Visiting the Falls at Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls is actually named for a series of waterfalls on the Big Sioux river. The falls were a natural barrier to water travel upstream and is one reason that the city was established where it is. There is now a beautiful park area that surrounds the falls and is a great place to spend a morning. Unfortunately, this morning was windy, cold and raining, so we spent an abbreviated time visiting the falls, but still had a great time.

Here is Cody the photo dog showing us the upper falls and the larger, lower falls. We learned that there was a very large flour mill, called the Queen Bee, that dominated the area and used the river power to power the mill. This 7 story high building must have been very impressive based on the remaining parts of the building still standing. Cody is also showing us the old power turbine feed pipe foundation that helped drive the mill.

It was fun to see the old water-powered technology as well as the beautiful falls area. This is a worthwhile stop for anyone checking out the Sioux Falls area.