After German-born Justus Ohage came to St. Paul in 1881, the surgeon became a University of Minnesota professor and then public health officer from 1899 until 1918. To foster better living, he acquired an island across the Mississippi from St. Paul and donated it for developing a park. Harriet Island was named after Harriet E. Bishop. She was St. Paul’s first school teacher when she arrived in 1847. Although technically no longer an island, Harriet Island Regional Park is a much loved waterfront greenspace with trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, a band shell and marvelous views of downtown St. Paul’s skyline.
