While the falls were known to local people for eons, Father Louis Hennepin became the first European to see St. Anthony Falls in 1680. At the time, the falls were several hundred feet downstream, about twice as high, and Hennepin Island was above the falls.

Today, Father Hennepin is remembered in a number of ways, such as having a county bearing his name, a major street, a bridge, and an island. The river front just below the present day falls on the north side of the river is the location of Father Hennepin Bluff Park. The park features a stairway and walking path across an old channel of the river and two spillways. There are four pedestrian bridges as part of this path. One was built in 1970, the other three in 1975.

While these bridges are in good condition, the stairways have structural issues and some are closed. The paths are also in disrepair or are rugged and hard to follow. It looks like the park is in disrepair and has been ignored for many years. I also saw evidence that it is often used by homeless people. As a result, do not visit this place alone. There is a proposal to totally redevelop the east bank of the river between the two dams. Xcel Energy had proposed sending money to provide user access to the area, but it could not get community consensus in time for it to submit its application for license renewal. A group of kayak hobbyists wants to develop a whitewater park, using the dam to regulate flow to create conditions that vary from beginner to Olympic class.

Note—these bridges are in the bonus section since they do not cross the main channel of the Mississippi River.

Bridge #1 profile (above) and looking across the span (below).

Bridge #2 profile take from the Stone Arch Bridge (above), looking across the span (below), and from bridge #4 (2nd photo below).

Bridge #4 (left) and bridge #3 (right) in profile take from the Stone Arch Bridge (above), looking across the span of bridge #3 (below), and across the span of bridge #4 (2nd photo below).

Shown here are three different water outlets from the tailrace on the east side of the river. During the milling boom, the industries got together to build a canal or tunnel that paralleled the river. Water would enter the tailrace above the falls, then be divided up among the flour and lumber mills to generate mechanical energy. After the water was used to turn turbines and drive millstones and saw blades, the water would be dumped back into the river below the falls.