Ytterboe Memorial Park opens in Dundas

Blogger Bruce Morlan sent us this:

Beautiful Ytterboe Memorial Dog Park (at left) is now open in the bucolic village of Dundas. Just south of the bobo-infested town of Northfield, Ytterboe Park takes its name from the beloved one-time informal mascot of St. Olaf College who was gunned down during the unpleasantries of the spring of 1957, when the terrorized students at St Olaf found themselves in open street rebellion over an incident in which Ytterboe was hunted down and killed after he had allegedly bitten a small boy.

The beautiful park lies next to the wetlands that drain and filter street runoff before it reaches the Cannon River. Long and sculptured, the park features three large trees near the entrance (critical for a successful dog park) and a two-level grass scheme that provides a clear run but also leaves lots of luxurious long grasses for pretend bird hunting and real tick gathering. Dogs can romp the full length of the park, and an “airlock” like gated entrance permits easy and safe entrance to this beautiful addition to the amenities in Dundas.

The sign on the gate memorializes the park’s namesake, reminding us of Ytterboe’s short but beloved life (facts gleaned from a recent documentary filmed on the St. Olaf campus):

Ytterboe Memorial Park.
19 Oct 1951 – 24 May 1957.
Born out-of-wedlock in Dundas,
beloved mascot of St Olaf
students until his untimely death
at the hands of the NPD in 1957.

Directly across from a promising new business park (left, with an attractive sign just waiting for a business), the dog park is convenient to the Dundas Post Office (motto: “seldom a line“) and varied shopping opportunities. Simply drop off a dog (with a human guardian), and the rest of the family can load up on necessities, then swing by later and pick up the now exhausted dog and dog watcher, and enjoy the rest of the day with the dog resting quietly, its excess energy (but nothing else, please pick up after your friends) left behind in this attractive grassy park in Dundas.