History of the Hopkins Historical Society

By Jim Shirley, Founder, written 2002

Vivian Blomquist with a portrait of
her and her husband, Clint in 1997

The Hopkins Historical Society first emerged out of a city of
Hopkins Zoning and Planning Commission meeting in 1972. As a new
appointee to the commission, I remained after the meeting to chat
with Clint Blomquist, who was the city staff person assigned to
the commission, and Jerry Miller, who was with the law firm of
Vesely, Otto and Miller, city attorneys. My grandfather, Albert
Cooper, was the first police officer in Hopkins, Clint’s father
was an early merchant, and Jerry’s roots go back to Peter Miller,
pioneer settler in Hopkins.

It wasn’t long before we began to reminisce about the earlier times
in Hopkins and a suggestion was made that we ought to do something
about preserving the history of the community. Jerry offered to do
the legal work of incorporating a Hopkins Historical Society if
I would organize a group of incorporators. Clint knew that Adolf
Sidla was interested in Hopkins history and would be willing to
help. With that, the Hopkins Historical Society emerged.

Dean Empanger, past president of the society, and Mary Heitges,
then Hopkins librarian, were instrumental in collecting oral history
reports from sons and daughters of the early settlers and citizens
of the community. Deloris Olson, Henry Pokorny, Alfred Larson and
others soon got word of the society and became early supporters
and were active in the growth and success of the organization as
it developed. After his retirement from the city, Clint Blomquist
worked endlessly to gather, identify and catalog data and artifacts
that boosted the society to where it is now, 30 years later.

According to Clint, the greatest historical contribution to
the society was old copies of the Hennepin County Review from
1925-1961. Eugene O’Brien of the Review donated the newspapers to
the society in the 1970s. These copies have served as invaluable
references for history buffs young and old.

Originally, the society was given space in the Hopkins City Hall
basement where Clint Blomquist and Mary Heitges developed a catalog
system still in use today. Eventually, when a city-owned house at
2020 4th Avenue North became available, Clint along with the board,
jumped at the chance have their own space. The house worked pretty
well from a space standpoint, but it was too far away and few people
actually knew where it was. Then in 1980, the City Council granted
space to the society in the new Activity Center (formerly the band
room of South Junior High), where we are located today.