Whose view? From where? — April 2008

This photo was put into the lineup just to warm folks up. Familiar land to many of our gorge stewards, this photo offers what may be an unfamiliar vantage point.

The photo was taken just downstream of the Lake Street-Marshall Avenue Bridge on the Minneapolis side of the river. Throughout most of its length, the gorge maintains a certain uniformity and straight edge to its riverbank. This area is one of the few where the bank turns inward and creates a small backwater.

Also into that backwater drains much of the Longfellow neighborhoods storm sewer system. Storm sewer outfall 10-660 runs underneath East 33rd Street and adjacent streets, extending about a mile and a half west of the river. For better and worse, it drains everything we put into it — water, grass clippings, leaves, motor oil, candy wrappers and Coke bottles — directly into the Mississippi River, untreated.

Just downstream of the site, along the Winchell Trail, you can see one of the last Oak Savannas left in the city of Minneapolis.

Okay, weve warmed people up a bit. Now, on to bigger challenges.

About Whose view? From where?

Each month in this section, we feature a photo somewhere along the river corridor in the Twin Cities that is in some way significant or important or just plain scenic. Individuals may then e-mail us and identify the view and explain why they believe it is significant to the community or important to them personally. Well publish some of your responses in the next issue of Mississippi Messages, where we will also reveal the correct answer.

To submit your guess and response, e-mail Bob Spaulding, River Advocate, through our contact form. The respondent to provide the first correct identification of the view and hopefully some interesting thoughts about its significance will receive a valuable prize for their effort. All entries must be received by the first day of the following month for consideration.