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| Harmon Killebrew. |
Killebrew was “one of the most feared sluggers” of the 1960’s with a pristine reputation on and off the field. Beyond that, the details get fuzzy for me. I know the name because early in my career I worked in an office on Killebrew Drive near the old ball park.
“Hennepin” is another recurring local name. Hennepin Avenue runs through the heart of Minneapolis, and the city is the county seat for Hennepin County. We found a statue of Father Hennepin outside the Basilica, a large, ornate Catholic church. (See photo at the top of this post.)
In 1680, Father Hennepin, a missionary and explorer, was captured by Sioux and taken by canoe to what is now Minnesota. Eventually he returned to his home in France, and waxed somewhat over-lyrically about what is now St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the only waterfall on the Mississippi. This week, we move to a condo with a view of the falls in the distance.
Our bicycles took us through the recently redesigned Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, past a sculpture at Westminster Church, and to a tourist information office. We peered through the window of the tourist office at Mary Tyler Moore, eternally throwing her tam in the air.
Outside Minneapolis City Hall we stopped to pay our respects to Hubert Humphrey. As mayor of Minneapolis he pushed back on the antisemitism and institutional racism of 1940’s Minneapolis. He then served as a US Senator, and was Vice-President in the Lyndon Johnson administration.
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| Hubert Humphrey. |
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| Emiliano Zapata. |
We ended our ride at Minnehaha Park at a statue of Hiawatha carrying his love, Minnehaha.
