Saving St. Anthony Falls (partner event)

Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 7:00pm
John in front of St. Anthony Falls

The Linden Hills History Study Group will host a Zoom presentation on the future of St. Anthony Falls. Register for the online event here.

St. Anthony Falls lies one tick of the geologic clock from ending. Holding back the clock is a dam or cutoff wall no one can see and few know exists. It stands three stories tall and spans the Mississippi River. It lies under the river, deep beneath the last of the limestone caprock. For 145 years, the wall has withstood the relentless demands of nature to finish its task. How much longer will it last?

In this talk, Dr. John O. Anfinson will explore how close St. Anthony Falls came to ending and how vulnerable it still is. No one has inspected the wall since the Army Corps of Engineers completed it on November 24, 1876. A catastrophic failure could end the falls, threaten the Minneapolis water supply and undermine critical infrastructure.

Dr. Anfinson is a long-time Mississippi River historian who retired as Superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, National Park Service, in 2021. He also serves on the FMR board.

Read more about the cutoff wall and sign up as an FMR River Guardian to stay updated and weigh in on river issues like this.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 19, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:00pm
West River Parkway and 36th Street/44th Street, Minneapolis
Saturday, April 19, 2025 - 10:00am to 12:30pm
MWMO, Northeast Minneapolis riverfront
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Sites in Elk River, Hastings or Inver Grove Heights