Nowhere on its entire course does the Mississippi River change character more than in the Twin Cities. Above St. Anthony Falls, the Mississippi is a prairie river, with banks rather than bluffs and little floodplain. At St. Anthony it drops into a tight canyon, descending more than 110 feet over 8.5 miles. At the confluence with the Minnesota River, the Mississippi becomes a large floodplain river, the river most Americans think of when hearing the Mississippi’s name. This is the river of Mark Twain.

 

The Mississippi River between St. Anthony Falls and the Minnesota River – the Gorge – once varied from an impenetrable rapids to a shallow, swiftly flowing stream. Whether high or low, the river through this reach provided rare habitat for many species of fish and wildlife, but to make the river navigable and capture the hydropower potential, the Corps built locks and dams.  In doing so, the Corps transformed the rapids into reservoirs. When the Upper St. Anthony Falls (SAF) Lock closed permanently on June 10, 2015, it announced a new era. The primary reason for building the Upper Lock and the locks and dams downstream of the Gorge is gone.  Consequently, the Corps has initiated a Disposition Study to consider the future of the locks and dams and the Mississippi River in the heart of the Twin Cities.  

 

John Anfinson, Superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and long-time Mississippi River historian, will talk about the history and potential futures of the unique reach or the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities known at the Gorge.