crEasing into Retirement: Stillwater ~ Revisited

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Stillwater ~ Revisited

Stillwater is located on the MN side of the St. Croix River that divides MN and WI. OFD took us to Stillwater YEARS ago to maybe visit wineries, or artsy shops. I just remember all the walking, all the people, and sore, tired feet. On our revisit during our MN camping and caching excursion, geocaching was the focus of the first revisit.

now a restaurant, but originally a depot for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad

in its heyday, it handled as many as 70 rail cars a day plus the telegraph office

it closed in 1970 as a depot and freight center

a sawmill in it's first life; now funky shops and businesses

built in 1853

the MN Territorial Prison (1853-1914) housed the Younger Brother who

attempted to rob the First National Bank in Northfield

the Warden House; one of the oldest houses in MN

first bridge in Stillwater over the St. Croix opened in 1876

this lift bridge was completed in 1931

called a Waddell and Harrington vertical lift

"The span is raised and lowered by steel cables passing over sheaths at the top of steel towers mounted on the span's piers." Now it is used mostly for foot and non-motorized traffic since a new bridge has been recently built over the St. Croix, connecting MN and WI.

views of church steeples and one of several hot air balloons that late afternoon

view of the riverboat from a city park on a city bluff

five stops in downtown Stillwater completed

great walking tour

We went back to Stillwater on Saturday with OFD to spend a little social distancing time with her and so she could be out and about, which she has not done very often since covid began. We checked out some of the art work...