The Bridges And Structures
Of The Lower Minnesota River

This is my ninth photo tour detailing the bridges and structures of a great American river. In this survey, we visit the bridges, locks, and dams on the lower Minnesota River between its confluence with the Mississippi River to Morton, Minnesota, in the southwestern part of the state.

The Minnesota River is important in a number of different aspects. In geological terms, the Minnesota was the primary outlet of the glacial lakes before the Mississippi River headwaters section was formed. In historic terms, the Minnesota was one of the first superhighways in the US, connecting the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to the interior of Canada. In economic terms, the Minnesota flows though the heart of the vegetable canning area of Minnesota and home of the Jolly Green Giant.

The section of the Minnesota River that we visit here is one that is laser leveled and drain tiled. This gives excess water a direct path to the river. As a result, agricultural runoff and rainwater is often in the river within as little as 30 minutes, as opposed to the hours and days in generations past, setting us up for the monumental floods that we have seen over the past fifty years.