly gunfire that would wake Linda from her sleep. One night, Linda and Rashel were awoken in the middle of the night by someone that was actively breaking into their home. Linda called the MPD, but they failed to arrive within the hour. Linda took it into her own hands to scare off the intruder. Additionally, during those years, Rashel would walk home from the bus stop and have older men threaten her with sexual violence or chase her down the street. I have only been a resident of Bancroft for a year and have never felt this insecurity or seen any violence, so I asked Linda when it all turned around. Her response, the 2009 recession and George Floyd’s murder. The beginning was the 2009 recession which caused many of the slumlords to lose the properties that had acquired. But the biggest changes happened after the tragic day George Floyd was killed. The gang violence seemed to have disappeared overnight, and neighbors were keeping their neighbors safe once again.
Rest in Power George.
