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Highways, Byways, And Bridge Photography
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Mississippi River Tailrace Crossings
Minneapolis, MN

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges

Statistics Common To All Five Bridges
• Structure ID: N/A.
• Location: River Mile 853.8.
• River Elevation: 751 Feet.
• Structure: Mill Ruins Park Bridges.
 
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridge #1
• Bridge Type: Concrete Girder W/Concrete Deck.
• Length: 40 Feet (Estimated).
• Width: 28 Feet (Estimated).
• Height Above Water: 3 Feet (Estimated).
• Date Built: 2001.
 
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridge #2
• Bridge Type: Concrete Girder W/Concrete Deck.
• Length: 40 Feet (Estimated).
• Width: 28 Feet (Estimated).
• Height Above Water: 3 Feet (Estimated).
• Date Built: 2001.
 
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridge #3
• Bridge Type: Prefabricated Metal Pedestrian Bridge.
• Length:
• Width:
• Height Above Water: 3 Feet (Estimated).
• Date Built: 2002.
 
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridge #4
• Bridge Type: Prefabricated Metal Pedestrian Bridge.
• Length:
• Width:
• Height Above Water: 3 Feet (Estimated).
• Date Built: 2002.
 
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridge #5
• Bridge Type: Stone Arch And Loose Fill.
• Length:
• Width:
• Height Above Water:
• Date Built: 1962 (Estimated).
Saint Anthony falls was once called the most important natural source of hydropower in the United States. When it was initially developed, hydroelectric power had not yet been invented. Rather, water was diverted from the river and run through a series of canals, tunnels, and gates to deliver the water to mills along the riverfront. At one time, there was over 12 miles of active power tunnels on the Minneapolis side of the river (the west side, the east side was part of the city of Saint Anthony at that time). After the water was run through the mill turbines and waterwheels, it was collected in a channel known as a tailrace. The tailrace would carry the used water back to the river.

When hydropower was developed, much of the water power tunnel system was abandoned. Over time, the mills would burn down, streets would be modified, the river front was landscaped, and the lock & dam project brought wholesale changes to the river. The result is that these power tunnels and the tailrace were covered over and largely forgotten.

Fast forward to 2001. The Minnesota Historical Society started to sponsor a series of archaeological digs along the riverfront to see if they could uncover any of the history of the milling district from the 1800s. In the process, they uncovered a large portion of the tailrace system. The intake was then reopened, and water was allowed to flow through the tailrace much like it did over 100 years ago. Since that time, the park has been developed with a parking area, trails, bridges, and information signs. The Mill Ruins Park has been a huge addition to the riverfront in downtown Minneapolis, and it helps connect what we see today with the forces that helped create the Minneapolis of the 19th century. The photo above is the tailrace canal, the centerpiece feature of the park.


Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
The photo above is an overview of the Mill Ruins Park as seen from the Endless Bridge at the Guthrie Theater. The photo below is bridge #1, a concrete girder bridge over the south outlet of the tailrace canal. There is a parking area for the park just south of this bridge.

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
The photo above is bridge #2, the northern of the two concrete girder bridges over the outlet of the tailrace canal. The photo below is bridge #3, a steel bridge over a power tunnel outlet. This tunnel is the outlet from one of the large flour mills. The steel structure is the remains of a former Minneapolis Eastern Railroad trestle that once carried passenger traffic into the downtown railroad depot.

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
The photo above is bridge #4, another steel pedestrian bridge, this one, over the main canal channel. Below is another view of bridge #4.

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
In the photo above, the tailrace canal flows under a massive rock and concrete block that forms bridge #5, which provides access from downtown Minneapolis to the Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock, and to the Mill Ruins Park. Another tunnel outlet is just to the left of the tree in the middle of the photo. Below, we see a photo of the roadway as it crosses bridges #1 and #2.

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
The above photo is item #6 on the map below. It is the intake for one of the power tunnel systems. It currently provides water flow for the Mill Ruins Park. The intake is behind the lock and dam. From here, the water will fall 50 feet before it rejoins the great river. Below is the west river parkway behind the Mill City Museum. The wood planking simulates the historic road surface where wood planks formed a bridge deck to carry traffic over a power canal that was carrying water to the two largest flour mills.

Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges
The photo above is a view of the two largest mills on the Minneapolis side of the river. The west side of the river is referred to as the Minneapolis side since the east side was once the city of Saint Anthony. The city of Saint Anthony merged with Minneapolis in 1872. The nearest mill is the Gold Medal Flour mill. Next to is the burned out shell of the Washburn A Mill, now the Mill City Museum. Further down is a mill converted into a top shelf hotel.

There once was a second row of mills between the location where this photo was taken (near the river) and the remaining mills. This included the Minneapolis Mill, Excelsior Mill, Empire Mill, and the Pillsbury B Mill. Those were destroyed in a fire in 1881, and the foundations form the basis of the Mill Ruins Park.

Below is an aerial photo of the Mill Ruins area. The various bridges and structures are numbered or otherwise labeled.


Mill Ruins Park Tailrace Bridges

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Authored by John A. Weeks III, Copyright © 1996—2016, all rights reserved.
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