My Visit To America...Part3

After a relaxing morning on Saturday, Tom suggested that we take a ride (for the benefit of my home readers – a drive) through the city and then go on to Stillwater to have a meal in the Dock café on the banks of the St Croix River.

Tom and Judy first took me through the most historical area of Minneapolis, the historical warehouse district, which is part of what I believe to be the birthplace of Minneapolis, the Riverfront. The river, of course, is the famous Mississippi.

My research, coupled with Tom’s very informative narrative as we drove along, tells me that a European priest called Father Louis Hennepin first came to the area, which is now known as Minneapolis, in 1680. Father Hennepin named the Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi after his patron saint, Anthony of Padua.

Throughout the 1600s and 1700s, the area was passed back and forth from French to Spanish and finally to U.S. rule when it was purchased in 1803 by what is known as the Louisiana Purchase.

Early in the century St. Anthony Falls was mainly a tourist attraction, but the same falls that inspired travellers also attracted millers and lumbermen.

The city of Minneapolis was then born from the banks of the Mississippi River and was built from the flour and lumbering mills which prospered here a century ago on the power of St. Anthony Falls. Over the course of 35 years, the riverfront grew from a frontier establishment to a major industrial city. In 1870, the city’s population was 13,000. 20 years later it had grown to nearly 165,000. The economic and population boom of Minneapolis is due to the successful milling industries that flourished here in the late 1800s to the early 1900s.

Minneapolis was also a natural for lumber milling. In the mid 1800s lumbering prospered in Minnesota because of the abundance of high quality timber and the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers became the vehicle to transport logs to the waiting mills.

Our drive also took us by the University of Minnesota, which is also in this area. From here Judy graduated with a degree in Elementary Education

Stillwater, Minnesota is a city situated in the St Croix River Valley. Only a short drive from Minneapolis, we arrived there on a beautiful day despite the fact that there was still a heavy covering of snow on the ground.

Main Street Stillwater Minnesota

The St. Croix River Valley was a well known area, even back as far as the 1600s. However, settlement in the area could not take place until two treaties were signed between the U.S. Government and the Native American Nations that roamed the area. On July 29, 1837, the U.S. signed the treaty with the Ojibwa Nation, and on September 29, 1837, the treaty was signed with the Dakota Nation, which allowed white settlement in the St. Croix Valley. People started coming to the area almost immediately. A settlement up at the falls of the St. Croix was created. Then a settlement by a group from Marine, Illinois started a lumber mill on the river, and in 1839, a man by the name of Joseph Renshaw Brown settled a small trading post at the head of Lake St. Croix which he called "Dakotah." Dakotah later became the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory, and still later, become an area known as "Dutchtown" in the city of Stillwater.

But enough of the history, I include this purely to give my readers back home a flavour of the places we visited.

After enjoying a short walk through the main street of Stillwater, we arrived at the Dock Restaurant. This was my first experience of an American restaurant. What an experience! It was what I can only describe as fantastic.

The Dock is a beautiful restaurant situated on the banks of the St Croix River. Here we enjoyed a beautiful meal overlooking the frozen St Croix.

Lunch with Tom and Judy at the Dock Restaurant

View of the frozen St Croix River from the Dock Restaurant

Later we took a walk along the side of the river towards the iron lift bridge that spans the river and carries Highway 64 into the state of Wisconsin.

I marvelled at the beauty of the place, it is one of those places that you sometimes arrive at in life and are reluctant to leave, but the day was moving on and it was time to head for home. First though, Tom and Judy decided that we would drive across the bridge into the state of Wisconsin, so that I could have the experience of visiting another state.

It is now nearing the end of the third day into my US visit and another marvellous day to record. Along with seeing more of the great state of Minnesota, I have seen and enjoyed things that have eluded me for a long time.

Again I experienced the exhilaration of a snowball fight. This could be described as a return match with Judy because she had beaten me previously in an arm wrestling contest during her and Tom’s visit to Ireland. The fact that I let her win, because the winner had to pay for the meal we had just enjoyed in the Hibernian pub and restaurant in Nenagh, never seemed to register on her.

The snowball fight didn’t produce any winners, but I’m sure somebody will disagree with that…Right Judy?

As we drove towards home, I thought of how much I was enjoying this visit. It was another very enjoyable day. Marvellous sights, beautiful food, beautiful company. What more could anyone ask?

Yes…Life Is Good!

Snowballing

Drawbridge crossing the St Croix River

Crossing Drawbridge into Wisconsin

Approaching Minnesota/Wisconsin Border

Landmark Building Stillwater