Minnehaha Creek

Minnehaha Creek
Minnehaha Creek as it flows over Minnehaha Falls, shown in all four seasons.
Native name	Wakpa Cistinna
Origin	Lake Minnetonka
Mouth	Mississippi River
Basin countries	United States of America
Location	Minneapolis, Edina, Hopkins, and Minnetonka, Minnesota
Etymology	waterfall or rapid water, referring to this creek's journey over Minnehaha Falls
Length	22 miles (35 km)
Source elevation	686 feet (209 m)
Basin area	181 square miles (470 km2)
River system	Mississippi River
Right tributaries	brief stream originating at Lake Pamela
GNIS	647923

Minnehaha Creek is a 22-mile-long (35 km) tributary of the Mississippi River that flows east from Gray's Bay Dam on Lake Minnetonka through the suburban cities of Minnetonka, Hopkins, Saint Louis Park, and Edina, and the city of Minneapolis. The creek flows over Minnehaha Falls in Minnehaha Park near its mouth at the Mississippi River.

History

As with much of the Midwest, the area around the creek and Lake Minnetonka was originally inhabited by a native culture affiliated with the Mound Builders, but by the 1700s was occupied by the Mdewakanton People, a sub-tribe of the Dakota. The first Euro-Americans whose expedition to the area was documented were Joe Brown and Will Snelling, who canoed up the creek from Fort Snelling.

Watershed

The creek's watershed covers 181 square miles (470 km²), including the basin of Lake Minnetonka, and is managed by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.