“HEARD THE FALLS OF MINNEHAHA, CALLING TO THEM FROM THE DISTANCE.” “laughing waters” is the meaning of the name “Minnehaha,” minne meaning water, and the name is a fine sample Of Indian onomatopoeia, or word painting. Whether the Indian, who invented the name, thought of the falling waters only, or of the lovely scenery surrounding them, cannot be discovered, but in either sense the term is appropriate.
The smaller fall, a little lower, has been nicknamed “Minnehehe” or ‘”Minnegiggle” in imitation of the other name. The “Laughing Waters” want only a little more water to form one of the most picturesque cascades in the country. As it is, children can wade across the “rapids” below the fall, to their never ending delight. Longfellow has added not a little to the fame of these cascades by his immortal lines, quoted as the headlines above. The Falls are on the very outskirts of Minneapolis, in a pretty glen, preserved as a city park forming one link in a perfect garland of parks with numerous small lakes, connected by boulevards, affording a drive of twenty-five miles.
