Last updated: June 28, 2023
Place
Information panel: Minnehaha Creek
NPS / Nathan King
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot
This deep ravine and rocky creek are typical of streams in the Potomac River Valley. Today Minnehaha Creek flows freely through Glen Echo Park. Changes made to the creek in the past 100 years mirror the history of Glen Echo Park.
Two kinds of landscapes are worth looking at - those that man has never touched, and those in which man has gained harmony.
"...the Glen widens amphitheater like as if intended by nature for the great auditorium to seat 8,000 people. The stream flows under the building which together with one acre of grotto work under the stone floor...lighted by electricity will constitute one of the pleasing features of this vast structure."
The arrival of the Glen Echo Chautauqua changed Minnehaha Creek: a large amphitheater was constructed in the creekbed in 1891. Here students gathered for lectures until a malaria scare closed the Chautauqua in 1892. Later, in 1899, a Glen Echo company developed the site into an amusement park. A remodeled amphitheater opened as the "Midway" in 1911.
Glen Echo Park's popularity again changed Minnehaha Creek. In 1956 park owners extended the parking lot by removing the "Midway" and installing a large metal pipe or culvert. For 33 years Minnehaha Creek flowed silently underground until record breaking rains collapsed the parking lot and culvert in 1989. Following the flood, the National Park Service restored the creek's natural stream bed. Look closely along the banks to spot signs of Minnehaha Creek's past.
Photo captions:
Two kinds of landscapes are worth looking at - those that man has never touched, and those in which man has gained harmony.
"...the Glen widens amphitheater like as if intended by nature for the great auditorium to seat 8,000 people. The stream flows under the building which together with one acre of grotto work under the stone floor...lighted by electricity will constitute one of the pleasing features of this vast structure."
The arrival of the Glen Echo Chautauqua changed Minnehaha Creek: a large amphitheater was constructed in the creekbed in 1891. Here students gathered for lectures until a malaria scare closed the Chautauqua in 1892. Later, in 1899, a Glen Echo company developed the site into an amusement park. A remodeled amphitheater opened as the "Midway" in 1911.
Glen Echo Park's popularity again changed Minnehaha Creek. In 1956 park owners extended the parking lot by removing the "Midway" and installing a large metal pipe or culvert. For 33 years Minnehaha Creek flowed silently underground until record breaking rains collapsed the parking lot and culvert in 1989. Following the flood, the National Park Service restored the creek's natural stream bed. Look closely along the banks to spot signs of Minnehaha Creek's past.
Photo captions:
- Minnehaha creek
- Interior view of amphitheater, 1891
- The Chautauqua amphitheater, circa 1891
- The remodeled amphitheater opened in 1911
- An extended parking lot covered Minnehaha Creek circa 1960
- The collapsed parking lot and culvert in May 1989
- Restoring Minnehaha Creek, January 1991
- Minnehaha Creek today: the natural stream bed restored at Glen Echo Park