Minnehaha Falls: A Love Story Carved in Water, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Although Minnehaha Falls was already a well-known name by the mid-1800s, its place in literary history was secured in 1855 with the publication of The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The epic poem follows Hiawatha, an Ojibwe hero, and his deep love for Minnehaha, a Dakota woman whose life is tragically cut short during a devastating winter.

Their story is tender, romantic, and sorrowful. The poem, while fictional, expresses the love between Hiawatha and Minnehaha that has became symbol of devotion, loss, and endurance, forever tying those emotions to this natural landmark.

Instead, he drew inspiration from the writings of Mary H. Eastman and Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who documented Native American traditions and stories, as well as from an 1852 daguerreotype by Alexander Hesler. When Longfellow named his heroine Minnehaha, he borrowed the name from the already-famous falls. Therefore, the waterfall was not named after the character, like many mistakenly believe!

Though the poem’s events take place along the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan, the story, over time, anchored itself permanently to Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis.

Near the falls, there is a 1912 bronze sculpture of Hiawatha and Minnehaha by Jacob Fjelde. It’s a striking piece that captures a real sense of melancholy and devotion. Most visitors stop to take photos, pulled in by how still the figures look against the constant movement of the waterfall. I couldn’t resist grabbing a shot of it myself, as I was drawn in by the way the statue was beautifully framed by the surrounding greenery. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).