Engineering the Falls: The Corps of Engineers' Role at St. Anthony Falls.

摘要

People have always been drawn to the power and beauty of St. Anthony Falls. For Native Americans, the falls possessed religious significance and harbored powerful spirits. For the early European and American explorers, the falls provided a landmark in a vast wilderness as well as an interesting geological phenomenon. During the 19th century, settlers, tourists and artists were drawn to St. Anthony Falls' picturesque beauty, while entrepreneurs seized the water power of the falls for their lumber and flour mills. Meanwhile, promoters of river transportation viewed St. Anthony Falls as an obstacle to be overcome, as they dreamed of extending navigation on the Mississippi River above Minneapolis. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has played an important role in the history of St. Anthony Falls. In the 19th century, the Corps was responsible for saving the waterfall from destruction. In the 20th century, the Corps designed and constructed the Upper Harbor Project, which extended the Mississippi River's navigation channel over the falls by way of the Lower and Upper St. Anthony Falls locks. Today, the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, operates and maintains the Upper and Lower St. Anthony Falls locks and darns.