Minnehaha Falls.......A Pictorial Essay and Tribute to HW Longfellow

[bvar22]

Text selected from Longfellow's
"A Song of Hiawatha" 1853

Photos are from Minnehaha Falls Park in Minneapolis
































"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote The Song of Hiawatha in 1853 in an attempt to capture the Native American spirit in epic verse. In 1851 Longfellow was given a print of Brown's Falls near Fort Snelling. He never saw the Falls in person, but was inspired by the image.

Longfellow also gathered information about the Dakotas and Ojibwe from a book in 1849 by Mary Eastman. It is from her book that the name "Minnehaha" originated. She believed the Dakotas called the falls "Minne-hah-hah" or laughing waters. Although there is no factual basis to support her translation, both the Dakotas and the settlers began calling the falls Minnehaha. With the publication of the poem in 1853, the falls were forever renamed."---from the Memorial Fountain in Minnehaha Park




My apologies to Longfellow. I was unable to include the unabridged text from The Song of Hiawatha which is over 120 pages in length. It was an agonizing task to select the few particles represented here. The entire work is beautiful and to be fully appreciated should be read in its unabridged form.

You can find the unabridged version here:
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/hiawatha.html

[hedda_foil]

1. Stunningly beautiful!

Thank you for the glorious illustrations. They brought the text alive for me!

[Another Bill C.]

2. Wonderful job!

I'm going to look up the bicycle route to the falls and take a run over when the weather cools a bit.

[bvar22]

3. A cycler!!??? Me too.

I'm a BIG bicycle enthusiast. I discovered the beauty of the Falls on my bicycle. The Park is a regular stop on my rides. It is a jumping off point for most of the trails in the Twin Cities. Most of the above pictures were taken from my bicycle (though I don't usually carry a camera...too much trouble).

My bike in the park the day I took the pics (Saturday, yesterday)

The trail from the south end of the Lakes runs directly along the Minnehaha Creek non stop to the falls. Great ride, mostly shaded, a few street crosssings.

A new section of the Greenway opened last weekend that runs along the old RR tracks along Lake Street uninterrupted to Hwy 55 where there is a wide sidewalk/ bike path 3 mile south to the Park.

The River trails ALL meet up at the Park. If you are on the St Paul side, you have to cross the Ford St Bridge which has been upgraded with a wide separated bike path.


I wonder how many Twin Cities bike enthusiasts we have here?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. thanks for the wonderful pictures

It's amazing that you could find so many sights relevant to the poem.

I'm a bicycle enthusiast in principle, but I haven't been riding much since moving here, partly because I live on the fourth floor, as does my bicycle. Unlike the twenty-year-old moving man who carried up the stairs on his shoulder, I find the stairs to be a real disincentive.

When my next big check comes in, I want to buy a folding bike for what little urban riding I would do.

[Another Bill C.]

5. I'm a cool weather rider.

A bad heart, old age, and medicinally-encouraged weight have put a crimp in my riding this year. It's the first year in a long time that I haven't done the Ironman ride.

I usually ride the streets but I'll give the trail a try. I live on St. Paul's West Side (which is south of the river) near West St. Paul. I can take the trail to the Mendota Bridge and see where it goes from there.

[bvar22]

6. You have my respect.

Ironman is tough.
Love to hear about the Ironman sometime.
Come to our monthly meetup.

From the Mendota bridge, beautiful bike paths (smooth asphalt), no car crossings, through the woods, mostly shaded along both sides of the river from Ft Snelling north to Minnehaha Park. One pretty good hill on the Minneapolis side at Ft Snelling, but that side of the river is a prettier ride. Easy to find, just head toward the river.

[Spike from MN]

7. Another cyclist here

Though I generally prefer dirt to pavement. ;) Unfortunately with all the rain we've had this spring, dirt riding has been rather limited as you should never ride the MTB trails when they're wet enough that riding could damage them.

Hey, if any cycling enthusiasts don't have any plans for the 4th, TCBC is doing their annual Watermelon ride that day. It's always a fun time and there's lots of food to eat. More info on the ride is available at this link:

http://www.mtn.org/tcbc/watermelon/index.html

Great pics BTW. Nice job!

[MsAnthropy]

8. Truly gorgeous!

It is so touching to see "our" beautiful falls get some attention. Thank you so much!

[bvar22]

9. The Park and Falls are especially beautiful this year.

The generous rainfall, late spring, and high humidity have produced abundant, fertile, vibrant, vegetation that rivals the lushness of the deep South. The heavy rainfall has also increased the volume of water over the Falls. Last year at this time it was barely a trickle.

I've been in Minnesota for 5 years, and am still amazed at the incredible contrast (and quickness) of the Seasons here. Nature seems to have a sense of urgency here that is mirrored in the people (you all): "If you want to do something, you better do it now!"

[Love Bug]

10. Thanks for this. I live a mile from the falls

This is one of my favorite places in the Cities. I also like walking in the wooded dog park south of the falls along the Mississippi.

[cynthia]

11. Thank you for the beautiful photo essay

My favorite activity at the falls is to go down the stairs and walk along the creek to the Mississippi River. There are several places where the forget-me-nots grow wild in a veritable blanket on the forest floor. My daughter and I first saw them there 21 years ago when we were remembering an angel, and I go back every year finding that they thrive in that habitat.