Mni Owe Sni (Coldwater Spring)

A leaf covered trail at Mni Owe Sni

NPS/Neil S.

Quick Facts

Location:

5601 Minnehaha Park Dr S, Fort Snelling (Unorganized), MN 55417

Significance:

Sacred to the Dakota and additional Tribes; critical habitat

Designation:

Traditional Cultural Place, National Register of Historic Places

Amenities

8 listed

Accessible Sites, Beach/Water Access, Benches/Seating, Bicycle - Rack, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead, Wheelchair Accessible

Introduction  

Mni Owe Sni (Coldwater Spring) is a sacred area for the Dakota and other Tribes. In 2023, it was officially designated a Traditional Cultural Place listed in the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its deep and ongoing significance to Dakota people. Mni Owe Sni is not merely a historical site—it continues to be an active and vital part of Dakota life. Mni Owe Sni encompasses the spring itself and the surrounding landscape down to the riverbank.  

Mni Owe Sni’s primary feature is the spring which begins in the upland area of the site and flows down to its confluence with the Mississippi River. Mni Owe Sni lands are managed in partnership by the National Park Service (NPS), federally recognized Tribes, and agency landowners. The area is steeped in millennia of history, but its National Park Service chapter began in 2010 when the NPS started ecological restoration of what was an abandoned US Bureau of Mines administrative campus. 

Visiting the site offers a unique opportunity for personal connection and reflection. We encourage you to experience this sacred place with quiet respect; the lessons you learn here go beyond any written account and resonate deeply within the landscape. 

Restoration Efforts 

The lands of the Mni Owe Sni area are managed to protect, preserve, and enhance this natural and cultural site. The diversity of plant communities in the Mni Owe Sni area is remarkable. Since 2010 the NPS has worked in collaboration with Tribes, agencies, non-profits, and thousands of volunteers to restore these plant communities which include tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, bur oak-pin oak woodland, mesic hardwood forest, sugar maple-basswood forest, and floodplain forest. The NPS will continue restoration down to the banks of the Mississippi River. Riverbanks are integral to a river ecosystem and include habitat for terrestrial and aquatic life. Overarching goals include restoration of critical floodplain forest, and reestablishment of endangered mussel habitat. 

In 2023 part of the Mni Owe Sni area was officially designated as a Traditional Cultural Place, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This designation was initiated and advocated for by the Lower Sioux Indian Community, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, the Upper Sioux Community, and the Prairie Island Indian Community. A representative of the Prairie Island Indian Community co-wrote the nomination in partnership with NPS staff. The NPS manages portions of the Mni Owe Sni area in partnership and collaboration with these and 18 additional Tribes. 

History 

Mni Owe Sni holds deep cultural significance as a traditional gathering place for the Dakota people and multiple Indigenous nations. For centuries, this impressive site has been associated with healing and community, embodying a place of peace.  

Mni Owe Sni has been and continues to be a place of peace, ceremony, and gathering, where Dakota, Anishinaabe, Iowa, and Ho-Chunk Tribes, met to nurture relationships, and participate in cultural practices. The arrival of European settlers prompted the US government to station soldiers here, choosing this location, in part, because of the spring's clean and abundant water. Placing Fort Snelling here contributed to this area’s significance to the founding of the State of Minnesota.   

For generations, communities of Dakota people and others coexisted peacefully around Mni Owe Sni. Despite challenges posed by land use changes, including significant road construction in the area, the spring remains a site for ceremony, peace, and reflection.  

Recent history of the site has been influenced by significant changes in land ownership and use. Below is a brief timeline of the area: 

• 1955- US Bureau of Mines: Twin Cities Research Center established 
• 1988- Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is established and the NPS acquires portion of Mni Owe Sni area riverfront.  
• 1996- US government eliminates funding for Bureau of Mines 
• 1997- Buildings vacated and fall into disrepair 
• 2010- NPS acquires Bureau of Mines property  
• 2011 - NPS demolishes vacant buildings beginning landscape restoration of the areas of Mni Owe Sni above river bluff.  
• 2023- Mni Owe Sni is officially designated a Traditional Cultural Property  

Activities 

The park features a crushed limestone trail for walking to the spring and other trails for enjoying the site. Additionally, there are many opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography. Birdwatching is a popular activity at Mni Owe Sni as the savanna-prairie restoration matures and attracts a larger number of species. Turkeys, river otters, deer, and coyotes live here and native wildflowers bloom throughout the growing season. Visitors can start their trip in the tallgrass prairie near the spring, hike through the oak savanna past Mni Owe Sni’s waterfall and down to the confluence of Mni Owe Sni's outflow and the Mississippi River. 

Additional Information 

• Dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet (2 meters) in length. This area is home to fragile habitat and cultural resources, please respect these resources and the law by leashing your pet.  

• WARNING: Water from the spring house and reservoir is not potable and has tested positive for e.coli and fecal coliform in the past. Testing is not done on a regular basis. We recommend not drinking or using the water for consumption.  

• See the Superintendent's Compendium for additional rules. 

• Open 6 am - 10 pm 

• Driving Address: 5601 Minnehaha Park Dr S, Fort Snelling (Unorganized), MN 55417 (Not all electronic maps use this address for this location, and you may want to use the GPS coordinates in the link below.) Driving directions: From Hiawatha Ave, turn east on 54th Street East and then immediately south on the frontage road. Paid parking is available along this street. (Parking at Mni Owe Sni is limited to disability parking only.) From the west, drive east on 54th Street East and turn south on the frontage road after passing through the Hiawatha Ave intersection. The route is signed from MN Hwy 55 (Hiawatha Ave). 

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