EAPO NN L I IS Help Minneapolis celebrate its birth Endless reasons to visit the M S and other significant anniversaries L Minneapolis Riverfront District E A S I Q N U N ICENTE History Visit Minneapolis’ birthplace + Track the founding and growth of Minneapolis and its glory days as the flour milling capital of the world while visiting the on the Mississippi River Mill City Museum, Mill Ruins Park, First Bridge Park, Walking tour map inside Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam visitor center, Federal Reserve Bank Plaza, Whitney Plaza, Milwaukee Depot and Water Power Park. + Explore the beautiful St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail on a self-guided walking tour. Minnesota Historical Society First bridge to cross the Mississippi River, at what is now + Visit the restored Ard Godfrey house, Hennepin Avenue, shown in 1868 the oldest home in Minneapolis. + Experience the power of St. Anthony Falls from the Learn about the role Minneapolis played in the creation magnificent Stone Arch Bridge. Minneapolis grew up of the State of Minnesota 150 years ago and many other around the power of the falls. riverfront “firsts” that have impacted the world. Culture and entertainment Did you know? + Take in performances at two Tony Award-winning Minneapolis - The first permanent bridge ever built across the theaters — the Guthrie and Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Mississippi River (shown above) opened in 1855 at + See cutting-edge art at the Soap Factory. what is now Hennepin Avenue, a popular crossing + Revel in the literary arts at the Open Book. point for American Indians for hundreds of years. + Enjoy a movie, live music or some comedy. - The first man-made dam across the Mississippi was completed in Minneapolis in 1858 to divert water Food and shopping into millponds on each side of the river. + Savor the cuisine at an outstanding restaurant. - The first central hydroelectric plant in the nation was + Sip a cocktail on an outdoor patio. built in Minneapolis in 1882. + Explore the fascinating shops in Northeast and the North Loop. - The first and only stone arch bridge ever built across Parks and recreation the Mississippi was built in 1883 in Minneapolis. + Walk, bike or blade miles of trails. - Minnesota’s first presidential nominating convention + Find out why this special area is a national park and was held in the Industrial Exposition Building in earn your Junior Ranger badge. Minneapolis in 1892. + Take in the sights on the Minneapolis Queen excursion boat, a - Minneapolis’ flour milling Twin Cities Trolley ride or a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride. industry brought about many + Explore the district on a Segway tour. marketing firsts, including the + Ice skate at the historic Depot Ice Rink. first radio cooking show + Relax and admire scenic views of the river, the downtown (Betty Crocker, starting in skyline and the historic district from the Riverfront parks. 1924) and the first radio jingle + Celebrate with one of the many festivals, events song in 1926 (“Have You or fireworks displays. Tried Wheaties?”). Courtesy of the General Mills Archives Information To learn more about the birthplace of Minneapolis, + For things to do in the Minneapolis Riverfront District, visit www.stanthonyfalls.org. visit www.minneapolisriverfrontdistrict.com. To learn more about Minneapolis’ 150th anniversary, Information hotline: (612) 673-5123 visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/150. + Nicollet Island & the River The East Side Nicollet Island first served as a stepping A commercial area for the early com- The long-gone but impressive Block – the oldest surviving brick Minneapolis riverfront, recognized for stone for crossing the river. Today, it is a munity, the Northeast and Southeast 3 Industrial Exposition structure in Minneapolis. its significance as the birthplace of the charming neighborhood of rehabilitated areas once again bustle with shops, Building (1886-1930s) was the site Pillsbury Company and the largest flour The power of St. Anthony Falls historic homes and historic industrial restaurants and galleries. The historic of Minnesota’s first presi- mill in the world when it was built in 1881. first was harnessed for buildings that have been preserved for Ard Godfrey House (1849) is dential nominating It was also the first mill in the world to 1 sawmilling, and for new uses. The island is a treasury of the oldest frame house remaining in the convention, the 1892 install electric lights. many years Min- residential architectural styles that were city and was the location for many meet- Republican Conven- 7 The Soap neapolis was the popular in the late 19th century. ings that tion (the only presi- Factory, an art gallery specializing lumber milling helped dential convention in cutting-edge visual arts, is housed in capital of the shape the held in the state the historic National Purity Soap Factory nation. Flour mills new com- until 2008). building and is one of the many riverfront later supplanted munity of organizations celebrating an important In the city’s early the sawmills, and the St. An- anniversary this year. years, historic Minneapolis riverfront thony. The Main Street was grew into the largest direct- 8 Father Hennepin Bluffs house is 4 Oxcarts on Main Street, 1854 part of the Red River oxcart Minnesota Historical Society drive waterpower operation Park is one of many riverfront park Minnesota Historical Society open for trail that brought trade the world has ever seen. areas owned by the Minneapolis Park Stone Arch Bridge, 1900 tours on goods from northern Minnesota to the This flour milling was the world’s first and Recreation Board. It is believed to be weekends The magnificent Stone Arch boat landings in Saint Paul in exchange industrial-scale food processing and where Father Louis Hennepin became 1 from Bridge is the first and only stone arch for manufactured goods. The restaurants made Minneapolis the flour milling the first white man to see the falls while May 31 to Communications City of Minneapolis, bridge to cross the Mississippi River. It Our Lady of Lourdes, 2007 in Riverplace and St. Anthony Main capital of the world from 1880 to 1930. traveling with the Dakota in 1680. Today Aug. 31. was an engineering achievement when occupy historic rehabilitated commercial The limestone the park’s band shell features summer 2 Our Lady of Lourdes completed as a railroad bridge in 1883 and industrial buildings. The handsome Pillsbury A Mill is one music. The lower portion of the park Church, built in 1857, is the oldest 6 (another 125th anniversary!). For more Martin-Morrison Blocks of two National Historic offers a view of the only remaining continuously operating church in Min- 5 information about the Stone Arch Bridge (1858) date from the city’s early Landmarks on the segment of the waterfall ledge that has neapolis and this year will celebrate a and the many other fascinating bridges years, as does the 1855 Upton not been covered by a concrete apron. major renovation. across the Mississippi in Minneapolis, The Park Board, many of whose original visit www.mrdbridges.com. founders were riverfront businessmen, also celebrates an important anniversary The waterfall now known as St. Anthony Northeast Southeast in 2008 (Congratulations on 125 years!). Falls held spiritual power for American Indians who lived in this area for millen- 3 existing nia. It was the hydropower potential of those falls that attracted white settlers to 3 former location East Side this point on the Mississippi River in the mid-19th century. Learn how water can 2 create power and the riverfront’s long 1 role in supplying hydropower at Water 6 Power Park, 2 where you can get 3 a close-up view of the falls. 5 7 4 The 3 horseshoe dam you can Nicollet Island see in the river today is the successor to 8 the rock-filled, timber-crib dam that was & the River completed in 1858. This cooperative effort of the milling companies on both 2 sides of the river was the first man-made dam across the Mississippi. It channeled 3 1 the water into millponds on each side of the river. 3 1 4 5 4 The Minneapolis Riverfront The Minneapolis Riverfront District is the 8 3 existing birthplace of Minneapolis and a powerful place of many firsts that affected the state, Nicollet Island & the River 3 former location nation and world. Tour the district to learn 2 more about these significant births and firsts and see some of the sites that tell these stories. The heart of the tour is the 1 1.8-mile St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail, which guides you through the heart of 3 the city’s birthplace with markers explaining how Minneapolis was born and grew 3 1 around the waterpower of St. Anthony Falls. 4 5 How is a city born? The birth of Minneapolis cannot be traced to any single event. American Indians have inhabited the area long before Europeans arrived. White settlement around 2 8 7 St. Anthony Falls began on the east side of the river with the founding of St. Anthony in 1849. The west side was not opened to settlement by the federal government until a few years later. The name “Minneapolis” was chosen in 1852, and the community of Minneapolis was incorporated as a town in 1856. The Minneapolis West Side town government was formally organized on July 20, 1858, 150 years ago. In 1872, the communities that shared St. Anthony Falls merged into a combined city 6 under the Minneapolis name. North Loop Mill District Base map © Hedberg Maps, Inc. Birth Place & First Place The West Side Plaza, five bronze models illustrate how ic Milwaukee Depot complex has hotels, the Bridge Square area has evolved from a water park, historical displays and a Explore the North Loop’s wide variety pre-settlement days to today.