Mankato & St. Peter
Saturday, May 20, 2023
We had never been to downtown Mankato, MN before so decided to walk around and check things out. This mural depicting diversity is painted on the grain elevator silos on Riverfront Drive.
Not sure how this image was created; if it was in some fashion computer generated or if it was actually drawn by an artist. If the latter, it is amazing to consider the scale and the complexity of the canvas being a rounded surface and what that must do to the proportions and perspective.
Reconciliation Park statue.
“The limestone statue of a white buffalo is a symbol of the spiritual survival of the Dakota people and honors the Dakota heritage of this area. A prayer written by Dakota Spiritual Leader Amos Owen calls for reconciliation by all people. Local sculptor Thomas Miller is the artist.”
-From interpretive plaque on site.
Mankato has an active street art scene with many pieces located all throughout the downtown streets. We ran into a least two groups on guided art walk tours hearing about the different pieces from guides. Might be fun to take one of those tours someday.
In addition to all the sculpture art, they also have some interesting painted murals on several buildings.
Moose on the Loose by Michael Legatt.
“Artist Statement: While out walking through willow - Mother Nature inspired me to sculpt a moose. I could see how each willow piece - bent just right - would form a part of the body. Walking on high ground, I saw ironwood trees and I saw how they would make the skeleton of the moose. After hundreds of willow pieces, thousands of pin nails - plus one in my finger - and many coats of Linseed Oil finish, it was finished.”
Viktor by Jefferson Davis.
“Artist Statement: Viktor: A powerful and fierce warrior that stands down to nothing. Courageous, yet kind. A legacy of triumph assembled by many pieces and many personalities. An idol: Hammered from steel … and forged in the glory of Minnesotan hearts.”
Double Trouble by Scott Schlag.
“Artist Statement: This sculpture epitomizes the characters of our dog Jake and cat Sylvia. They were always getting into some kind of trouble. It is a memorial to them.”
For those who have followed this blog, you may recall another Jake sculpture. Check out the post from October 11, 2021 - Day Trip #7 - to see “Jake on Bass.”
Blue Earth County Historic Courthouse.
Not far from downtown Mankato is Minneopa State Park. This is a smaller size Minnesota State Park. but it has a nice waterfall and across the road they have a bison drive where you drive your car among the wandering bison.
The river was running rather high and quite dirty from the sediment it was carrying. Here is a view of the main falls at a shutter speed of 1/320 sec to stop the action. You can really appreciate how dirty the water is in this photo. Compare it to a similar shot below with an ND filter and shutter speed of 3.5 seconds, it makes the water look “smooth” and much less dirty. You can decide which effect you prefer.
The main falls with an ND filter and shutter speed of 3.5 seconds.
The upper falls are located just above the pedestrian bridge.
Normally, there is a stairway that accesses the area below the main falls. Someday we may visit again when it is open; it would likely provide some interesting photo perspectives. However, due to the high flow right now this walkway was closed because of safety issues.
At the far end of the Minneopa State Park Bison Drive we parked and walked the Seppman Mill Trail. This is a photo of the Seppman Mill.
Historic Significance: The Seppman Mill is a historic windmill that was built in 1862 by Louis Seppman, a German immigrant. It served as a grist mill, grinding wheat, corn, and other grains into flour for the local community.
Design: The mill is a five-story wooden structure with a traditional Dutch-style design. It features a rotating cap and sails that harness the power of the wind to turn the grinding stones inside the mill.
Preservation Efforts: The Seppman Mill was restored and preserved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the 1990s. It stands as a testament to the region's agricultural heritage and the importance of milling in the area's history.
Scenic Location: The Seppman Mill is located in Minneopa State Park, which offers picturesque views of the Minnesota River Valley. Visitors can enjoy hiking trails, a stunning waterfall, and the opportunity to observe bison in the park's bison range.
Operation went well until 1873 when lightning struck, knocking off two of the arms and sails. These were replaced and operation continued until 1880 when a tornado again tore off two arms. These were not replaced but operation continued until 1890 when another storm finally damaged the structure beyond repair.
After Mankato, we drove to St. Peter, MN to tour The Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College. All the photos below were from the grounds of the arboretum trying out my new 80mm Macro lens.
The little green bug on this flower was interesting. Macro photography really lends itself to intricate pictures of insects, but they are a real challenge because they don’t sit still!!
The macro lens really brings out the intricate details. Check out the individual “hairs” on this Sumac branch.
The depth-of-field for macro photography is really razor thin. This image was taken at an f-stop of f/22 and still the focus is just on the inner aspect of the flower while the petals are out of focus.
