Curriculum Materials: Art in America
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Image 9 Henry Lewis Questions: |
St. Anthony Falls and the Development of Minneapolis
In 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan priest, named St. Anthony Falls in honor of his patron saint. He first saw the dramatic falls in the company of the Dakota Indians, whose name for the sacred water was Minirara, meaning "curling water."
The Mississippi River was crucial to the exploration and settlement of Minnesota in general, and the St. Anthony Falls were especially important to the development of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The natural power captured from the waterfalls allowed the development of the mills that made Minneapolis the nation's foremost producer of flour. Sawmills, foundries, factories, and a host of other enterprises also grew up in the area.
Tragically, the development of Minnesota also meant the
destruction of the Dakota peoples' way of life. For
centuries, the Dakota had considered the lands surrounding
the falls as their homeland. As white settlers and the U.S.
government took over this land beginning in the early 19th
century, the Dakota inevitably suffered great losses.
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