Saint Anthony Main in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Pettingill's Wonderful Water

— Saint Anthony Falls Heritage Trail —

Photographed by Joseph Cavinato, July 18, 2009

1. Pettingill's Wonderful Water Marker

Inscription. A natural spring flows from the rock at the base of Hennepin Bluff below this spot. According to tradition the iron-red mud at the spring provided pigment for Native Americans. White settlers of the 1850s believed the water had medicinal qualities. In 1875 the enterprising M.P.Pettingill capitalized on the popularity of the falls as a tourist mecca and health resort by building a spa and selling the water. The business was abandoned in the early 1880s when the source of the spring was traced to a dirty swamp some distance away.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Natural Features • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.

Location. 44° 58.925′ N, 93° 15.072′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Saint Anthony Main. It can be reached from Southeast Main Street near Main Street S.E.. This is near the east end of the Stone Arch Bridge at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4 6th Avenue S.E, Minneapolis MN 55414, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Portaging Around the Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); Marcy~Holmes (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line);

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Layers of History (about 300 feet away); The Stone Arch Bridge (about 300 feet away); Lucy Wilder Morris (about 300 feet away); Father Hennepin Bluffs (about 400 feet away); The Pillsbury A Mill (about 400 feet away); Sawmilling: The City's First Industry (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.

Also see . . . Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. The NPS website for the Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. (Submitted on July 23, 2009.)

Photographed by Joseph Cavinato, July 18, 2009

2. Pettingill's Wonderful Water Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2009, by Joseph Cavinato of Fountain Hills, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,841 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 23, 2009, by Joseph Cavinato of Fountain Hills, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.