Nicollet Island, River island in downtown Minneapolis, United States
Nicollet Island is a roughly 19-hectare island in the Mississippi River, connected to downtown Minneapolis by the Hennepin Avenue Bridge near Saint Anthony Falls. The site contains Victorian houses, public walking paths, and event spaces managed by the Minneapolis Park Board and private owners.
Franklin Steele acquired the island in 1848 and built the first sawmill, launching an era of industrial activity in the area. This mill became a center for timber processing and helped drive Minneapolis's early growth.
The island held deep meaning for the Sioux and Ojibwe people as a sacred gathering and birthing place long before European arrival in 1838. This indigenous legacy remains part of how people understand the site today.
The island is easily accessible on foot from downtown Minneapolis and offers free public paths for walking and exploring. Visitors can drop by anytime to enjoy the grounds, river views, and the events that regularly take place on site.
The Nicollet Island Pavilion, a steel structure built in 1893, remains one of the few surviving industrial buildings from that era standing amid the Victorian houses. The pavilion reveals how the island transformed from a working-craft center into a mixed residential neighborhood.
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