St. Anthony Falls — How waterpower built a city walking tour

St. Anthony Falls is the largest natural falls on the Mississippi River. People have always been drawn to the power and beauty of St. Anthony Falls. For Native Americans, the falls possessed religious significance and harbored powerful spirits. For the early European and American explorers, the falls provided a landmark in a vast wilderness, as well as an interesting geological phenomenon. During the 19th century, settlers, tourists and artists were drawn to St. Anthony Falls’ picturesque beauty, while entrepreneurs seized the waterpower of the falls for their lumber and flour mills. Meanwhile, promoters of river transportation viewed St. Anthony Falls as an obstacle to be overcome, as they dreamed of extending navigation on the Mississippi River above Minneapolis. The 90-minute walking tour will highlight the natural landscape and the human infrastructure still visible as a testament to the constantly changing physical and economic forces that made Minneapolis the city that it is today. The tour guide is David Berg, who for 13 years, portrayed William de la Barre, the hydro engineer who, in 1885, “re-engineered St. Anthony Falls.” Monday, Sept. 29, 5:30-7 pm. Registration: https://www.preserveminneapolis.org/walking-tour-calendar.