Saint Anthony Falls

Saint Anthony Falls is a unique geographic feature located on the Mississippi River.

It sits at the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. For a long time, it was the only major natural waterfall on the entire Mississippi River.

Today, the site is recognized as the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. This area features a self-guided walking trail with signs about its past. The falls are now defined by man-made structures like the spillway and various locks.

These structures help manage the river and support navigation.

Before European explorers arrived, the falls held deep spiritual significance for indigenous peoples. The Mdewakanton Dakota called the Mississippi River "hahawakpa," or the "river of the falls."

They used several different names for the falls themselves. Some names meant "curling waters," while others meant "falling waters" or "whirlpool."

Dakota legends even associated the site with Oanktehi, a god of waters. People also used the area for fishing and tapping sugar maple trees. Because the falls required a portage, the site became a trade point between the Dakota and Anishinaabe. The Anishinaabe called the site "kakabikah," which means "split rock."

The falls gained Western attention in 1680 through Father Louis Hennepin. He was a Belgian Catholic friar who published journals about his travels.

Hennepin named the site the Falls of Saint Anthony after his patron saint, Anthony of Padua. Later, explorers like Zebulon Montgomery Pike and Jonathan Carver documented the area. Carver traveled in 1766 to map the land and search for the Northwest Passage. In 1817, Major Stephen Harriman Long led a military excursion up the river. He described the falls as a "majestic cataract" with a roaring, magnificent scene. His reports helped lead to the establishment of Fort Snelling in 1820.

During the 1800s, the falls became a massive center for industry. In 1838, Franklin Steele made the first private land claim at the falls.

He built a dam on the east side to power a sawmill. By the 1850s, the west bank also developed many new mills. These businesses used the water to power saws for cutting pine lumber. Later, the industry shifted toward flour milling. From 1880 to 1930, Minneapolis became the "Flour Milling Capital of the World."

Huge companies like Pillsbury and Washburn-Crosby dominated the market. The Pillsbury A-Mill was even the largest flour mill in the world for 18 years.

This industrial growth created a serious geological problem for the river. The falls are formed by a layer of limestone sitting atop soft sandstone.

As water rushed over the edge, it caused rapid upstream erosion. This process is called recession, where the waterfall moves backward over time.

Between 1857 and 1868, the falls eroded by as much as one foot per year. If the limestone cap had worn away completely, the falls would have become simple sandstone rapids. This would have destroyed the waterpower that the city relied upon for its economy.

To save the falls, engineers had to find ways to stop the erosion. In 1880, a large timber apron was built to protect the edge. This apron was a sloping structure that dissipated the energy of the falling water.

This wood structure lasted until 1952, when it was replaced by a concrete apron. Engineers also built a series of locks and dams to help ships navigate the river. These projects were part of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Navigation Project. These modern structures now define how the falls look and function today.

The history of the falls shows how humans and nature interact. The transition from a sacred indigenous site to an industrial powerhouse changed the landscape forever. While the mills brought great wealth to Minneapolis, they also placed stress on the riverbed. Today, the site serves as a historic district where people can learn about these changes. It connects the natural history of the Mississippi with the industrial history of the United States.