Protecting the Mississippi River will require active people from across the entire River region. River Citizens are committed residents who enjoy the blessings of the River and pledge to help protect it.
Use this site to record your actions, share you favorite River memories, comment on River news, post photos and connect with other River Citizens. The 1 Mississippi River Citizens program is generously sponsored by the McKnight Foundation and Aveda Corporation.
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It was on this day (Saturday) in 1855 that the first permanent bridge across the Mississippi River opened in Minneapolis, although at the time Minneapolis wasn't even an incorporated town yet. But it was rapidly growing up around St. Anthony Falls, a huge waterfall on the river. This suspension bridge opened at the site of what is now the Hennepin Avenue bridge, named for Father Louis Hennepin, a 17th-century French priest and explorer who was the first European to discover the St. Anthony Falls.