Giacomo Constantino Beltrami
1779 1855
Italian jurist, scholar and explorer, on July 7, 1823, started his journey into the wilderness of northern Minnesota resulting in his discovery of the source of the Mississippi River August 19, 1823. . . . — — Map (db m231720) HM
Within the boundaries of this park, which in past days was Maple Hill Cemetery, there rest in the sleep of the ages 46 soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic. Courageously they responded to our country's call in the war of the rebellion. . . . — — Map (db m236118) HM WM
The Mississippi is one of the world's great river systems and the longest river in North America, flowing over 2300 miles from its source at Lake Itasca to discharge into the Gulf of Mexico. Here at Edgewater Park, less than 500 miles from its . . . — — Map (db m238317) HM
In 1857, Minnesota was still a year away from statehood. The tiny town of Minneapolis had been incorporated in 1856, while St. Anthony, its larger sister on the east bank of the Mississippi, was a year older. The cities were linked by the . . . — — Map (db m238063) HM
The Self-Threading Needle Company built the building at 1006 West Lake Street in 1907. The Buzza Company, a greeting card and art publishing company, purchased it in 1923, and quickly expanded it by adding two additions and a . . . — — Map (db m240629) HM
In 1922, Russel T. Lund, Sr. started working for Hove's, a neighborhood grocery store at 2923-25 Hennepin Avenue. That fall, he became a partial partner in the cheese and cracker department. In 1939, Lund became a full partner and . . . — — Map (db m243109) HM
Originally built in 1913 as the Lagoon Theater, this 1,500-seat venue was considered to be among the finest movie houses outside downtown. In 1929, the theater was rechristened "The Uptown"; its re-opening publicity declared, "New Uptown . . . — — Map (db m238169) HM
When the Walker Branch of the Minneapolis Public Library opened in 1911, the Hennepin and Lake area was still sparsely developed. T.B. Walker, founder and longtime president of the Library Board, donated the property near the . . . — — Map (db m234838) HM
Albert Abdallah immigrated to the United States as a teenager from Lebanon, arriving in Minneapolis at the turn of the last century. He entered the confectionary business at a soda fountain in downtown Minneapolis, where he met . . . — — Map (db m241711) HM
When the Granada Theater opened in 1928, it was touted as the "most elaborate theater ever constructed outside the loop district in Minneapolis." It was one of the first movie theaters designed by local architects Jack Liebenberg . . . — — Map (db m242607) HM
The Minneapolis Mercantile Company was located on the corner of Lake Street and Colfax Avenue, and offered groceries, meats, and baked goods to area residents. Constructed in 1916, the building housed both the Sandberg family business as . . . — — Map (db m238674) HM
On the hill above was
erected the
first dwelling
in Minneapolis by
Samuel W. and Gideon H. Pond
missionaries to the Indians
June, 1834.
Dedicated by the Native Sons of Minnesota, May 30th, 1908. — — Map (db m205658) HM
In 187981, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (CM&StP) built a line across the city's southern edge. The tracks crossed nearly 50 streets between Cedar Avenue and the lakes, creating many hazards for pedestrians and . . . — — Map (db m238962) HM
Hennepin Avenue was built on the historic ox-cart road between St. Anthony Falls and Lake Calhoun. From 1884 to 1905, the Minneapolis Park Board designated Hennepin Avenue as a parkway, which limited commercial development. By the . . . — — Map (db m235324) HM
“. . . a bit of natural growth is a source of greater delight to the true nature lover than the most beautiful and most highly cultivated garden” —Eloise Butler
Teacher and botanist Eloise Butler was the Garden's . . . — — Map (db m86830) HM
The intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue emerged as one of Minneapolis' earliest commercial areas. A cluster of stores stood at the intersection as early as 1885. Two of its most significant buildings were erected at this . . . — — Map (db m240050) HM
In memory of
the Minnesota men who lost their lives
while serving in the Marine Corps during
the World War 1917 to 1918
Arne J. Aanes · Palmer A. Adwell · Max H. Ahl · Ludwig O. Arneson · William H. Ashley · Edwin Berg · Gustav Berg · . . . — — Map (db m231818) WM
Given to the people of Minneapolis in 1891 by F.H. Peavey as a drinking fountain for horses. This monument was rededicated as a memorial to the horses of the 151st Field Artillery Minnesota National Guard killed in action in the First World War. — — Map (db m76192) WM
Did you know that Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun are married?
Yes, it's true! When dredging was finished on the canal and lagoon between the lakes, they were "married" in a symbolic ceremony on July 5, 1911. The day was named . . . — — Map (db m237060) HM
The Expanding City
In 1910, Minneapolis was growing in every direction. From its beginnings at the Falls of St. Anthony about 70 years before, a dense collection of commercial and industrial buildings filled the downtown, and block after . . . — — Map (db m200506) HM
Dedicated to the memory of the soldiers, sailors and marines of Hennepin County who lost their lives in the Great World War 19141918 — — Map (db m176211) WM
Missionaries Samuel and Gideon Pond arrived at Fort Snelling in 1834 and were immediately dispatched to work with Cloudman, Chief of the Dakota people, who had established an agricultural settlement on the eastern shores of Lake Calhoun near the . . . — — Map (db m212037) HM
Did you know that Shingle Creek was the water source for the first swimming pool at Webber Park?
Shingle Creek was once the site of a popular swimming hole. In 1908, however, the land was acquired for the park, and the creek dammed. . . . — — Map (db m231755) HM
Did You Know That Murphy Square Is Older Than the State of Minnesota?
When Minneapolis was little more than a cluster of saw mills and houses on the west side of St. Anthony Falls, a civic-minded citizen, Edward Murphy, donated this . . . — — Map (db m234575) HM
In the late 1800's rail traffic in the Twin Cities experienced a tremendous growth. As rail traffic increased, street crossings shared by railcars, pedestrians, and street traffic became more congested and dangerous.
By the early 1900s, the . . . — — Map (db m237217) HM
Did you know that the Park Board has protected the Mississippi River as a park for over 100 years?
Within weeks of its inception in 1883, the Park Board hired H.W.S. Cleveland, a prominent landscape architect, to create a comprehensive plan . . . — — Map (db m163894) HM
Standing near here at the river's edge 5000 years ago, you would have felt the spray and heard the thunder of a spectacular waterfall. If you returned once every 500 years you would have seen the waterfall carving the Mississippi River's only true . . . — — Map (db m163305) HM
Trees planted along this parkway in the year 1939 have been named
Sesquicentennial Trees
to commemorate the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the first session of Congress and the inauguration of the first President of the United . . . — — Map (db m156475) HM
The Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge spans a natural chasm of 1273 feet channeling the Mississippi River and connecting the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Today this bridge is officially dedicated to the goals of peace and goodwill . . . — — Map (db m156483) HM
Mill Ruins Park embraces the flour-milling district that once lined the west bank of the Mississippi River at the heart of Minneapolis. Between 1858 and 1930, the milling district developed along the waterpower canal built here by the . . . — — Map (db m240366) HM
Pioneer Period
182123
Waterpower development at the Falls of St. Anthony began with construction of a gristmill and sawmill near the foot of 7th Avenue South by soldiers from Fort Snelling. The mill provided flour and lumber for the . . . — — Map (db m237363) HM
The Falls of St. Anthony are the only significant cataract on the Mississippi. Their natural beauty captured the imagination and attention of Native Americans as well as early explorers and settlers. In the summer of 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, . . . — — Map (db m243168) HM
This 1893 map shows the system of tunnels that ran under the West Side Milling Districtpart of the complex waterworks that brought energy from the 50-foot drop of the falls into the mills. Water from the
river above the falls flowed through . . . — — Map (db m28081) HM
The historical, weather-worn bricks of today's Whitney have a story to tell. Since the late 1800s, these bricks have shaped the Minneapolis riverfront and witnessed its transformation. Once covered with the white dust of flour, these walls now . . . — — Map (db m231337) HM
The landscape around the Falls was transformed by many types of construction. Blasting and excavations for bridge supports and rail trackage modified the river banks, rail trestles were built over the canal and tailrace to serve the mills, and a . . . — — Map (db m241354) HM
When Europeans first saw the falls, the crest was well below Hennepin Island. Natural erosion caused the line of the falls to move steadily upriver at about four feet a year. By the 1850s, the cataract was approaching the upper limit of the . . . — — Map (db m28025) HM
This arch was the main entrance to the Washburn A Mill. The mill was built in 1879 on the site of the company's first A Mill (constructed in 1874), which was leveled in a flour-dust explosion on May 2, 1878. The plaque honors the memory of 14 . . . — — Map (db m231562) HM
Discriminatory rates charged by Chicago-owned railroads favored Milwaukee and Chicago flour mills. Minneapolis millers fought back by building their own railroad, the Soo Line.
On May 2, 1878, a massive explosion caused by flour dust . . . — — Map (db m243044) HM
The City Waterworks
Even during the heyday of the milling period, the towering mills, rail lines, bridges, and other aboveground features were only part of the setting which made the district an industrial powerhouse. Hidden underground . . . — — Map (db m235430) HM
The Stone Arch Bridge of the Burlington Northern Railway is acknowledged to be one of the finest stone viaducts in the world, due to its massive masonry, lofty arches, and graceful curvature.
Constructed: 1882-1883 — — Map (db m152946)
Waterpower Engineering
Almost immediately after lands on the west side of the Falls were opened for private development in 1855, the Minneapolis Mill Company began to exploit the use of waterpower for commercial purposes. In 1857, the . . . — — Map (db m235926) HM
1. The Falls of St. Anthony
This cataract, in which the Mississippi drops about seventy-five feet, is formed by the jutting edge of a hard layer of limestone over a bed of soft sandstone. In pre-historic times, the falls was located near the . . . — — Map (db m231723) HM
The hydroelectric plant built at the end of the dam in the 1890s had large arched windows for light and ventilation. The dam today is downstream from the railroad truss bridge that towered above the plant; only piers from the bridge . . . — — Map (db m238618) HM
You are standing on what was the ground floor of the Washburn A Mill. This floor housed the equipment that linked the power of St. Anthony Falls to the machines that milled the flour. That huge hole in front of you is a turbine pit.
When . . . — — Map (db m231521) HM
Minneapolis on the west bank of the river quickly overtook St. Anthony on the east side. A major reason was more efficient use of water power. In 1857 the Minneapolis Mill Company started to build a canal along South First Street. Enlarged and . . . — — Map (db m27746) HM
The rail platform over the waterpower canal in 1900.
Rising above the broken slabs of limestone cast off by the falls, the double row of flour mills along the west-side power canal created a narrow canyon shadowed by . . . — — Map (db m234946) HM
This mill was erected in the year 1879 on the site of Washburn Mill "A" which was totally destroyed on the second day of May 1878, by fire and a terrific explosion occasioned by the rapid combustion of flour dust. Not one stone was left upon . . . — — Map (db m231238) HM
How did water turn the wheels of industry?
Without the direct drive waterpower from St. Anthony Falls, the Minneapolis riverfront we know today might not exist. From the 1850s into the 1900s, the strength of the Mississippi River allowed . . . — — Map (db m231591) HM
The history of the city and events in our past have determined how we arrived at this point in time, as well as how we make decisions and view the world today.
Mill Ruins Park Public Archaeology Program, . . . — — Map (db m232482) HM
The City of Minneapolis was incorporated in 1855, soon after the first bridge opened across the Mississippi. Its two main thoroughfares, Hennepin and Nicollet Avenues, met at Bridge Square. That area quickly became the commercial center of a town . . . — — Map (db m231722) HM
People have long crossed the river at about this point. This was a natural fording place, used by Native Americans and also by soldiers from Fort Snelling. The first documented ferry service was provided by a Dakota Indian woman with her canoe in . . . — — Map (db m50228) HM
This aerial view shows the gatehouse, water power canal and adjacent mills as they appeared in 1945. They, together with similar structures on the east bank, made Minneapolis the milling capital of the nation from 1880-1930. Changes in marketing and . . . — — Map (db m27169) HM
For Native American people, the Falls of St. Anthony was a landmark and sacred place. The river was a major highway for trade and travel. Although no Indian villages have been recorded here, oral traditions suggest frequent visits for fishing and . . . — — Map (db m43661) HM
The square seven-story building with a sloping mansard roof at First Street and Fifth Avenue was built in 1879 as the Crown Roller Mill. It was then one of the largest and most modern flour mills at the falls, although its daily capacity of 2,400 . . . — — Map (db m43004) HM
A project for the City and the People of Minneapolis by the Minneapolis Community Development Agency
[City Officials listed]
"Dedicated to the People of Minneapolis and their children and their children's children, that through the years it . . . — — Map (db m71879) HM
Do you know how many times the Stevens House has been moved?
For 134 years, this small wood structure has been moved four times. The third move, which brought the house to Minnehaha Park, is heralded as the first act . . . — — Map (db m243401) HM
"This viaduct...is the only one of its kind that spans the Father of Waters, and is one of the largest and most noteworthy in the United States.
Firmer than the earth which supports it, it is constructed to stand the test of time."
. . . — — Map (db m27042) HM
The red brick building at the corner of Third Avenue and First Street was one of many factories that supplied the barrels used for flour. Called coopers, the skilled workers who made barrels pioneered a new role for labor in Minneapolis. When their . . . — — Map (db m44523) HM
The US Post Office stands on the site of the first permanent dwelling in what is now Minneapolis. The land was part of the Fort Snelling Military Reservation in 1849, but the army allowed John H. Stevens to build a house in return for operating a . . . — — Map (db m43036) HM
Minneapolis flour milling magnate, Cadwallader C. Washburn, was a member of a Maine family that sent four brothers to Congress, all from different states. Cadwallader served Wisconsin as congressman (1854-61, 1867-71) and governor (1872-73). His . . . — — Map (db m44409) HM
After the Washburn A Mill explosion in 1878, a young Vienna-born engineer called on owner Cadwallader C. Washburn with a dust-collecting device that he said would prevent such accidents. Washburn hired him to oversee rebuilding the A Mill. . . . — — Map (db m43664) HM
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board welcomes you to Minnehaha Park. The park consists of two levels: The upper level is maintained as an open picnicking area. Many of the city's traditional festivals such as Svenskarnas Dag are held here. The . . . — — Map (db m40787) HM
Big Water
The Mississippi River, paramount among North American rivers, along with its tributaries, forms the world's fifth largest drainage system in area – 1,244,000 square miles. The Indians called this river "Father of Waters", . . . — — Map (db m106852) HM
Near Fort Snelling, 10,000 years ago, melt water from the Wisconsin glacier was discharged through the Mississippi River and plunged over a ledge of Platteville limestone into a gorge cut chiefly in the white St. Peter sandstone. The . . . — — Map (db m40765) HM
Planted April 27 1932
This tablet placed
Americanization Day
April 27 1934
By Halvarson-Bowers Aux' 187
Veterans of Foreign Wars — — Map (db m17227) HM
[In Swedish and English, English version follows]:
Oh God, who rulest fate of nations,
Almighty thou in every land;
Who holdest life and deaths privations.
Within the hollow of thy hand,
Whatever punishment thou wieldest
For . . . — — Map (db m17235) HM
Built in 1850, this was the first house on the west bank of the Mississippi, located at Saint Anthony Falls near the present-day Minneapolis Post Office.
John H. Stevens received permission to occupy the site, a part of the Fort . . . — — Map (db m17264) HM
During the 19th century, settlers, tourists, and artists were drawn to the Falls picturesque beauty, while entrepreneurs seized the water power of the falls for their lumber and flour mills. Meanwhile, promoters of river transportation viewed St. . . . — — Map (db m212195) HM
Milwaukee Road station agents affectionately referred to the quaint little Minnehaha Depot as "the Princess." Its delicate gingerbread architecture is reminiscent of the Victorian era when ladies in bustles and gentlemen in high collars traveled . . . — — Map (db m17233) HM
President Lyndon B. Johnson, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, and Governor Karl Rolvaag enjoy the spray from Minnehaha Falls. On that day in 1964, however, Minneapolis was experiencing a drought. In order to create the beautiful display of the falls . . . — — Map (db m41153) HM
Do you know how many times the Stevens House has been moved?
For 134 years, this small wood structure has been moved four times. The third move, which brought the house to Minnehaha Park, is heralded as the first act of historic . . . — — Map (db m243432) HM
Navigation on this stretch of the river in its natural state upstream from St. Paul to Minneapolis was hazardous. During high flows, the current was swift, and during low flows, huge boulders made navigation almost impossible. It wasn't until . . . — — Map (db m131135) HM
Did you know that the Winchell Trail was the first rustic hiking trail in the city?
This mostly unpaved trail winds through the gorge on the west side of the Mississippi River between Franklin Ave and Godfrey Road, ending near Minnehaha . . . — — Map (db m176187) HM
Those piles of stone and brush in the river, known as wing dams, are both cursed and praised by many a recreation boater. Lurking beneath the water near propeller depth, thousands of these jetties are located along the mainstem of the river. They . . . — — Map (db m131136) HM
Did you know that neighborhood recreation in Minneapolis began at Logan Park?
The ten-acre First Ward Park was one of the first purchased in 1883, the year the Park Board was established. First named Washburn Park, it was . . . — — Map (db m236201) HM
In 1927, Christ Manolis purchased the candy store at the southwest corner of 27th Avenue and Lake Street. Manolis emigrated from Greece at the age of 13 as part of the Great Diasporathe migration of hundreds of thousands of young Greeks . . . — — Map (db m134537) HM
A Native of Lake City, Minnesota, Elmer "E.B." Freeman opened a small haberdashery shop near East 25th Street and 26th Avenue around 1914. Three years later, he relocated his business to the first floor of the new Coliseum Building at . . . — — Map (db m205069) HM
Since the 1880s, 27th Avenue and Lake Street has been a center of commercial activity. The area was linked to downtown Minneapolis in 1890 when the electric streetcar was extended down Minnehaha Avenue en route to Minnehaha Park. Its . . . — — Map (db m134539) HM
The Lake Theater stood at 2721-23 East Lake from 1915 to the early 1960s. It was part of a group of theaters that obtained films through a "block system," rather than individual film selection. By 1926, this system alarmed the . . . — — Map (db m135079) HM
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church began in 1904 when a group of younger members of St. Peder's Lutheran Church, a Danish-speaking congregation, split from St. Peder's over the issue of English in Sunday school and services. The new church . . . — — Map (db m135064) HM
When it opened in February 1924, the East Lake branch of the Minneapolis Public Library was a vital educational center for the growing neighborhood. East Lake was one of the 13 branch libraries established under the leadership of Gratia . . . — — Map (db m135073) HM
The story of Fire Station No. 21 begins in 1894, when fire engines were large wagons pulled by a team of horses that transported firemen and equipment. Until 1901, the station had only a "chemical engine," an extinguisher unit meant to . . . — — Map (db m134487) HM
Martinus Nelson built a blacksmith shop here in 1888. The smithy serviced local horses and wagons that kept area dairy farms running. Danish immigrant Christian Lauritzen took over in 1898. Business was good in the growing community, and . . . — — Map (db m134477) HM
Christ Church Lutheran was founded on 1911. This building, designed by world famous Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen, was completed in 1949. Immediately the building received international acclaim as one of the earliest examples of modernist . . . — — Map (db m50066) HM
Early area survey maps from 1839 show a trail roughly corresponding to present-day Minnehaha Avenue running between Fort Snelling and the Falls of St. Anthony. Following the creation of the Minnesota Territory in 1849, the general . . . — — Map (db m134546) HM
Initially known as Centennial School, the original Longfellow School stood on the NE corner of Lake and Minnehaha between 1876 and 1919. In the early 1880s, the City of Minneapolis annexed the area, and the Minneapolis Board of Education . . . — — Map (db m135063) HM
History of Lake Street
When the City of Minneapolis was established in 1856, Lake Street was a mile beyond the southern boundary of the city.
Early Lake Street was home to dance halls, lumberyards, churches, horsesheds and . . . — — Map (db m144127) HM
For nearly 100 years, this site was the location of a farm implements production facility. In 1873, a group of businessmen that included Dorilus Morrison, Minneapolis' first mayor, established Minneapolis Harvester Works. In 1880, the . . . — — Map (db m156974) HM
African American families were among the first to settle in the neighborhood that grew south of East Lake Street. During much of the 20th century, restrictive housing covenants limited where African Americans could buy homes. Minority . . . — — Map (db m134464) HM
Tracks and Yards
In 1879 the CM&StP's Short Line tracks were laid as far as Hiawatha; by 1881 they were completed west of Hiawatha Ave. as the Hastings and Dakota Division.
In 1905, H.A. Dorsey opened Wonderland Amusement Park on 10 acres between Lake ad 32nd streets and 31st and 33rd avenues. It opened to great fanfare, with 70,000 people attending on opening day. Its attractions included a 120-foot-high . . . — — Map (db m134501) HM
