MISSISSIPPI N.R.R.A., MINN.-Since becoming a national park site 15 years ago, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area has told the rich story of the Mississippi River and its impact on the Twin Cities-but with little recognition. Thanks to its new, innovative visitor center in the Science Museum of Minnesota, though, the site's profile is increasing.
The center features rotating exhibits, ranger talks, park trip information, and merchandise and draws hundreds of visitors each day.
"Since its opening in August, the center has met all of our expectations, which were high," said JoAnn Kyral, park superintendent. "Visitors are looking at and diving into exhibits and interacting with park rangers. It's making people feel more a part of the Mississippi."
The national park unit's boundaries comprise a 72-mile stretch of the 2,350-mile Mississippi, on which American Indians depended for trade, food, and water centuries ago. The river's confluence with the Minnesota River was an early outpost for the U.S. military and a key locale for fur traders.
Further downstream, tens of thousands traveled along the Mississippi and settled at St. Paul, the river's upper end point for steamboat navigation.
"We know the reason the Twin Cities grew was because of the river," said Kyral. "The visitor center will bring recognition to the park site and show why the Mississippi River is nationally significant.
"It is a gateway of information about the river, including the 16 partner sites within the park," she added, noting that the center provides information and park trip planning materials for each of the Park Service's 388 park units.
Although building the visitor center inside a museum was a first for the National Park Service, it seems a natural fit, economically. The visitor center cost about $750,000 to build, compared with the several millions of dollars the Park Service would have spent to build a stand-alone facility. The partnership will likely pay dividends long-term, too, as some of the museum's 800,000 annual visitors learn about the park site.
"The Science Museum is the best partner a park could have," said Kyral. "The museum staff's vision and understanding helped keep this partnership alive during many years that we struggled to get funding for this center. They saved a spot in the museum for us for nearly four years, which shows how much they valued the partnership."
