Bob and I broadened our horizons a bit today with a short 25 minute drive to the cute little town of Stillwater, MN. We had seen a sign for Stillwater when we did our bike ride on the Gateway Trail on Friday, and it had also been recommended as a place to visit by our friends here.
A quick online search told us that Stillwater has a population of about 19,000, sits on the St. Croix River, and is often called the Birthplace of Minnesota due to the territorial convention held here in 1848 in which the process of establishing Minnesota as a state was laid out. It was a lumber town in the last half of the 19th century, so Stillwater had a number of active sawmills at that time.
Currently, Stillwater is popular for its attractive downtown riverfront area, hiking, biking, and water recreation, and historical sights such as the Stillwater Lift Bridge.
as you cross the bridge in the photo as well as the Stillwater Lift Bridge.
The downtown is lower, along the river,
while most of the residential area lies above.
We walked up (and down) a couple sets of stairs for the views.
The construction in the distance is for a new plaza
that is supposed to be completed sometime this summer.
The downtown area had a number of attractive shops, restaurants, and hotels, as well as public art in the form of sculptures and murals. And, of course, the beautiful St. Croix River and bridges.
which connects Stillwater, MN and Houlton, WI.
(pedestrian and bike traffic only now)
The haze is from the Canadian wildfires.
Peckish Travels 