Exploring Minneapolis Lakes

There are a number of ways to explore the history of the waterways of Minneapolis. Our program highlights some of the places, people, and past of the chain of lakes and Minnehaha creek. Below is info on some of the places we visited, with additional information and web links. In our exploration we discovered a surprising amount of publishing on community history. So there’s a great list of books to help guide your through the community history of the City of Lakes!

In Minneapolis, the lakes and parkways are a part of the Park system. So it’s always a good idea to start with the Minneapolis Park & Rec board. The Grand Rounds is the historic loop of the City of Lakes.

Cedar Lake is a great spot for quiet fishing, swimming and other beach fun. Sorry, no more ice harvesting as in the days of the Cedar Lake Ice Company!

The Chain of Lakes has been a favorite cycling venue for over a century for Minnesota's chapter of The Wheelmen.

Lake Calhoun's East shore is where you'll find the marker for Pond's Cabin. Cloudman's Village would have been south of the Pond brothers' cabin, between Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, including what would become the Lakewood Cemetery.

From Cottage City to a century of notable band shells and pavilions, Lake Harriet holds much history. Some of the keepers of the history of this part of South Minneapolis are the Linden Hills History Study Group.

Want to stare down the ‘Guardians of Health’ on the historic Washburn Park water tower? Here’s a map.

While Fish Jones' Longfellow Gardens is gone, the Minneapolis Park Board has a lovely garden on the site. The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board web site hosts information about Longfellow Gardens, and the Longfellow House.

The Hennepin History Museum is the keeper of the Fish Jones story, and much of Minneapolis' history. Stop by for a visit to this unique resource.

There may not be world-championship speed skating at Powderhorn Park anymore, but there's plenty to do year round. For events and info at historic Powderhorn, contact the Park Board or the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association.

Minnehaha Falls at Minnehaha Park has always been one of the area's top attractions. See the ‘little falls’ that has inspired sonatas and polkas.

Links to additional information

For information about historic sites in Minneapolis, go to the National Resister of Historic Places website. Or the Minnesota Historical Society's listing of some of the area's treasures.

Book list

Lanegran, David A. The lake district of Minneapolis: a history of the Calhoun-Isles community / David A. Lanegran, Ernest R. Sandeen, with the assistance of Bonnie Richter, Valerie Stetson, Barbara Young. Imprint St. Paul: Living Historical Museum, c1979.

Down at the lake : a historical portrait of Linden Hills and the Lake Harriet district: a publication of the / Linden Hills History Study Group. Edition 1st ed. Imprint Minneapolis, Minn. : The Study Group, c2001.

Hallberg, Jane. Minnehaha Creek living waters / written and collected by Jane King Hallberg. Edition 1st ed. Imprint [S.l.] : Brooklyn Historical Society, 1988.

Powderhorn Park: nature, people and community. Imprint [Minneapolis, Minn.] : The Horn Newspaper : Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, c1990.