From the Commonplace Book:
Much of the inspiration for deep mapping comes out of a long tradition of slowing down, walking through a specific place, and paying attention. From William Least Heat-Moons PrairyErth to psychogeography, to Denis Wood’s “Narrative Atlas” project, many of the foundational readings on Deep Mapping reference this impulse and provide models to follow and theories to think with.
The Spring 2023 class put it into practice by collectively walking and mapping the East Northfield neighborhood around Carleton College, inspired by Max Hailperin’s All of Minneapolis project, in which he set himself the task of walking every neighborhood in Minneapolis and posting an illustrated blog of what piques his curiosity and what he’s able to find out about it. He uses Google My Maps to document his efforts, and we also used this easily accessible digital mapping platform following his model.
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Cannon Riverside, S. Water and W. 7th St
Seventh St., Westbound Saturday, 9:30 PM I started my walk rather late into the evening with my roommate, Ben. I wanted to go at a later time to focus this experience less on simply looking at things, but feeling what its like be there. We entered the block on the corner of 7th and Water…
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Walking East Northfield: Eighth and Ninth St, Linden, Spring, and Water St. S
The two blocks I walked definitely differed from my classmates in that they were entirely residential. While this admittedly gave me a crisis about not being able to give as detailed of a report, I also appreciate how knowing I would have to rely mostly on my own observations forced to me to really pay…
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Walking East Northfield: From Division St. S to Washington St, between 5th St E and 6th St E.
Under the harsh sunlight of an otherwise fine Friday afternoon, I walked downtown – phone in one hand to guide me to my target for the day, and umbrella in the other to shield me from not just the rays from the sky, but the glare reflecting from cars parked along the road. I rarely…
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Walking East Northfield: The Triangle of Dahomey Ave, South Linden St., and West 9th St.
Nestled in a corner, away from the more high profile Division Street and retirement homes, is a little greentriangular slice of East Northfield; it sits between the highway (Dahomey Avenue), and within South Linden Street and West Nineth Street. I walked and recorded the sights and sites! Path A : Where I Started I began…
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Walking and Deep Mapping East Northfield
Monday October 6th, 1:29pm It was the first “cold” day since returning to college. I would rarely say 60º is cold except I had just spent the weekend in 80º sunny Milwaukee weather; it was a sign that fall was finally here. I stood on the corner of 7th St W and Division St S,…
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Walking East Northfield
This windy afternoon at about 3:00 P.M, I walked what many would consider the beginning of Downtown Northfield. While I have walked this area many times over throughout my 3 years at Carleton, during this walk I noticed many things that had previously never caught my eye. These new observations led me, in turn, to…
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Walking East Northfield: 7th St W & Water St S – 8th St W
As I approached the two blocks between Riverside Park and the neighborhood beyond 8th Street West, I was immediately struck by how distinct they seemed compared to their surroundings. Acting as almost a transitory space between the busy community energy of downtown and the infinite residential area beyond, the highly manicured lawns and parking lots…
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Walking East Northfield: Division St. to Water St. between 5th St. and 7th St.
It was a sunny, hot day as I headed downtown for my walk. Although I frequently go into town to grocery shop, thrift, or sit in a coffee shop, I rarely venture as far as 7th Street, so I was excited to explore a new area as I embarked on my walk. Beginning in front…
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Walking East of Northfield
Saturday, October 4. 10:50 am. As I walked down Washington St, the wind blew leaves on to my face as if announcing that fall was finally here. Only the sound of the wind and the occasional passing car were my companions on this walk. With the streets relatively empty, I could freely observe the houses…
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Walking East Northfield: Washington St. – Water St. S. & 4th St. E. – 5th St. E/W.
I began my walk around 10:45 on a moderately overcast and humid Wednesday morning. Standing on the corner of Washington and 4th Street E, I wondered silently how this little experiment would go. I put my phone on “Do Not Disturb,” grabbed my pen and small notebook out of my back pocket, and set off. …
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Walking East Northfield – Washington Street and 9th Street through Woodley Street and Maple Street
As I stepped out onto the streets of Northfield, Minnesota, the gentle spring breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers and the distant sounds of chirping birds. I embarked on a stroll, starting at the intersection of 9th Street and Washington Street, eager to explore the vibrant neighborhood ahead. I began my journey, and with…
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Walking East Northfield: Between Winona Street and Nevada Street, from 5th to 9th
On Sunday, April 9, I wandered along the streets of my four blocks in East Northfield. I started off my walk musing about the bright, bold paint colors on the houses when I spotted the chickens. I did not expect to see chickens on my walk. My neighborhood in my hometown looks similar to this…
