Saint Anthony Falls

Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony, located near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the only waterfall on the Mississippi River until it was replaced by a concrete apron after they partially collapsed in 1869 and, later, a series of dams in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 17th century, the falls became known to the world beyond the indigenous people who lived in their vicinity when they were observed by Father Louis Hennepin, who also brought the existence of Niagara Falls to the world's attention. The region around the falls was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District in 1971.

St. Anthony Falls locks and dams

Completed in 1963, the upper St. Anthony Falls dam is a horseshoe-shaped hydro-electric dam 93 feet (28 m) in height. The upper pool has a normal capacity of 3,150 acre feet (3,885,000 m³) and a normal level of 799 feet (244 m) above sea level. The navigation channel required alteration of the historic Stone Arch Bridge, which now has a metal truss section to allow ships to pass below.

Related Topics:
Hydro-electric - Dam - Sea level - Stone Arch Bridge

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Completed in 1956, the lower St. Anthony Falls dam is a gravity-type hydro-electric dam 60 feet (18 m) in height, consisting of a 275 foot (84 m) long concrete spillway with 4 tainter gates. The lower pool (sometimes called the intermediate pool) has a normal capacity of 375 acre-feet (463,000 m³) and a normal level of 750 feet (229 m) above sea level.

Related Topics:
1956 - Tainter gate

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The pool below the lower dam has a normal level of 725 feet (221 m) above sea level.

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The upper and lower locks are each 56 feet (17 m) wide by 400 feet (122 m) long.

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Even though the falls often don't look very dangerous, the current is swift and people sometimes find themselves very bad situations in the area. In 1991, a small boat drifted too close and fell over one part of the dam. Two people onboard were killed, and two others had to be rescued by helicopter. Rescues at the site are usually much less dramatic, but continue to happen occasionally.

Related Topics:
1991 - Helicopter

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Jesse Ventura's brother Jan Janos has been a dam operator at the site for many years.

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