The Mississippi River flows through America’s heartland, carving not just land—but stories. On Saturday, April 19, 2025, the Minnesota History Center invites the public to hear one such story—of endurance, identity, and equity—from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the 3M Auditorium.
A journey beyond the river
Titled Breaking Barriers Thru-Paddling, the event features Cory Maria Dack, an Indigenous Latina educator and outdoor adventure guide who completed an extraordinary 134-day journey paddling the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico—during the winter months of 2022 and 2023.
Born in Ecuador and raised in Northern Minnesota, Dack brings a personal, decolonial lens to her time on the water. Her talk will reflect on both the physical and emotional landscapes of her thru-paddle, while confronting issues of representation, equity, and accessibility for women of color in outdoor spaces.
Outdoor leadership and cultural reclamation
With nearly two decades of experience, Dack has guided canoe trips through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) since 2007, and led international eco-adventures across Costa Rica, Patagonia, and Ecuador. Her work bridges environmental justice with cultural reclamation, especially through the lens of Native leadership and decolonization.
In this presentation, Dack will explore how outdoor narratives are often shaped by white, male-dominated perspectives, and why creating inclusive adventure stories is essential for engaging BIPOC communities in nature.
Her journey, she reminds us, wasn’t just about the river—it was about reclaiming space and reshaping the narrative of who belongs in the wilderness.
Event details
📍 Minnesota History Center
345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102
📅 Saturday, April 19, 2025
🕑 2 to 3:30 p.m.
📞 651-259-3000
📧 infodesk@mnhs.org
🔗 Join the event on Zoom
This free event is open to all and includes a Q&A session. Registration is recommended and can be completed via Eventbrite.
Funding for this program is provided in part by the Emily Anne Staples Tuttle Fund.
Whether you’re a paddler, a history enthusiast, or a seeker of untold stories, Breaking Barriers Thru-Paddling offers a powerful invitation: to see the river—and our place in it—through a more just, more inclusive current.