Counterclockwise to Kaposia

This morning I rode, instead of rowed. I was a little conflicted, because the rowing days this season are dwindling and the river is really pretty. But I've missed my bike.

I met Matt (who I met during the TRAM) at the dog park by Minnehaha Park, along the Mississippi River. We decided to do a route I sort of discovered at around this time last year but which he apparently does more frequently. To mix things up, we did the route in a counterclockwise fashion.

We were entering a turn at Fort Snelling and Matt hit a patch of sand and crashed. Thankfully, he was just scratched and bloody, and his bike needed just a few adjustments. We rode a little slower today than either of us normally does, either because it was pretty cool out, he was a little shaken, I haven't ridden much lately, or some combination of those factors.

Despite stopping for Matt to collect himself, riding a little slower, and stopping briefly to switch/refill water, the 40-mile ride wasn't actually that long.

We rode from Ft. Snelling, through Lilydale and the District del Sol to Kaposia Landing in South St. Paul. We did a loop around Kaposia so I could get the full view. I love that damn Mississippi.

So, I knew a little bit about Kaposia. Today, I learned more:

Kaposia was a seasonal American Indian settlement, also known as "Little Crow's village," after a long line of tribe Chiefs named Little Crow. It was founded in 1750 by a group of Mdewakanton Dakota.

The village was originally located on the east bank of the river where Central Avenue intersects with Chicago Northwestern Railroad tracks, below present-day Indian Mounds Park.

In the early 1800s, over 400 Dakota would use Kaposia as their place of residence, living there over the warm summer months.

In 1837, the village was moved to the western side of the river, and then moved again due to the Treaty of Mendota, which gave white settlers the right to settle in the region.

In 1853 the people of Kaposia were required to move because of the Treaty of Mendota, which opened the land west of the Mississippi to white settlers.

The Kaposia site on the western side of the river became known as Port Crosby. In recent history, before becoming a park, it served as a landfill.

Yes, we kicked the people of Kaposia out of their summer spot along the river and later put our garbage there. How nice.

After leaving Kaposia, Matt and I saw a huge bald eagle, crossed the river, and rode up the eastern side, through St. Paul, back to our starting point.

It was a fantastic way to start the day, other than Matt's spill. But that also taught me I should probably carry a few first aid supplies.