As the city of Northfield and the community contemplate removal of the Ames Mill Dam, questions are swirling about how we should preserve the dam and mill’s history and meaningfully engage with the Cannon River. Public art projects, particularly around the Bridge Square Riverwalk area, have the potential to be critical avenues for visitors and residents alike to engage with the Cannon River and the milling history of the city. 

The Northfield Public Library (NPL) requested students in HIST338: Deep Mapping & Public History to research and produce maps and visualizations focused on the connection between the Cannon River and the city, looking at Past, Present, and Future, in order to lay the groundwork for future placemaking opportunities. 

Hoping to support the Library’s mission to strengthen community and foster lifelong learning and enrichment, we centered our focus on a research project on the past of the Cannon River, including an exploration of the ecological history of the river and watershed; changes to the river’s course, plants, and fish species over time; historical photos; and narratives about the river. We focused the narratives especially on the Cannon River section in Northfield, more specifically around Bridge Square and the Ames Mill/the Ames Mill dam.

Our exploration of the Cannon River’s past led us to a new understanding of water and the importance of the continuous and complementary relationship between water and settlement of communities. The transit potential of the Cannon, as well as the agricultural and industrial possibilities of the abundant flowing water instigated settlement of the area—and the founding of the city of Northfield. Yet agricultural practices and the damming of the river for mills fundamentally changed the path and inhabitants of the river. 

Utilizing historic plat maps, fire insurance maps of downtown Northfield, and aerial photos, in addition to historical records, documents, and other classical research, we have constructed two ArcGIS StoryMap narratives: 1) the effect of human settlement on the river, through the geological and environmental past of the Cannon River; and 2) the effect of the river on human settlement, through the history of milling in Northfield and along the Cannon.