Saint Anthony Falls

Saint Anthony Falls marks the head of navigation on the Mississippi River — the point beyond which boats could not pass — and was the reason Minneapolis was founded where it is. The falls powered the flour mills that made the city rich in the late 19th century, and the hydroelectric plant here still generates power for Minneapolis today.

The falls can be viewed from the pedestrian walkways on both sides of the river. The best view is from the Stone Arch Bridge or the observation deck at the foot of the bridge, looking back upstream. The upper lock and dam, built in 1963, diverts water over the falls and controls the flow; the lock is still operational and occasionally admits recreational and commercial boats.

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A story
Saint Anthony Falls is the only natural waterfall on the entire Mississippi River — a river of 3,730 km. It has retreated about eight miles from its original position at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers over the past 12,000 years, eroding upstream through soft shale as the limestone cap breaks off. The Army Corps of Engineers installed an apron of concrete below the falls in 1876 to stop the erosion, effectively freezing the falls in place.