Vote to Preserve Minnehaha Park and Mill Ruins Park

Just received from the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board:

Help us out! If you love our parks, take a minute each day to vote for Minnehaha Park or Mill Ruins Park in the Partners in Preservation contest!

Both parks were announced Tuesday as two of 25 historical sites competing for a share of $1 million in funding for proposed projects aimed at preserving the sites’ historical significance.

Vote now, vote often

How to vote:

Please support our Parks System by taking the time to vote daily for Minnehaha Park or Mill Ruins Park and encourage your friends and family to do so as well. To vote:

1. Go to www.facebook.com/PartnersinPreservation
2. ‘Like’ the page
3. Click the VOTE tab on the left side
4. Scroll down to find Minnehaha Park or Mill Ruins Park among the list of 25 sites
5. Cast your vote!
6. Vote once each day through Oct. 12

Site with most votes is guaranteed funding of up to $125,000

If funding is received, the parks will address important preservation projects.

Minnehaha Park proposes to address repairs needed for its limestone retaining walls along the creek as well as replacing stones in four of the five bridges along the creek. Mill Ruins Park proposes to implement Dig In!, a program that will engage people of all ages in a transformative, hands-on, archaeological experience within the Milling District of St. Anthony Falls in effort to unveil historical features that remain buried within the park.

Open houses: Oct. 8, 2011 

Please join the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board at open houses for each site Saturday, Oct. 8. Mill Ruins Park will host an open house from 9 a.m.-noon while Minnehaha Park will host its open house from 1-4 p.m. The open houses, free and open to the public, will allow visitors to learn about each sites’ history, its bid to win funding for proposed preservation projects and details about the projects and the effort to preserve historical significance.

Share your stories

We’d love to hear your stories about Minnehaha Park and/or Mill Ruins Park. Tell us what the parks mean to you and how they may be significant in your life. You are encouraged to share photos, too! Visit our Minnehaha Park and Mill Ruins Park Facebook pages to share your stories and photos.

About the parks

Overlooking the Mississippi River, Minnehaha Park, one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks, is home to several historic structures dating from 1894 and the WPA era of the 1930s. Minnehaha Park’s 850,000 annual visitors enjoy numerous summer activities, as well as the park’s natural beauty.

The 193-acre park features a 53-foot waterfall, limestone bluffs and river outlooks. The park contains oak, elm, silver maple, basswood, hackberry and cottonwood trees, as well as native prairie and woodland wild flowers.

The park currently offers a number of activities. Concerts, picnics, a disc golf course, volleyball courts, a bike and pedestrian trail and the wading pool are popular during the summer months. Many visitors enjoy viewing the falls and the park has become a popular site for weddings. The proposed project will preserve the historic structures currently in the park and ensure the enjoyment of Minnehaha Park’s current amenities for future generations.

Mill Ruins Park is located along the Mississippi River adjacent to St. Anthony Falls. The falls were the literal driving force behind the development of Minneapolis, providing power for lumber and flour mills. Minneapolis served as the Midwestern hub to transform wheat to flour and was known as the “flour capital of the world.” Iconic companies, mill owners and civic leaders that got their start at the river have left their mark on the Minneapolis landscape including Pillsbury, General Mills, Washburn, Cargill, Peavey and Loring.

As part of the Central Mississippi Riverfront Park with its 1.6 million annual visitors, Mill Ruins Park is mostly used for its trails, its up close access to ruins and the tailrace canal, its scenic overlooks and self-directed river quest. The proposed project would reveal mill features, engage the public in archaeology and increase opportunities for interpretation. The proposed use will contribute to the preservation of the Mill district for future generations.