August 17, 2019, Saturday - Greatest Preservation Project: Public Waterfront Bus Tour

Time: 10 am – 12 noon

Location: Parade Parking Lot, 400 Kenwood Parkway

Preserve Minneapolis presents: Greatest Preservation Project: Public Waterfront Bus Tour

Minneapolis is the City of Lakes, Creeks, Ponds and one mighty river. Almost all waterfront in Minneapolis is public land (or soon will be). It is a remarkable story of the preservation for public use of the city’s most distinguishing natural features. How did it happen? This tour will investigate as much waterfront as can be squeezed into two hours on a comfy bus, with a couple stops. The tour will begin near the first body of water acquired by the Board of Park Commissioners when it was created in 1883, Loring Pond, and then include the Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Falls, a section of the West River Parkway before returning to the starting point via one of the smaller water acquisitions in south Minneapolis, Powderhorn Lake.

The tour guide is David Smith, who is the author of a history of the Minneapolis park system, City of Parks: The Story of Minneapolis Parks, as well as historical profiles of individual Minneapolis parks for the website of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, minneapolisparks.org. Dave also writes about parks at his own website, minneapolisparkhistory.com. He is still writing a history of Minnehaha Falls, a biography of landscape architect H.W.S. Cleveland and a collection of stories about little-known Minneapolitans. $12.