I got to Minneapolis on a Sunday evening, and my daughter that lives in town agreed to go with me to explore the St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis. It is in the Mississippi River National River and Recreational Area, and there is a National Park Visitor Center at the Lock that offers tours of the Lock and Dam. Unfortunately for us, the tours were not available on Sunday, so we wandered around the area, along the beautiful stone arch bridge, and enjoyed the St. Anthony Falls from the bridge. There is a lot in this small area of Minneapolis. The Mill City museum is on the west shore, built inside the ruins of an old Flour mill. The mill had exploded back in the day - but because milling was the biggest industry in Minneapolis, it seemed appropriate to build the museum right there. Next to the museum is a theater - built with a large cantilevered section with an observation deck overlooking the river - and the Mill Ruin Park.

When you go across the Stone Arch Bridge, you get into a section of Minneapolis called St Anthony Main - and Steph and I had dinner there while we caught Pokémon. Its a nice spot - with restaurants and cobble stone street.

The next day, I came back and took a tour of the Lock. This is the most northern lock on the Mississippi River, and was built in the 1960's. In 2015, the lock was closed, due to the spread of Asian Carp in the river, as well as the financial burden of operating it for a very few number of customers. Apparently, this is a very controversial move.

The riverbed in this area of the Mississippi is made of a shale top, with sandstone underneath. Because the falls would erode the sandstone, the falls actually naturally move north over time. In the early 1900's, with the flour mills getting so dependent on the power of the falls for production, there was a move to stop the migration of the falls. The Corps of Engineers installed a ramp at the falls, so that the undercutting of the sandstone would stop - the ramp has been replaced a few times, but still there. The National Park Service tour guide was knowledgeable about the dam, and gave a good tour - which took us out and over the lock for a better view of the falls. Very cool thing to have in the middle of a city!

This entire area is also along the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. The Great River Road runs from Minnesota all the way to Louisiana, and follows the Mississippi the entire way - I've been on a few stretches of it, and so far, its beautiful the entire way - in urban and rural settings.

#Minnesota