Hidden Falls is a

waterfall A waterfall is any 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 seve ...

along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

bluffs in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, 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 Conc ...

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; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

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 The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a and protected corridor along the Mississippi River through Minneapolis–Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey to just downstream of Hastings. Th ...

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 Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'', 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 Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
'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 The Twin Cities Assembly Plant was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing facility in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1912, Ford's first assembly and sales activities in Minnesota began in a former warehouse i ...

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 Minnehaha Park is a city park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and home to Minnehaha Falls and the lower reaches of Minnehaha Creek. Officially named Minnehaha Regional Park, it is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sy ...

, 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.

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

History

Waterfall

Recreation

See also

References

External links