Minnehaha Falls

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Producer: Faaya Adem

Editorial support: Emily Krumberger

Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

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Transcript

Welcome to MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds.

Tucked inside Minneapolis, surrounded by busy city life, a fifty-three-foot waterfall plunges into a limestone gorge. Minnehaha Falls offers a glimpse of nature within the city, but its history stretches back long before Minneapolis became the city it is today. Before it became a tourist attraction, Minnehaha Falls, flowing to the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, was a gathering place for Dakota people. Its name comes from the Dakota words mni, meaning water, and ȟaȟa, meaning curling. In 1855, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published “The Song of Hiawatha,” an epic poem that brought the falls international attention. Longfellow had never visited the falls, but his writing helped turn it into a travel destination. As Minneapolis grew, the city began working to preserve the falls and surrounding land. In 1889, the city bought the property, creating what would become Minnehaha Park. Today, Minnehaha Falls is part of one of the most visited parks in Minnesota, drawing in visitors from across the state and beyond.

MN90 is produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's Community Radio Stations, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at MN90.org.