The Mississippi River travels southward from its source at Lake Itasca, in northern Minnesota, down to the present site of Minneapolis. It is here that the river tumbles over a ledge of Plattville limestone, eventually falling a total of about 50 feet. Today, this same Plattville limestone is seen in both the façade of the Pillsbury A Mill, built next to the falls in 1881, and in the foundations of some of the oldest homes.

An engraving of a painting by Seth Eastman (above) shows the Falls of Saint Anthony as they looked prior to the arrival of Europeans. Father Hennepin named the falls for his patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua, on his visit to the falls in 1680.

The first permanent bridge to span the Mississippi (anywhere along its entire length) was located near the falls in 1856. Also in 1856, the University of Minnesota was moved downstream to its present location and the town of Minneapolis was incorporated.

Originally, the town on the east side of the falls was known as Saint Anthony Falls. Its name was shortened and was incorpoated as Saint Anthony in the year 1855. The town that sprang up on the west side of the falls was Minneapolis. These two towns merged in 1872 to create the City of Minneapolis.

Saint Anthony, after 1872, became known as the East Side. The areas within the East Side were further delimited by Hennepin Avenue (the major avenue that traverses the East Side) into Southeast Minneapolis on the south side of Hennepin Avenue, and into Northeast "Nordeast" Minneapolis on the north side of Hennepin Avenue. East Side street names had "NE" or "SE" appended as suffixes.

Although the water power was used for lumber and flour milling, making Minneapolis the "Mill City," the falls also energized the first hydroelectric plant in North America beginning in 1882. Electricity from the falls powered the Minneapolis streetcar system. This inexpensive and convenient mode of transportation fostered housing development in newer "streetcar" neighborhoods at the edges of the city. In addition, many of the schools and neighborhood shopping areas sprang up due to the availability and proximity of nearby streetcar service.

As homes were built, housing styles were chosen that reflected the tastes of the individual owers and builders. The architectural designs also reflected current trends. Streetcar neighborhoods, some located in Northeast Minneapolis, were built for working-class people, and the housing in these areas exhibited the owners' practicality. This practicality is still seen in some of the beautful Craftsman bungalows of Northeast.

Many Northeast residents were newly-arrived immigrants from Europe.They needed to remember the names of the United States presidents to pass the test for citizenship. So, the street names in Northeast were arranged, using the names of the presidents, from Washington Street to Coolidge Street. (Note: William Henry Harrison's street is now Central Avenue. Benjamin Harrison's street is Benjamin Street.).

Streetcars were instrumental in the growth of suburbs, such as Morningside, Robbinsdale, and Columbia Heights. In the case of Morningside, now part of Edina, there was an influx of an upscale citizenry of Downtown employees. These suburbanites commuted by rail daily. As a result, the buildable lots in Morningside often ended up being a big larger than elsewhere to reflect the growing, middle-class prosperity.

The streets in the Edina area were occasionally named for local landowners, such as Brown and Grimes. Both of these Edina residents had their names associated with steetcar stops (Browndale and Grimes) on the line that ran along West 44th Street from Lake Harriet to the Blake School, Downtown Hopkins, and Excelsior.

Until 1931, electrically-powered streetcars were carring passengers from Stillwater, on the Wisconsin state line, as far west as Lake Minnetonka. Streetcars had made suburban life feasible, but the Great Depression years called for a cutback in some of the outlying areas. As a result, services to destinations such as Excelsior, Deephaven, and Stillwater ended.

Streetcar service continued in Minneapolis until June,1954. Its end did not come due to lack of popularity or competition from automobiles, as some have said, but as a result of an organized divestiture of the assets and deferred maintenance. This ransacking by unsavory characters left the finest streetcar system in American in shambles.

Today, despite the demise of the rail system, the streetcar neighborhoods continue to thrive.