Document - Historical information/data - Speculation in land development n Eagan -
The amount of platted land in Eagan was fairly insignificant during
nost of its township years, even though speculation in land development was
common throughout the state. With the anticipation of population growth,
thousands of lots in Minnesota were laid out and recorded, although most
of these "townsites" were never developed. One such plat was the Kavanagh
c
and Dawson's Suburban Acre Lots, which was laid out in Mendota Township
just north of its boundary with Eagan. Located northeast of present
Lexington Avenue and Highway #55, six of its lots were in Eagan. Develop-
ment of this plat never materialized, and the portion within Eagan was
vacated in the late 1950s. The Wescott Garden Lots, located in the northeast
quarter of section 14, is another plat which appears on Eagan maps as early
as 1896.
An interesting point about these plats is their connection to the
distribution of early state aids, such as the cigarette tax receipts.
When these taxes were imposed, the law allowed certain townships containing
platted land the right to receive a part of these funds distributed by the
state to local units of government. Because of this, for many years the
township of Eagan annually received a small amount in return from these
taxes.
