Sunset over the Minnesota River Valley

from flickr user Sue.Ann
A sunset in Minnesota looking towards the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

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June 19, 2014 flood aftermath - Henderson, MN

Now that the television news teams have retreated back to their Twin Cities offices and Twin Cities area commuters have their choice of Minnesota River crossings to drive on, all that's left to deal with regarding the 2014 June/July Minnesota River flood is the aftermath. Unfortunately, the aftermath never gets the same level of attention, if any at all, that the actual flood gets. Everyone remember reporters standing in knee-deep water but few care to get out after the waters recede and show the true damage that the rush of flood waters caused.

The first photo, shown above, is immediately north of the small town of Henderson, MN which lies on the west bank of the Minnesota River. This smaller farm field is at least half covered by sang and mud from the bluff to the west. While the water has receded (this was taken about a week ago) the mud, sand and trees remain on this farm field. The corn crop, for the most part, is a loss and I can't fathom how this can be cleaned up and returned to valuable farm land in time for the 2015 growing season.


This house, owned by rural Henderson residents Curt and Cindy Boelter, is uninhabitable after being surrounded by mudslides from the bluff behind the family's home. While nobody was injured, insurance doesn't cover the damage as it is considered a flood. The couple was graciously put up in a vacant home within Henderson but it will be a long road to recovery as the Boelters are faced with the task of rebuilding and replacing belongings lost in the mudslide.


Mud and sand from a usually dry creek covered this now-abandoned property across the Minnesota River from the devastated village of Blakeley. The family who had lived here abandoned their property after numerous floods, the last straw though was the fall 2010 flood which set a record high water mark on the Minnesota River. From my vantage point, the sand deposited looked to be about two feet deep across the entirety of the property.


This farm field, immediately south of High Island Creek (north of Henderson, Minnesota), is covered by multiple inches of mud and sand deposited by the flood waters of the Minnesota River which encroached the property from across the adjacent Sibley County 6 roadway. With the land drying out as of this morning, it is too late now to attempt to plant anything of value in the mud-crusted soil. This farmer faces a year without income from this crop land.


This road ditch on Sibley County road 6 immediately north of Henderson, MN is filled with mud deposited from both the adjacent Minnesota River and the mudslides from the bluffs to the west of this property. Cash- and personnel-strapped Sibley County has struggled to repair damaged roadways and it appears that this particular farmer had been using his own excavator to remove mud from the completely filled road ditches on his property.


Minnesota State Highway 93, the southern entrance and exit to the Minnesota River valley community of Henderson, MN, remains closed today and in a state of disrepair. The state highway closed on Thursday June 19th as water from the Minnesota River encroached on the roadway and water from the Rush River streamed across the highway. After the water receded, the damage was apparent as a hundreds foot-long section of the highway had been washed away by flood waters. No timetable has been given for the extensive repairs but rumors (as not even officials from MnDOT are communicating directly with area residents) peg the repairs as taking anywhere form one to three weeks or longer.


This is the view from the still-closed Minnesota Highway 19 east of Henderson, MN. Pavement repairs need to be made on the lower portion of the highway between the Minnesota River and the Union Pacific railroad overpass to the east but the real damage, apparently, is on the highway's ascent from the river valley to the higher ground to the east. Damaged by mudslides and apparently with the road bed weakened by the heavy rains, repair estimates range from 60-90 days or longer for a fairly heavily traveled piece of the state's highway network as this roadway connects farms as far west as South Dakota to Red Wing in the east. This is also a vital link to the rest of the state for the small community of Henderson and with MnDOT again being less than forthcoming regarding details about needed repairs and the damage that led to them, all that remains are rumors and second- or third-hand reports of unknown origin.

So, in a nutshell, this is the aftermath of the June 19th flood. Three weeks later and the story had been forgotten by larger media outlets and residents and communities are left to go it alone as they struggle to recover from one of the most damaging floods to hit the Minnesota River valley since 1965. Residents face detours for weeks more, if not months. Main Street businesses are struggling and paring down employee hours in the face of a heavy decline in tourism in the area. Farmers face tremendous levels of losses. This particular area of the Minnesota River valley will be changed forever.

2014 summer flood - Chanhassen and Shakopee, MN

from flickr user Martha Decker
Highway 101 (old US 169) Minnesota River crossing in Shakopee, Minnesota is under water again! It is approaching the June 1993 High Water line on the sign (bottom line) but probably won't reach or surpass that line nor will it even come close to the April 1965 line. Of course we could (and are supposed to) get more rain....

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Minnesota River Flooding - Chaska, MN

from flickr user Thomas
Athletic Park, home of the Chaska Cubs, is mostly submerged as the banks of the Minnesota River in Chaska were topped by flood waters from last week's torrential downpours in and around the area. The Minnesota River is expected to crest today or tomorrow but more rain is expected through the first half of the weekend.

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Smokestacks in a line - Minnesota River

from flickr user Ren
Looking down the Minnesota River, a line of smokestacks shows itself from the photographer's position alongside some dried grass in the backwaters of the wide Minnesota River.

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Jab Farm Ruins, Jordan, MN

from flickr user radio.sputnik
The Louisville Swamp area of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is apparently filled with bits of history like this one. Probably closer to Shakopee but maybe more closely associated with Jordan, intrepid hikers and photographers alike can access this area via the same entrance used for Minnesota Renaissance Festival traffic. One day soon I am bringing along my hiking shoes and camera gear and checking out this hidden gem alongside the Minnesota River.

Jab's Farm and Prairie - Shakopee, MN

from flickr user Debbie Koenigs
The photographer says: These shots didn't turn out as I had hoped, but I hiked 4 miles to get them, so they're going up.

Louisville Swamp Unit, Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge [Shakopee, MN]

Minnesota River Sunset

from flickr user GreenLight Designs
Sunset over the Minnesota River Valley in Mankato, MN.

Bald Eagle in flight - Minnesota River

from flickr user jmontague2
This was taken in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge over the Minnesota River.

Out for a Swim - Rochester, MN snowfall

from flickr user mazzmn
The first real snow of the season on the northern tip of Lake Zumbro in Rochester, MN. It's not much snow but it does count. Now if it could just melt and we could return to balmy 50 degree days all would be right with the world.

September Sunrise - Minnesota River - Henderson

from flickr user Ron H1950
Sunrise on a frosty September morning on the bluffs above the Minnesota River near Henderson. (And if I'm remembering the details of this particular area, this photo may very well be of my in-law's farm).