Minnesota River Valley Historical Marker - Le Sueur, MN - Minnesota Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

This historical marker is located at a Hwy. 169 rest area near Le Sueur. The text reads:

“The Minnesota River Valley. Geologically young compared to the ancient rivers such as the Nile or the Amazon, the Minnesota River is only about 12,000 years old. It occupies a channel that was cut by the Glacial River Warren when it drained Glacial Lake Agassiz, the largest lake to have ever existed. All this occurred at the end of the last glacial age, when the glaciers covering Minnesota, in some cases up the the depth of a mile, melted away.

“Starting at the South Dakota border, at Brown’s Valley, the Minesota River is the state’s second largest river. It joins the Mississippi at the foot of Historic Fort Snelling after traveling a distance of some 355 miles. By geological definition the Minnesota is an “underfit river,” the term applied when a river occupies the channel of an earlier river. While the ancient valley is up to two hundred and fifty feet deep and in places five miles wide, the Minnesota is just a shallow, meandering river. During flood stages it swells beyond its banks, due to runoff from its extensive drainage basin.

“History is abundant along its banks. Exposed by the water are rocks that are more than 3.8 billion years old, attesting to the age of the earth. Ruins stand today as reminders of former homes, villages, military posts and sanitariums that once served the residents of the area. Indian villages and crossing sites that predate the European settlement of the region, are also found along its course. Hundreds of steamboats once slowly traveled the river. Their use ceased with the coming of the railroads.

“While the water flows by in an endless trip to the sea, and the life style changes with each passing year, the past will always be present here in the Minnesota Valley.”

This marker was erected in 1996 by the Minnesota Historical Society.

Marker Type:: Roadside

Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site'.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/27/2021 MasterSergeantUSMC visited it 07/03/2019 Casper&Aero visited it 07/19/2011 InGodsHands visited it

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