The Minnehaha Creek flows into the Mississippi River just downstream of Lock
& Dam #1 (Ford Dam) in Minneapolis. The section of the creek between
Minnehaha Falls and the Mississippi River is known as the Lower Glen.
It is an old Mississippi River channel that was abandoned, and later filled
in to hide the rocks and cliffs. There is a modern trail on the
north side of the creek, and a more primitive trail on the south side of
the creek, making for a relatively easy hike through the glen from the falls
to the mouth of the Minnehaha Creek.
Bridge #1 is a timber girder bridge with a slight arch shape, and features
a wooden deck and wooden railings. It is very typical of the series of
timber girder bridges that were installed further upstream over the creek
in 1978, however, this bridge has wooden railings whereas most of the other
footbridges of this era had metal railings. This bridge replaced an earlier
bridge that was located 70 feet upstream.
The photo above is looking upstream from the mouth of the Minnehaha Creek
towards the east face of the #1 bridge.
The photo above is a downstream view of the #1 bridge as seen from the south
bank of the Minnehaha Creek. The photo below is looking northeast down the
length of the bridge deck. The Mississippi River is in the background.
The photo above is a view of the confluence point of the Minnehaha Creek and
the Mississippi River. The #1 bridge is on the left over the Minnehaha Creek
channel. The photo below is looking downstream towards the west face of the
#1 bridge.
