Hidden Falls is a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
along the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
bluffs in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...
, United States. The waterfall is within Hidden Falls Regional Park, a public park maintained by the City of Saint Paul. The main feature of the park is the small, spring-fed waterfall for which the park is named.
The waterfall may be dry in periods of limited precipitation.
History
Maps from the early 19th century label the park area as Rum Town and Lebanon Grove.
The area of park was selected by
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland (December 16, 1814 – December 5, 1900) was an American landscape architect. His approach to natural landscape design can be seen in projects such as the Grand Rounds in Minneapolis; Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Con ...
in 1887 to be one of Saint Paul's main parks. The actual development of the area as a park was by the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
1936–1937,
including construction of a limestone staircase leading from the base of the falls up to East River Parkway. In the 1960s, redevelopment of the park resulted in four main areas: nature preserve, boat launch, picnic site, and scenic falls. Hidden Falls Regional Park lies within the
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and is maintained by the City of Saint Paul.
Waterfall
Hidden Falls Regional Park describes the falls as "spring-fed",
but when precipitation is scarce the falls become dry.
According to the ''
Star Tribune
The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...
'', as of 2021 the fall's water comes from stormwater drain pipes.
More than a century ago, a stream in St. Paul's Highland Park carried stormwater from higher ground over Hidden Falls ... after Henry Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
's factory was built early in the 20th century, stormwater was ingloriously routed through buried pipes to pour untreated and unwatched into the river.
Ford's
Twin Cities Assembly Plant closed in 2011, and in the 2020s, the site's redevelopment was set to include a restoration of the area's watershed, with plans for more consistent waterflows over the falls and a filtration of pollutants from the water.
The falls is about a mile southeast (as the crow flies) across the Mississippi River from
Minnehaha Falls, another, larger falls that also empties into the river.
Recreation
Hidden Falls Regional Park includes of paved trails for hiking and cycling.
It is popular for bicycling and walking, picnicking and grilling, boating, bird watching, and fishing.
There are two entrances from Mississippi Boulevard to the park, about a mile apart. The two areas are connected inside the park by a biking/hiking trail that also connects the park to the
Watergate Marina and
Crosby Farm Regional Park downstream to the east.
See also
*
History of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, the county seat of Ramsey County, and the state capital of Minnesota. The origin and growth of the city were spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United ...
*
Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River.
History
In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...
References
External links
Hidden Falls Regional Park mapMississippi National River and Recreation Area
{{Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Waterfalls of Minnesota
Works Progress Administration in Minnesota