Early Settlement

Reverend Neill described it like this in 1881, according to "The Brooklyns, A History of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park":

"The surface is very level and consequently nearly destitute of lakes. The few that exist are shallow with low, marshy shores. Palmer Lake in Sec. 26, through which Shingle Creek flows is the largest. A variation from the uniform level occurs in the southwest, where a small corner reaches on the rolling clay beyond the sandy belt. The extensive marshes yield abundance of good wild hay; most of which can be cut by machines. The timber is small, though a little of the larger growth is found in the northeast neat the river, and in the southwest on the clay. The bluffs along the river are low and sandy. The Mississippi River is navigable here and small steamers ply up and down. Shingle Creek flows across the township from west to east."

Wheat was the primary crop in the Brooklyn area in those early years. The 1880 agricultural census fro Brooklyn Township showed that there were 270 farms producing 46,698 bushels of wheat. The growing population of Minneapolis, combined with increased accessibility, led the Brooklyn area farmers to shift towards vegetables and flowers. 

National History 1880-1889