Crystal water bubbles over a bed of rocks forming a stream that exits Lake Itasca to become one of the world’s major rivers. The Mississippi River begins its journey through Minnesota’s north country, gathering strength from the numerous tributaries entering its banks.

At the center of Minnesota the river pauses. The Ojibwa called it KaKaBikans (the little squarely cut-off rock), a place where the water tumbles over an out-cropping of slate and granite to form a beautiful and sometimes tempestuous water fall.

For Centuries native inhabitants knew it well. It was a place for gathering, a resource and sometimes a site of conflict for the Dakota, the Ojibwa and the Winnebago. Explorers described it in their journals. Lt. Zebulon Pike (1805) called it “a remarkable rapid in the river, opposite a high piny island.” Joseph Nicollet (1837), a French man, called it “petite chutes”. Henry Schoolcraft and J.C. Beltrami also noted the falls. The diaries of fur traders and missionaries also gave vivid accounts.

In the mid-1840’s settlers began to arrive. It was the “little falls” in the Mississippi River that attracted the attention of entrepreneurs, as it had the traders and explorers. On October 1, 1849, the Little Falls Mills and Land Company was formed and a dam was built, the first in a succession of four dams, each an improvement over its predecessor. The “little falls” became a source of power for a growing city.

Construction of the 1887 dam brought the boom era. Little Falls was literally “turned on” with electricity for powering the industries that were arriving. The Pine Tree Lumber Company, operated by Charles Weyerhaeuser and R.D. Musser, and Hennepin Paper Company were recipients of the logs driven down river from the northern pineries. Immigrants arrived in large numbers, establishing a diverse ethnic community.

Today’s visitors will not find the natural waterfall, but there is something both serene and exciting about watching the water pause at the gates of the dam, then force its way through the man-made chutes. It bubbles and sprays as it hits the bed of slate. Fish await their fate as a great blue heron searches for a meal. Mamma duck teaches her fluffy offspring to cope with the turbulent water. Little Falls’ residents greet one another on their evening stroll through Maple Island Park. It is a welcoming place, and we welcome visitors to join us here, Where the Mississippi Pauses.

https://www.cityoflittlefalls.com/community/history

Little Falls homes for sale give you the unique experience of living in a community rich with historical significance yet growing and expanding to provide education and job opportunities for you and your family.