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It’s hard to believe in a busier place than Minnehaha Falls, the U-shaped waterfall where the creek connecting the chain of lakes flows into the cliffs of the Mississippi River. White settlers have been climbing around the waterfall for many years, and the Dakotas for millennia. before that. People bathe, literally and figuratively, in the mist that rises above freezing from the vast rock bowl.
That’s why the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board wants to be so careful when making plans for change. Underneath the likely vegetal surface of Waterfall Park, layers of architecture and design have worked to provide access to the land. Today, the park is in poor condition. condition; The stairs on the south side of the pool have been closed for a year. They are visibly crumbling, suffering from constant erosion caused by haze and decades of seasonal wear and tear.
The question of how to update them is part of a broader plan to modify the park in everything from new trails near the confluence to rethinking the falls viewing spaces and planting an oak savannah. MPRB engagement is just beginning this summer and comments are welcome. .
“There’s a total mix,” explained Carol HejlStone, MPRB’s design assignment manager. “There’s everything from the pre-WPA (Works Progress Administration) retaining walls, to the WPA work, and then a lot of incremental maintenance over the decades. “
Layers of infrastructure mix with sedimentary rock, and exposed accumulations in the basin can tell a thousand stories. Most obvious are the limestone stairs and walls that date back to the WPA, a major effort made in the 1930s that allowed steep stairs to be built along the rock face. That was a long time ago and the following maintenances carried out in the 70s and 80s also show its age. In many cases, limestone and concrete collapse or wobble at steep angles.
The southern aspect of the falls, in particular, presents more demanding situations due to its geology and hydrology. The slope is rarely exposed to direct sunlight and the constant fog washing from the waterfalls means that moisture covers the embankment most of the time. This makes maintaining slope stability an ongoing challenge.
“What we’re doing now is continuing some of our research paints and other preparatory paints,” HejlStone said. “This will indicate our designs on how to fix those slopes. As you can imagine, there are many actors involved.
Obviously there is work to be done. Before starting, the MPRB pauses and tries to decide what to do next. As HejlStone says, “we put the ducks in a row. ” As I said this, I saw a female mallard randomly gliding along the stream. In other words, with such a complex site, it is a complicated task.
Minnehaha Falls Minnesota’s first state park, dating back to 1889, a position that was noted among white settlers through the traditionally erroneous but hugely popular poem, Song of Hiawatha. As such, it was Minneapolis’ first viral destination. Tourists flocked to appreciate this site that is a national sensation, a mythical delight like watching the castle from the Harry Potter movies. In particular, President Lyndon Johnson’s footprints remain etched into the concrete and date back to a scale he made here in 1964.
From the beginning, despite the involvement of state legislators, the park was controlled through the Minneapolis Parks Board. It’s still the most visited park in Minneapolis, a wonderful place to picnic, and home to the famous Sea Salt restaurant. It remains a combination of jurisdictions, with the National Park Service (across the River Corridor), the State DNR (through the adjacent Fort Snelling State Park), and the State Historical Society all having some form of oversight. Then there is the basic prestige of the land as a sacred place. position in the Dakotas.
Last year, the MPRB hired a new position called the Indian Parks Liaison Officer to try to better guide the process with tribal communities. This park, with its misleading ancient narratives, gives an example of the importance of this.
Over the years, invisible adjustments have been made to the creek and park. A 2009 transformation added a cement retaining wall along the creek to prevent erosion of the WPA rock channel, a visual change only when the creek is low. At the sprawling 167-acre park, further adjustments are being made. Some key hiking trails along the river, usually dirt that cuts down local trees, are being repaired or relocated to cope with decades of erosion.
The second major component of the MPRB plan is to correct a mistake in the most recent remodel. In 2009, planners installed a boardwalk over a black oak seepage, a type of river wetland where flood waters seep through the soil laden with stinky cabbages. It hasn’t aged well. Periodic flooding and the continuous wetlands surrounding it have rotted the underside of the pedestrian bridge, which was originally chosen because it was used for sea lake docks. They plan to update the trail with a more permeable and breathable curtain this summer.
“There has to be a curtain that allows more air to come in and out of the surface,” HejlStone said.
Elsewhere in the park, on the “southern plateau” closer to the Mississippi River, the MPRB is installing a mix of local plantings to complement the oak savannah landscape. HejlStone describes it as an accelerator for local pollinators, which feed on oaks. to provide rare habitat for monarchs and other species.
One last consideration is parking. During peak summer hours and weekends, the existing parking lot reaches full capacity and parked cars spread out into surrounding neighborhoods. Just like on the stage of the football stadium in St. Louis. John’s. Paul, that’s the value to pay for doing it. businesses within walking distance of a regional convenience, yet many neighbors south of Minneapolis are still grumpy about it.
One of the proposed concepts, at least in MPRB long-range planning circles, is to build a new parking lot on a new grass lot between Godfrey Circle and the Dairy Queen. The concept has been received as a leadership balloon in Minneapolis. community groups, at least until now. The last thing the park board will do in 2024 is open more green areas for car storage.
Carol HejlStone confides to me that there was no investment for the parking lot expansion and that there probably won’t be in the future. Instead, they’re leaning toward more control of existing supply, encouraging public transportation or adding parking permits in some affected neighborhoods. It should be noted that, unlike the destinations in St. John, Minneapolis charges a small fee for parking, ensuring profits and efficiency. I’d bet that some changes to this type of policy could better manage demand.
Meanwhile, the solution to the waterfall challenge begins this summer. HejlStone will be asking your questions at network meetings this summer, and anyone who has ideas on how to be more productive about caring for Minneapolis’ most notable waterfall will have their say. It is hard to think of any other post in the village that deserves so much care and attention.
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