Minnehaha Park (Minneapolis)
Minnehaha Historic District | |
Location | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°54′54″N 93°12′36″W / 44.91500°N 93.21000°W |
Area | 170 acres (69 ha) |
Built | 1849 |
Architect | H.W.S. Cleveland; Et al. |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Late Victorian, Georgian |
NRHP reference No. | 69000369 |
Added to NRHP | November 25, 1969[1] |
Minnehaha Park is a city park in
The park preserves historic sites that illustrate transportation, pioneering, and architectural themes. Preserved structures include the Minnehaha Princess Station, a Victorian train depot built in the 1870s; the
The central feature of the park, Minnehaha Falls, was a favorite subject of pioneer photographers, beginning with
is located on a bluff where the Mississippi and Minnehaha Creek converge. More than 850,000 people visit Minnehaha Falls each year, and it continues to be the most photographed site in Minnesota.History
Minnehaha Falls gets its name from the nearby Dakota people, meaning mni (water) and haha (curling). It was considered a safe place for gathering.[3]
European settlement in the area began in 1805 when the US Army bought a nine-square-mile tract of land at the confluence of the Mississippi and
Some very early records refer to the falls as "Brown's Falls" which lead some historians to assume they were named after prominent pioneer Joseph R. Brown. Park Ranger Kathy Swenson, writing for the National Park Service in 2009 states: "The overwhelming evidence points to Brown's Falls (and creek) being named for Jacob Brown, major general and commander in chief of the army from 1814 – 1828 rather than for Joseph R. Brown, teenage musician at Fort Snelling and later army sergeant (1820–1828), fur trader, politician, editor, and inventor. However, I have not yet found a document that officially or specifically mentions Jacob Brown as the namesake." Swenson explains "'Browns Fall/Creek' seems to be most associated with military maps and personnel while 'Little Falls/Creek' seems to be favored by those without a strong military connection although there are exceptions."[5] The current name is Dakota for waterfall.[6]
The Song of Hiawatha brings fame
The name "Minnehaha Falls" was in common use by 1855, when the publication of
The "Fashionable Tour"
Beginning in 1828,
This Tour would comprehend but a small part of the great "Far West"; but it will furnish to the traveller a fair sample, and being apart of it which is now made so easily accessible to the world, and the only part of it to which ladies can have access, I would recommend to all who have time and inclination to devote to the enjoyment of so splendid a Tour, to wait not, but make it while the subject is new, and capable of producing the greatest degree of pleasure.[10]
Following Catlin's visit, each ensuing year saw an increasing number of sightseers, artists, and photographers. Hundreds of
Crowds of people went to see these travel movies of the 1840s and 1850s and thus toured the great river vicariously. The throngs that wished to view Banvard's panorama were so great when it was displayed in Boston and New York that railroads ran special excursions to accommodate them. In these two cities alone more than four hundred thousand people saw the exhibition. "The river comes to me instead of my going to the river," wrote Longfellow. John Whittier, after seeing a panorama, sang of the "new Canaan of our Israel," and Thoreau, who not only viewed a panorama but also made the tour itself, envisaged "a coming heroic age in which simple and obscure men, the real heroes of history, would build the foundations of new castles [i]n the West and throw bridges across a 'Rhine stream of a different kind.'"[10]
According to an account written in 1852, passengers disembarked St. Paul and "[from there traveled by] stagecoach for what was called the 'grand tour.' It consisted of a drive from St. Paul to St. Anthony, then out to Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, thence to the Minnehaha Falls and Fort Snelling, and by the Spring Cave [probably "Fountain Cave"[12]] to St. Paul, arriving in time for the visitors, if in haste, to return with the boat down the river."[10]
By the late 1860s the railroads had extended their rails to Minneapolis/St. Paul and they began to actively advertise Minnesota as a tourist destination. The 1878
Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway
Fortunately for the generations to come, in 1883 the state legislature created the Minneapolis Board of Park Commissioners. The board began by acquiring park land near today's downtown Minneapolis. Their choice to hire noted landscape architect Horace Cleveland was fortunate. Cleveland was hired by the Board to design a system of parks and interconnected parkways to connect and preserve the existing natural landscape. Cleveland was a preservationist by nature, respecting the natural landscape features and using the existing topography and vegetation to keep his designs as natural as possible. When the park board considered building a photographic stand in the lower glen near the falls in 1889, he responded saying:
I learn that the park commission are seriously thinking of a building at Minnehaha for the express purpose of taking photographs—on the site heretofore profaned by a shanty for that purpose. I cannot remain silent in view of this proposed vandalism which I am sure you cannot sanction—and which I am equally sure will forever be a stigma upon Minneapolis and elicit the anathema of every man of sense and taste who visits the place. If erected it will simply be pandering to the tastes of the army of boobies who think to boost themselves into notoriety by connecting their own stupid features with the representation of one of the most beautiful of God's works.[14]
The result of Cleveland's vision is the famous "Grand Rounds", an interconnected series of parkways and parks centered on the Mississippi River. This vision was expanded by subsequent park commissioners and superintendents to encircle a series of lakes, now known as the "Chain of Lakes", and to follow Minnehaha Creek to Minnehaha Falls. The area was designated as a National Scenic Byway in 1998, and the Minneapolis Grand Rounds is known today as one of the best urban park systems in the world.
Acquisition and development
When Minneapolis' Park Board purchased Minnehaha Falls and surrounding land in 1889, it became one of the first state parks in the United States; only New York had created a state park by that time. The next summer the Park Board began to furnish the park with tables, seating, and lavatories. By 1893 a pavilion had been built and the park approved funding for two bridges "of a rustic nature", one above the falls and the other below. A refectory was built in 1905 to serve "refreshments of a clean and wholesome nature at a reasonable cost." In 1926 the park board designated the park to be a center for winter sports activities; plans were made to build a ski jump and the board purchased toboggans for rental. Major improvements including retaining walls, bridges, and stairs were made by federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews from 1936 to 1942.[14]
While on the campaign trail in 1964,
President Lyndon B. Johnson, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey and Governor Karl Rolvaag enjoy the spray from Minnehaha Falls. On that day, however, Minneapolis was experiencing a drought. In order to create the beautiful spray of the falls pictured here the city had to open many fire hydrants upstream and out of sight, to feed water to the creek.
The park saw conflict in the 1960s when the highway department planned an elevated freeway between Minnehaha Park and Longfellow Gardens over Minnehaha Creek. The park board challenged the plan and brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fortunately for the park a similar case was decided in favor of the preservation of park land, thus setting a precedent, and the elevated freeway was never built. Eventually a highway was built in the late 1990s that routed the road through a tunnel over the creek and covered by a "land bridge". A new garden, the Longfellow Garden, was established on top of the land bridge.[14]
Major improvements were also made in the 1990s. The Pergola Garden was created to feature native wildflowers and grasses. The parking lot that once overlooked the falls was removed, replaced by a garden and a low circular wall inscribed with Longfellow's words. The old refectory was given a veranda and a bandshell was added. In 2007 a new river overlook was built in the Wabun picnic area and included a children's playground.[14]
In 2011 major restoration work on the park was completed. The crumbling historic retaining walls built by the WPA in the 1930s were reinforced, eroded stream banks were restored, natural seating areas made of limestone were added, and trails and paths were improved. Landscape improvements were also done: invasive plants were removed and replaced with native plantings with deeper roots to stabilize the stream banks and prevent erosion.[16]
By the mid-2010s, more than 850,000 people visited Minnehaha Falls each year, and it continued to be the most photographed site in Minnesota.[16]
In 2020, during the
Description
Minnehaha Park is situated on the banks of the
Minnehaha Park is a popular site for weddings and cultural festivities. Minnesota is well known for its large population of Swedish immigrants. Since 1934 Swedes have celebrated Svenskarnas Dag (Swedish Heritage Day) at the park in June of each year. The park has a bandstand with free music concerts in the summer. Bicyclists use miles of off-street trails, including the former Milwaukee Road right-of-way, which leads to Fort Snelling State Park. Bikes are available for rent, and there is an off-leash dog park area. Also located within the park are reservable outdoor picnic sites, and picnic shelters for groups, as well as playgrounds and a summer wading pool for children. The falls freeze in the winter, making the park a popular year-round attraction.[19]
At one time the park also featured a zoo and pony rides. In 1893 the Park Board gave permission for a
Between the 1930s and the 1950s there was also an "Auto Tourist Camp" where large numbers of tourists tented or stayed in small cabins. A park historian states that in those years "the camp was intended to appeal to the many tourists who were traveling the country in their new
automobiles".
Gardens in the upper park area include Longfellow Gardens, Minnehaha Falls Pergola Garden, and the Song of Hiawatha Garden.
The central feature of the park,
Statues in the park include a bronze sculpture of
While the name Minnehaha is often translated as "Laughing Water", the correct translation is "curling water" or "waterfall". The name comes from the
Minnehaha Creek and Falls
Minnehaha Creek extends from Lake Minnetonka in the west and flows east for 22 miles (35 km) through several suburbs west of Minneapolis, and continuing through south Minneapolis. The watershed for the creek covers 181 square miles (470 km2). Along the creek is a 53-foot (16-meter) waterfall, Minnehaha Falls, which is situated 3/4 of a mile from where the stream empties into the Mississippi River.
Minnehaha Falls is geologically linked to
An island in the Mississippi River near Minnehaha Creek once existed; the receding St. Anthony Falls divided into two as it passed around the island. The falls in the channel farthest from Minnehaha Creek reached the upstream end of the island first, cutting off water to the west channel and resulting in an "abandoned waterfall" at the north end of the channel. The abandoned west channel is now a grassy cul-de-sac known as the "Deer Pen". Locating the abandoned waterfall was made difficult in recent years since the Deer Pen was partially filled with tons of fill dirt from nearby construction projects.[24] Today, the mouth of Minnehaha Creek where it joins the Mississippi River is the lowest surface point in the city of Minneapolis at 686 ft (209 m) above sea level.
Erosion within the last century has resulted in a falls that is fairly narrowly channeled and vigorous, notably after a heavy rain. Photographs of the waterfall from the 19th century show a much wider, curtain like character to the falls. When the creek is dry, the older, much-broader ledge can be observed. If there were sufficient interest and funding, some remedial work could theoretically restore the 19th-century appearance of the falls.[25]
Due to extremely cold winter temperatures, the falls freeze, creating a dramatic cascade of ice that can last well into the spring. If there is a rain shortage in the autumn, the falls may virtually dry up. In the summer, especially in the rainy months of June and July, the flow can be surprisingly forceful.
On June 19, 2014, professional kayaker Hunt Jennings descended the waterfall in a kayak when it was at record height due to several days of heavy rain. The only injury sustained by Jennings was a small cut above his upper lip. A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board commented, "We are deeply concerned that this act and subsequent publicity will inspire others to attempt the same feat. The impact of the drop, the large boulders at the base of the Falls, the deep water and fast current could easily injure or kill a kayaker."[26]
Park geology
Visitors to the park can view the ancient geological history of Minnesota as they walk the path leading from the falls down to the Mississippi River. The uppermost layer of soils and gravels of Minnesota were deposited by the most recent
Descending to the base of the falls one passes through the layered Platteville Limestone Formation and a thin layer of
At places in the park, especially closer to the Mississippi River, one can see the Glenwood Shale Formation. This thin layer of grey-green rock was probably deposited in deeper-water offshore from the beaches, and now has been exposed by erosion. Together, the three formations that are visible as one walks from the falls to the river represent a sequence of sea-level rise which occurred during the Ordovician period.[29][32]
A fourth geological layer that lies above the Platteville limestone,
Historical buildings
Minnehaha Depot
A small
Longfellow House
Despite its name, the Longfellow House was never home to the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; it was instead the home of Robert F. Jones, a Minneapolis philanthropist and entrepreneur. Built in 1907, the house's facade was designed to resemble Longfellow's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Originally the home was part of Jones' private 4.6-acre botanical garden and zoological park near Minnehaha Falls. After Jones died, the home fell into disrepair. His will gave the property to the city which used the house as part of the Minneapolis public library from 1936 to 1967. The house was moved in 1994 and renovated. It opened as an information center in 2001. Today the home serves as the home of a botanical art school and provides offices for the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. The Longfellow House and John H. Stevens House also co-sponsor 90-minute historic nature walks around the park.[34]
John Harrington Stevens House
The
In 1896 over 10,000 school children helped pull the house to its present location in Minnehaha Park. The children were divided into seven relay teams, each consisting of around 1,000 pupils. As teams finished their designated distance, they dropped the ropes and boarded trolley cars for the park. All went well until "the lads from the South Side High School" refused to give up the ropes to the next relay team. The Minneapolis Tribune reported the event:
At this point there was something of unexpected interest. Waving their school flag in triumph from the gable window of the old building the lads from the South Side High School shouted their school yell and BAD DEFIANCE TO ALL COMERS. At this point the Central High School scholars were billed to relieve the South Siders, and consequently surrounded the building. The spirit of school rivalry broke out, strong and bitter. The South Siders refused to surrender the fortress and flaunted their banner from the window in spite of all entreaties and orders. Contractor Pratt could not oust them. Supt. Jordan could not oust them, and finally Sergeant Martinson called for a detail of police and made a rush for the house. But the South Side lads were still game, and did not give up until several had been made to feel the force of police authority. Then they made a break. As they dashed from one door the Centrals entered by the other, and their banner was soon flying from the gable amid vociferous cheers. The South Siders were chased up the street by a detachment of Centrals, and for a moment it looked as if the rush would result in some bruised heads. However, good nature was restored and again the house started on its way.[35]
The house arrived in the park at 3 pm along with the last relay team of children, having covered a distance of four miles. In the evening, 1,000 Japanese lanterns were placed about the park and the festivities included fireworks and an illumination of the falls. The Tribune newspaper reported that some people complained about the children having a day out of school and "...the park commissioners and the park policemen objected to the way in which the children took possession of the park and everything in it. There was no such thing as controlling them, and they ran over everything in sight. It would have taken a small regiment of policemen to have kept that throng in check."[35]
The house was heavily damaged by three acts of arson in 2022 and required extensive renovations to repair walls, ceilings, and voids.[36]
Image gallery
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Geology of the falls (Platteville limestone)
-
Minnehaha Falls ~ 1914
-
Hiawatha and Minnehaha sculpture by Jacob Fjelde
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Seasons of Minnehaha
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Taoyateduta, known as Chief Little Crow
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Plaque describing geology of Minnehaha Falls
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Minnehaha Falls, 1905 post card
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Stereoscopic View of the Falls in winter
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Gunnar Wennerberg statue by Carl Eldh
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A tree within the park which has been 'decorated' with a large quantity of used chewing gum.
See also
- Coldwater Spring
- Lock and Dam No. 1
- Minnehaha Falls Lower Glen Trail
- Minnehaha Trail
- Winchell Trail
- River Warren Falls
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c Grossman, John (October 22, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Minnehaha Park Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
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(help) - ^ Eggert, Breanna R (November 29, 2021). "Minnehaha Falls Watershed". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ Woodall, Allen E. "William Joseph Snelling and the Early Northwest" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- ^ a b Park Ranger Kathy Swenson, National Park Service, 2009. "Naming Minnehaha Falls" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Dakota Dictionary Online Archived October 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Minnesota History Magazine" (PDF).
- ^ "Longfellow House History". Minnesota School of Botanical Art. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ISBN 9780804740579. Retrieved June 8, 2015.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b c "The 'Fashionable Tour' on the Upper Mississippi" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ Heilbron, Bertha L. "Documentary Panorama" (PDF). The Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
- ^ "Fountain Cave". National Park Service. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
- ^ Ogden, D. H. (June 1878). "The Summer Resorts of Minnesota". (from an old catalog). Hathi Trust Digital Library. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, David C. "Minnehaha Regional Park - History". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ June 28, 1964: Minnehaha Falls pumped up for LBJ visit. Star and Tribune
- ^ a b "Restoring a Historic Landmark". Minnehaha Falls and Glen Restoration. May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ "Remaining Powderhorn encampment residents told to 'transition' out". MPR. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- ^ "Encampments". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Minnehaha Regional Park". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "Skunk Cabbage". Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ "Inventory of Biological Features of Fort Snelling State Park and Inventory of Natural Communities and Rare Plants of Minnehaha Regional Park" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 1995. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ Meersman, Tom (November 26, 2010). "Clearing Minnehaha Park brush to give creek room to breathe". StarTribune Minneapolis. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ "The Song of Hiawatha Notes". Humanities Web.org. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Steller, Chris (May 9, 2008). "Paradise backfilled: Making a mountain out of a river bed at Minnehaha Park". Minnesota Monitor. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
- ^ Way, Ron (June 2, 2008). "Corps doesn't actually know whether falls' walls are historic". MinnPost. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Wheeler, Jeff (July 11, 2014). "Officials warn plunging over Minnehaha Falls can be fatal activity". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ "North Atlantic History". nau.edu. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ^ "Minnesota at a Glance" (PDF). Precambrian Geology. University of Minnesota. 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ a b Mossler, J. and Benson, S., 1995, 1999, 2006, Fossil Collecting in the Twin Cities Area. Minnesota at a Glance: Minnesota Geological Survey: University of Minnesota.
- ^ "Collecting fossils in Minnesota". sciencebuzz.org. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ISBN 9780816609536.
- ^ "River Bluff Outcrops". University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "Fossil Collecting in the Twin Cities Area" (PDF). University of Minneapolis. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Mississippi National River and Recreation Area – Longfellow House Hospitality Center (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. July 27, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
- ^ a b Wellter, Ben (December 19, 2014). "May 29, 1896: Schoolchildren move a house". Yesterday's News. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- Bring Me The News. October 24, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
External links
- Smith, David C. (January 15, 2016). "Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis". MNopedia. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- Video: Behind frozen Minnehaha Falls
- Photographing Minnehaha Falls: a slideshow of historic images produced by the Minnesota Historical Society
- The Six Flouring Mills on Minnehaha Creek
- Old Rail Fence Corners: The A. B. C's. of Minnesota History
- History of Minnehaha Creek Watershed
- The Papers of John Harrington Stevens
- A Guide to Summer Resorts of Minnesota ~ 1878