Restoration project along Mississippi River expects to break ground this month



The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station

After a decade of planning, fundraising and tribal engagement, a Dakota-led nonprofit will break ground this month on a five-acre restoration project at Owámniyomni — the place known as St. Anthony Falls — along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis.

The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station
The mill races on the Mississippi River near the Upper Lock on May 4.
Melissa Olson | MPR News

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi announced the start of construction during a walking tour of the site Monday. The project will replace a parking lot, an unused restroom building and the upper floor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers control station with native prairie, oak savanna and traditional Dakota medicines. A second phase, planned for 2028, will restore the shoreline and reintroduce flowing water to the mill race, a stagnant back channel, eventually creating a 25-foot waterfall.

For project leaders, the heart of the work is restoring Dakota presence on the river.

"We're forgotten in our homelands. We don't see ourselves here in our homelands," said Shelley Buck, president of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi and a member of the Prairie Island Indian Community. "As Dakota people, this is our birthplace. We don't have a migration story to where we're at here. This is the place where we come from."

The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station
Kjersti Duval and Shelley Buck pose for a photo near the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on May 04.
Melissa Olson | MPR News

The site is located next to the Upper Lock. The lock and dam closed to commercial barge traffic more than a decade ago. Kjersti Duvall, project advisor with Duval Companies, said reaching this point required four acts of Congress along with numerous resolutions from the city and the Minneapolis Park Board.

"It has taken almost every level of government that we have to move this project forward," Duvall said. "It's a huge win. It's a huge day."

Construction begins in mid-May with site preparation. Crews will demolish the unused restroom building and remove the top floor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' central control station. The asphalt parking lot will come out, replaced by upland prairie planted with seeds and soils sourced from Dakota Tribal lands in Minnesota. A limestone bluff restoration and an ADA-accessible switchback path will lead down toward the river.

The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station
The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station on the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on May 4.
Melissa Olson | MPR News

John Barrick, construction project manager with Loeffler Construction, said phase one will take about 13 months.

"We'll get the bulk of construction done this year going into the winter, have a slight break, and then wrap up middle of summer next year," Barrick said.

The site will be closed to the public during construction, though the Stone Arch Bridge will remain open. Visitors can still take in views from above and attend programming at the nonprofit's engagement space in the nearby Crown Plaza building.

Phase two, focused on water, is planned for 2028. Duvall said the mill race is currently stagnant.

"It's basically kind of a standing pool of back-channel water. There is no positive flow," Duvall said. The plan is to route river water over the escarpment to create the waterfall and revive the channel.

The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station
The U.S. Corp of Army Engineers control station on the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on May 4.
Melissa Olson | MPR News

Owámniyomni Okhódayapi has raised $40.5 million toward a $60 million campaign, with major support from Mellon Foundation, Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation and the Minneapolis Foundation, along with state environmental funds. Roughly $20 million remains to be raised. Mellon recently contributed $4.7 million directly toward the land transformation work.

For Buck, the construction itself is part of the story she wants the land to know.

"We know that the construction is going to further disrupt this land, and the land, which we see as a relative, doesn't know if we're here to help it or hurt it more," she said. "We're not going to do harm. We're trying to repair the harm that has been done."



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Nomadic Matt holding up his Capital One Venture X business card
I’m a sucker for a good travel rewards card. Over the years, I’ve collected a small handful of them — not because I love juggling annual fees, but because the right cards can save you a lot of money on flights, hotels, and travel perks you’d otherwise pay out of pocket for.

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What is the Capital One Venture X Business Card?

The Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card is a travel rewards card issued by Capital One. It comes with a $395 annual fee that is way lower than the other premium business cards out there. And I think you can easily get way more value than the annual fee costs. Here’s a quick look at the main perks:

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Using Your Capital One Miles

Capital One miles can be redeemed in a few ways. One is by booking travel directly through Capital One’s portal. While I usually don’t recommend booking through credit card portals, to fully benefit from the Venture X’s travel credit (and to get the 5x and 10x miles offers) you’ll need to use their portal.

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Pros of the Venture X Business Card

As someone who travels constantly for work, I’m always looking for ways to earn miles faster and make airport life a little less painful. I like this card for the simple 2x miles on everything. I use a lot of other cards that can get you 3 or 4x on certain categories like advertising or non-portal travel spend like flights and hotels. But when it comes to dining, museums, transportation, etc, there’s not a lot of ways to get more than 2x per dollar spent on a business card. So, I use this Venture X for anything I can’t get more than 2x per dollar.

Here’s a deep dive into some of the main perks:

$300 Travel Credit
Each year, you get a $300 credit toward bookings made through Capital One Business Travel (flights, hotels, or car rentals). If you’re already booking travel regularly, this credit is basically free money — and it immediately drops your effective annual fee from $395 to $95.

The catch? You do have to book through Capital One’s travel portal. It’s powered by Hopper, so the interface is clean and prices are usually competitive. I’ve found some good deals there.

Lounge Access
You get access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges. Capital One’s own lounges are actually great — spacious, modern, good food — though they’re still limited location. But they are expanding how many they have and I personally think they are way better than the other lounges competitor banks have. You also get Priority Pass access t o over 1,300 lounges globally, which is a common but really nice perk.

Anniversary Bonus
Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll get 10,000 bonus miles (worth about $100 toward travel). It’s a nice “thank you” that helps offset the annual fee even further.
 

Should You Get This Card?

The Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card is best for small- to medium-sized business owners who travel regularly and can put at least $30,000 to ensure they meet the welcome offer requirements.

Overall, I think the Capital One Venture X Business is one of the best-value premium business cards out there right now. It’s not as benefit-packed or as flashy as the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business?, but it’s easier to use, has a less expensive annual fee, gets you lounge access, and an easy to understand earning structure.

It’s one of the cards I use the most often for my business. I highly recommend getting it.

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Points and Miles

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