Exploring | Field 2 Field

July 15, 2023

Exploring Tangletown and the Washburn Water Tower

Exploring never gets old for me. It was Saturday afternoon and time to get out of the house. Making my way through the smoke from Canada’s wildfires and the really strange streets of the Tangletown neighborhood in Minneapolis, it was time to find the Washburn Water Tower.

The first observation was Tangletown is the right name for that neighborhood. Whoever put those streets together maybe had one too many drinks with dinner. Nonetheless, it was time to find the tower, and for a good reason.

It looked like a structure you’d see somewhere near a castle in any one of the Lord of the Rings movies. But let’s delve into a bit of history first.

The 110-foot concrete cylinder was constructed in 1932 and sits at the top of a hill in Tangletown. A book titled “Secret Twin Cities, a Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure” was the perfect exploring manual. It points out that if you aren’t within a block of the structure, you’ll never see the tower because it’s hidden by a combo of dense residential areas and tall trees.

Look at how intricate that carving is! (Photo by Chad Smith)

The reason for preserving the old structure was the intricate details builders put into constructing the tower, which is no longer used to supply water. Encircling the top of the tower are eight-foot tall, five-ton eagles with spread wings that look ready for takeoff.

A bit further down the cylinder, it looks like knights are standing guard outside the walls of a castle. Closer to the base are 18-foot tall, eight-ton “guardians of health” holding a perpetual vigil with swords. At a time when Minnesota was in the middle of a deadly typhoid outbreak, the guardians were symbolic protectors of a clean water supply.

The tower had a capacity of 1.35 million gallons of water, which it faithfully supplied to the neighborhood until the 1990s. Three men from the neighborhood designed and engineered the structure John Daniels was the sculptor, William Hewitt was the project engineer, and Harry Wild Jones was the lead architect.

Get out and get to exploring. The massive medieval tower is located at 401 Prospect Avenue in Minneapolis, and there’s no charge to get up close and personal with the “tower guards.”

“The Eagles have landed!” (In my best Merry and Pippin voice from LOTR!

April 10, 2022April 10, 2022

Anoka’s abandoned amphitheater

An abandoned amphitheater? Who could resist that?!

Anoka was my next stop on the exploration schedule to check out an old, abandoned amphitheater. With a hat tip to Brendon Maness for the tip, Derrick and I jumped in the car for a quick drive north on 169 and literally almost ran into the amphitheater as it’s a sidewalk away from 169 itself. Bet the traffic noise made for an interesting background to the entertainment folks put on there, back in the day?

My first impression of the amphitheater was an obvious one: this thing has been around a LONG time. The structure was put together back in 1914 on the banks of the Rum River in Anoka. The really interesting part to me is its name: the Windego Park Auditorium and Open-Air Theater. At first, I thought it was Wendigo. Do you know what a Wendigo is? I bet you do if you’re a monster movie buff like me.

The abandoned amphitheater in Anoka, Minnesota, was first built in 1914. (photo by Chad Smith)

The old theater is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places and had to be a great place to watch a program back then. The location on the bank of the Rum River is beautiful.

Anoka’s citizens back then had a notable interest in outdoor entertainment and recreation. Thaddeus P. Giddings, a promoter of music education who’d been organizing community singalongs in the summer of 1913, took over organizing the programs and entertainment at the amphitheater.

Another gentleman named William Gray Purcell designed the amphitheater, and I thought he did a bang-up job. The stage sits on the flat part of the riverbank, and, as you can see in the pictures, the seats are on the sloping hillside. It had room for an audience of up to 1,600 people in its heyday.

At one time, the seating was covered by a colorful retractable awning system designed to protect patrons from the weather. That had to be a must-have during summertime storms and heat waves, am I right? A curved back wall at one time included a box office, entrance doors, and a projection booth, but that part no longer stands.

The orchestra pit was located at the foot of the bleachers. The stage area was off to the left and was nothing more than a flat part of the riverbank. (Photo by Chad Smith)

The theater was used for amateur plays, historical pageants, and other local community musical or meeting events. However, the theater would only thrive as long as Giddings was on hand. Giddings began spending summers at his music camp located in Michigan, and the amphitheater fell into disuse, with the exception of an occasional gathering.

In 1979, Anne Bronken, a University of Minnesota Landscape Architecture Department student, designed a plan to restore the amphitheater. Community organizers patched the concrete and did some cleanup work. A restoration planned as recently as 2010 didn’t happen. Today, the amphitheater has only its seating and orchestra pit left standing, and both are in a deteriorated state.

The view from the amphitheater. The Rum River is in the background and had to make for a fantastic setting to watch a play or concert. (Photo by Chad Smith)

Here’s a link to my Facebook photo album

September 12, 2021September 12, 2021

Fergus Falls and a broken dam exploration

Fergus Falls was calling me over the weekend, and that call finally proved irresistible. I’d heard through the grapevine about the ruins of an old dam along the Otter Tail River that collapsed back in the day. Well, I quit listening after the word “ruins” because I already knew I wanted to see “Broken Down Dam Park.”

Here’s a short video tour of the broken dam

Folks in that area built what’s called a hydroelectric gravity dam on the river in 1907. The dam was built out of concrete and powered a plant called the Fergus Falls City Light Station. The station provided power to city residents for just a year before disaster struck.

Approaching the Broken Down Dam (Photo by Chad Smith)

The large concrete dam suddenly collapsed in 1909, and you did not want to be downriver from the massive wall of water that suddenly rushed down the Otter Tail River. Can you image the roar of all that water moving at once?

One part of the Broken Down Dam near Fergus Falls that gives the dam it’s name. (Photo by Chad Smith

The dam broke at 4:20 in the morning on September 24, 1909, and the power of all that water releasing at once broke not one, not two, not three, but FOUR other dams downriver. Atlas Obscura says there were reports that the water was so powerful, it picked up a ten-ton generator and threw it into the river. Thankfully, no one died as a result of what was a catastrophe of immense size.

A wiki article (which I was able to validate in several other web pages) says that engineers made a crucial mistake when they constructed the dam. They didn’t conduct a proper site evaluation and wound up building on top of a spring. While I don’t pretend to understand how a spring can flow separately from a river while occupying the same space, it only took a year for the water pressure to build up along the foundations. The rupture washed out the concrete foundation and undermined the structural integrity of the dam, which then collapsed.

The Broken Down Dam, first built near Fergus Falls in 1907, collapsed to to an engineering error. (Photo by Chad Smith)

The dam broke in the center, and the rushing water first took out the Kirk Dam, which powered the city’s waterworks. The water then took out the Mount Faith Avenue Bridge before sweeping away the Red River Mill Dam and Woolen Mill Dam. Damage to the two mills totaled $15,000, with the damage in today’s economy equivalent to $432,000 in 2020.

Conspiracy theory alert: The Dayton Hollow Dam, five miles southwest of where the dam broke, was saved from destruction. The dam’s owner, Vernon Wright, had enough warning to hustle down there in time to get the floodgates open. The conspiracy? He also was president of the Otter Tail Power Company.

The biggest break in the Broken Down Dam. (Photo by Chad Smith)

The city of Fergus Falls then hired Otter Tail Power to build transmission lines into town. That helped spawn a local rumor, fueled by the newspaper, that Wright deliberately destroyed the city’s dam by secretly distributing quicksilver from a rowboat to undermine it.

Broken Down Dam Park was established in 1949, an 11-acre parcel of land. When the water level on the Otter Tail River is high, the flow can go fast enough between the blocks of the structure to create Class 3 rapids.

Here is the link to my complete photo album from Broken Dam.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=chad.smith.75685&set=a.4467526469974421

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019

Military dreams and the Smith Family

Military dreams and a middle child. I’ve got a kid that I need a little bit of prayer for. He’s not in any kind of trouble. Gaelan is my hard worker who has a dream to serve his country. He’d love to be able to enlist in the National Guard and become a soldier. However, there’s a challenge in achieving this particular dream.

Military Dream

Gaelan didn’t have it easy in his early years, struggling with asthma as a child, however, he’s been off the medication for some time now. He works out like a DOG in the gym, lifting weights and doing cardio. Gaelan is in great shape. However, the doctors look at his medical file and what he used to be sick with and they’d just as soon throw him out in the street. I don’t understand.

I know Gaelan called the recruiting sergeant the other day and asked how it was going. The sergeant, who’s been on Gaelan’s side from day one, was really honest, which I would expect from a sergeant. He said, “Gaelan, it’s really going to take something just shy of a miracle to pull it off at this point.” Gaelan is a young man of strong faith in God and in miracles that only God can pull off. He’s all in on the pursuit of a military career.

Yes, Gaelan does have a backup plan, which includes a trip to the police academy. I think his heart is in the military, especially because his grandfather, Greg Bourgond, had an outstanding career in the military (Navy). I would love nothing more than to see this hard-working young man get where he wants to be. Will you say a prayer that God will make a way where there doesn’t appear to be one?

(By the way, our God specializes in making a way where there is no way. If he can convert Saul into the Apostle Paul, ANYTHING is possible).

Other family happenings

Really excited because I took next week off from work. I looked back through my freelance journalist records and realized I haven’t taken time off in at least three years. It may be longer than that. The reasoning behind my request is Derrick and Talisa are coming in from South Dakota to spend a week here.

How dumb was I the last few years when those two came to town and I didn’t take time off work? What has more worth? Extra money in the bank or time with family? It’s called priorities, Chad, and maybe it’s time to change some of yours?

One new thing I’m trying out is itching that scratch I’ve had in recent years. That itch is to go exploring and see new places. It finally occurred to me that I don’t have to jump on a plane to see new things. I’ve toured a couple parks in Minneapolis and had a great time photographing things I haven’t seen before and making memories that way.

Vulnerability

Working from home is harder than I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying what I do. The work is rewarding and you’d have to make an offer I couldn’t refuse to make me give up the flexibility in my schedule.

However, you just don’t get out much to meet people when you live your life on the phone. Any advice at all on how to get out of the house and make a friend or two? I really think that sounds dumb coming out of my mouth but it’s an honest question. Can you forget how to make and/or be a friend to another human being?

Especially guys. Why is it so hard for guys to make friends and not try to be “John Wayne?” Where does that urge come from?

A Wrap

military — Here’s a scene from “Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story.” It’s one of my favorite movies and yes, it’s about Slenderman. (Photo from imdb.com)

Just wrapped up watching two of the better found-footage movies available. I love both “Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story,” and “Alien Abduction,” two of the better selections in the whole genre. You may not know this about me but I really do love found footage movies. My only problem with the genre is there are so many awful ones out there. Any others that are worth watching that don’t celebrate demons or specialize in straight up gore fests?

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019

Urban Exploration: Boom Island Park

There’s a hidden gem in the Minneapolis area known as Boom Island Park. I took a walk there the other day and was amazed at how the riverfront and the skyline of the city blended with the green of one of the bigger parks I’ve seen in the metro area. As a guy from small town Rural America, I’m amazed at just how much green there is all over the Twin Cities.

One of the more challenging parts of urban exploration around the metro is just FINDING the place you’re heading to. Thank the Good Lord (not joking at all) for Google Maps (or Apple Maps, if you have an iPhone). You know you’re adapting to city life when you arrive at the park, find it’s been shut off because of a private gathering, and you don’t bat an eye about parking in an open lot that you may or may not be allowed to actually park in. You’re risking getting a car towed for a couple hours of exploration. Works for me?

One thing I didn’t know is that some Minneapolis parks have a lot of places to park your kayaks or boats after spending time on the water.

Some of them will even RENT you a kayak. Looked like a lot of fun and something I will be trying again.

As mentioned previously, I walked into Boom Island with the oddest sound in the background. Urban Exploration can lead to interesting (and educational) discoveries. The parking lots were actually roped off because of a Tibetan Festival taking place that day. Being from small town America, as mentioned previously, it was something really new.

However, the most interesting part of the festival, aside from the explosion of color, music and foods, is the fact that almost everyone there smiled at me. Such friendly people. The older I get, the more I’m really enjoying expanding my horizons.

The Twin Cities are an interesting area to live in and explore. They’ve clearly worked hard to put together the best park system possible and I can’t wait to keep exploring it.

Here’s my first look at Boom Island Park, which sits right on the Mississippi River. (Video by Chad Smith)

The park sits on an impressive 22.5 acres right the metro area, right in the St. Anthony West neighborhood.

Here’s a little bit of the music I heard at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. It’s part of a Tibetan Festival that took place on Saturday, July 6. (Video by Chad Smith)

One of the epiphanies of middle age that have hit me recently is the fact that you don’t always have to take an exotic trip to see something new. Sometimes it’s right in your own “backyard.” Time for me to get off my duff and do some exploring.!

I’d say there was a pretty serious lightning strike here just to the left?

Seriously, THIS is how someone should take a tour of one of the inner-city parks in Minneapolis! Segway is the only way!

Some final thought here in the video directly above.

Here’s a link to my Facebook album with every picture and video I took. Enjoy. And if you like it, let me know? I’m thinking I’d like to do more of this kind of blogging. I just need someone to find it interesting.

https://www.facebook.com/chad.smith.75685/media_set?set=a.2457844644275957&type=3