A River Runs Through Us

In 1926, the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities was so severely polluted that it had become a dead zone. A survey conducted that year found only three living fish in the 42-mile stretch between Minneapolis and Hastings.

Today, the river is a national park, a wildlife haven, and the heart of our community.

Eco Experience will feature a new exhibit exploring the Mississippi River’s century-long journey to recovery. The exhibit is part of Sacred Water, Shared Future, a year-long campaign celebrating 100 years of cleanup and restoration efforts while inspiring the next century of stewardship.

This new exhibit area will include an immersive sculpture representing Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River; interactive puppets featuring critters that call the river home and highlight the river’s remarkable comeback; a “cranky” story scroll accompanied by an audio recording narrated by a local Dakota storyteller; and an interactive map showing the current state of water quality of the river in Minnesota.