Where on the Mississippi is Devin? Week Three.

Editor’s Note: This is an update to the story Kayaker Devin Brown to challenge the mighty Mississippi. Check back each week as we continue to follow Devin Brown’s trek down the Mississippi River.

With nearly 500 river miles in her wake, Devin Brown began the third week of her “Source to Sea” journey, paddling through the Twin Cities on her way toward the Gulf of Mexico and Mile Marker Zero of the Mississippi River.

Some stormy weather has continued to present challenges. Still, that has not deterred Brown, who, after navigating the open waters of Lake Pepin along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, posted on Instagram that while she “does not care for open water crossings with 15-20 mph winds and rain, the great news is the unsatisfactory weather meant the motorboats and jet skis weren’t out.” You can follow Brown’s route to conquer Lake Pepin by clicking this link.

Among the many other places Brown traversed as she passed through the metro this past week before leaving Minnesota were: Islands of Peace Regional Park, Bohemian Flats, Hidden Falls Landing, Ft. Snelling and the confluence of the Minnesota River, Lion’s Levee, and Grey Cloud Island.

Also, as part of our weekly series, “Where on the Mississippi is Devin,” we’ll include a history note about someplace she passed through on her way to Mile Marker Zero. See below for this week’s Mississippi River History Note.

Mississippi River Note

Originally known as Fort St. Anthony, Fort Snelling sits above the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, a location that the Dakota people called Bdóte, which translates to the “meeting of water.”

Built in 1819, Fort Snelling is designated as a National Historic Landmark and considered a “National Treasure” by the Washington, D.C.-based National Trust for Historic Preservation. That history, however, has not always been glorious. Until 1858, slavery was allowed at Fort Snelling. Among those who lived there as slaves in the 1830s were Dred and Harriet Scott.

Fort Snelling also served as a concentration camp during the Dakota War of 1862, where more than 1,600 Dakota and Ho-Chunk non-combatants were held against their will before their forced removal from the state at the end of the war. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, it is estimated that “between 130 and 300 Dakota died over the winter of 1862-1863, mainly due to measles, other diseases, and the harsh conditions” at the fort.