By David A. Lanegran, Ph.D.

With Benjamin Evans, Heddi Nuesma, and Tara Holden

Preface
The journey of a thousand miles always begins with the first step.

In doing the research for A Mississippi River Valley Sojourn, we wandered through ghost towns, clambered up river bluffs, waded in the Mississippi , snowshoed along winter trails and generally reveled in the joy of field work. We call the trip a sojourn because a sojourner stays only for a short time in a place, even though they want to linger. On our explorations we also discovered many places and talked to dozens of people that we cannot describe in this work. Much remains for you to discover. Anyone following our route will find places to explore further. We know that you will take those opportunities to savor the joy of discovery for yourself.

The trip, which generally follows the alignments of the first roads in Minnesota , is divided into five different, but connected sections: The Twin Cities and Industrial Suburbs; Mississippi River Towns; The Whitewater Valley; Agriculture Heartland and Towns; and, finally, The Booming Suburban Fringe of the Southern Edge of the Twin Cities. We have chosen several points or stops to reset odometers. In doing this, we hope that the itinerary is easy to pick up from any of these points. Also note that your odometer may not match exactly with ours, given the variations in odometer accuracy and the winter tire pressure of our "mileage car!"

Vision
In writing A Mississippi River Valley Sojourn, we envisioned a journey into historical geography, taking two full days of travel, beginning and ending in St. Paul , with an overnight stay in a river town or other pleasant resting place. This book will provide the tales and history for the complete experience of our route. Carl Sauer, the dean of American cultural geographers, explained the value of such a guide:

Take into the field, for instance, an account of an area written long ago and compare the places and their activities with the present, seeing where the habitations were and the lines of communication ran, where the forests and field stood, gradually getting a picture of the former cultural landscape concealed behind the changes that have taken place. It is real discovery thus to take old documents into the field and relocate forgotten places, to see where the wilderness has repossessed scenes of active life, to note what internal migrations of inhabitants and of the productive bases have occurred. There comes a time in such study when the picture begins to fit together and one comes to that high moment when the past is clear and the contrasts with the present are understood.

This field excursion was inspired by the pioneering work of Dr. Hildegard Binder Johnson, a remarkable individual who received her Doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1933 and came to the United States in 1934. In 1947, she founded the geography department at Macalester College . During her long and productive career, Dr. Johnson wrote extensively on the historical geography of her adopted home and for many years taught the Conservation Field Course. The climax of the field course was the overnight trip to the Whitewater Valley where students could see for themselves humanity's capacity to degrade and preserve the land. To her early environmental focus we have added urban geography and greatly expanded the scope of the trip. The land has experienced overwhelming changes in the half century since the department was created, yet much remains the same. Macalester students continue to explore and seek understanding in text and in the field. We dedicate this work to the students of the next half century.

Table of Contents
Introduction and Invitation
Part I
The Twin Cities and Industrial Suburbs

Part II
Mississippi River Towns

Part III
The Whitewater Valley

Part IV
Agriculture Heartland and Towns