St. Anthony Falls and Stone Arch Bridge

Long before the mills, this stretch of the Mississippi was and remains sacred to the Dakota, whose homeland this is, the land they call Mni Sota Makoce, from which Minnesota takes its name. The Dakota know the falls by their own name and hold this reach of the river, along with the nearby island and the confluence with the Minnesota River downstream, as places of deep spiritual importance.

The Dakota lived across this river country for generations before the fur trade and settlement, and the treaty era of the 1800s pushed them from these lands under great pressure, part of the history that led to the US-Dakota War of 1862. The city that rose on the water power of the falls was built atop that older world, and there is a growing effort today to honor the Dakota meaning of the falls alongside the milling story.

The energy of a big river dropping over a ledge is enormous, and in the 1800s that meant one thing: power to turn machinery. Sawmills came first to cut the pine floated down from the north woods, and then flour mills, harnessing the falls to grind the hard spring wheat grown across the surrounding plains. By the late 1800s Minneapolis was the greatest flour-milling center on earth, its mills sending flour around the world under names still recognized today.

The falls themselves paid a price for all that work. The limestone cap over softer rock made the ledge fragile, and heavy use, along with a disastrous tunneling accident, threatened to destroy the falls entirely by eating the ledge away upstream. Engineers finally locked the falls in place with a concrete apron and wall, which is why the water today pours over an engineered structure rather than a natural cliff, the price of saving the falls from unraveling.

In 1883 the railroad magnate James J. Hill built a stone bridge across the river just below the falls to carry his trains into the heart of the city. Rather than run it straight across, engineers curved it to meet the terrain, giving it its distinctive graceful arc, and they built it of native stone in a long row of arches that has stood for well over a century.

When the trains stopped running, the bridge found a second life as a pedestrian and bicycle crossing, and it has become one of the most photographed landmarks in Minneapolis. From the middle of the span the view takes in the falls, the ruins and restored towers of the milling district, and the downtown skyline beyond, all at once, which is why it draws walkers, runners, and photographers in every season.

The district around the falls is thick with history. The Mill City Museum is built into the burned-out shell of a great flour mill and tells the milling story from inside the ruins, and old mill buildings up and down the riverfront have been reborn as apartments, offices, and galleries. Trails run along both banks and out through the river gorge, so the whole area invites long walks with the river close at hand.

The seasons shape the mood. Spring runs the falls high with snowmelt, summer fills the riverfront with festivals and evening crowds, and fall brings color to the gorge trees along the gorge. Winter can freeze the falls into a landscape of ice and turn the Stone Arch Bridge into a quiet, snow-dusted walk with the city glittering beyond.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, in downtown Minneapolis, form a historic and scenic centerpiece of the city on the Mississippi River. St. Anthony Falls is the only major waterfall on the Mississippi, the power source that gave rise to Minneapolis as a milling city, while the beautiful historic Stone Arch Bridge, a former railroad bridge now open to walkers and bikers, curves across the river offering stunning views of the falls and skyline. Together they anchor a scenic riverfront district rich in history. With its historic falls, iconic bridge, and river views, St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge offer a delightful destination in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You can walk or bike across the historic Stone Arch Bridge for stunning views of St. Anthony Falls, the Mississippi River, and the Minneapolis skyline, stroll the riverfront trails and parks, explore the milling-history district and its museum and ruins, watch the water rush over the falls and lock, and enjoy the scenic setting day or night when the bridge and skyline are lit. The bridge views and the riverfront are highlights. With its historic falls, iconic bridge, trails, and river history, St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge offer a rewarding experience in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

St. Anthony Falls is historically important because it is the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River, and its water power drove the sawmills and flour mills that made Minneapolis a booming milling capital in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, earning the city the nickname Mill City. The falls and the surrounding milling district shaped the growth and identity of Minneapolis, and today the area preserves this heritage with a museum and historic ruins. This rich history gives St. Anthony Falls and the surrounding riverfront their significance, making them a fascinating destination in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Late spring through fall offers the most pleasant weather for walking the bridge and riverfront, with late spring bringing the most powerful falls from high water, summer lush and lively, and fall colorful, while the bridge and skyline are beautifully lit in the evening year-round. Winter is cold but offers striking frozen scenes. Evenings offer lovely lit views in any warm season. For the best combination of pleasant weather and powerful falls, aim for late spring through fall at St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge are in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River, within reach of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minnehaha Falls, the Foshay Tower, and across the river the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Como Park Zoo in St. Paul. That makes St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge a delightful stop to combine with the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Minnehaha Falls, and the other attractions of the Twin Cities on a visit to Minnesota.