Currents of Change: The Mississippi as Architecture

Step aboard for a sunset cruise that reveals the Mississippi as one of the Twin Cities’ most powerful—and overlooked—works of architecture.

Join us for The Mississippi as Architecture: Currents of Change, an immersive evening exploring the river as both a natural force and a designed landscape led by John Anfinson, a historian whose work has long focused on the Mississippi River.

As you travel along the Mississippi, enjoy a relaxed onboard experience with dinner and cocktails while historian John Anfinson guides you through the story of how human ingenuity reshaped the river—transforming it into a system that powered industry, connected communities, and defined Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

From locks and dams to mills and infrastructure, this experience reveals the Mississippi not just as a river, but as a constructed and evolving piece of architecture.

Set against the backdrop of a Twin Cities sunset, this program blends history, design, and atmosphere into one unforgettable evening.

Additional Information

• Advance registration required
• This event takes place onboard a moving vessel
• Dress for weather conditions
• Boarding details will be provided in advance

Photography Disclosure

Rethos staff, volunteers, and contract employees may document this event for future promotional materials, fundraising or advertising of Rethos as well as Doors Open and City Stories events. By attending this event, participants grant full permission to Rethos to use photographs, videotapes, motion pictures, or any other record of this event, for any legitimate purpose without any monetary payment.

If you prefer not to be photographed, please notify a member of the event staff.

About John Anfinson:

Dr. John O. Anfinson is currently the River Historian at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. He has been researching, writing and speaking about the upper Mississippi River for over 30 years. He spent the first half of his federal career with the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as a historian and cultural resources program manager. He joined the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, in 2000, where he served as Superintendent from 2014-2020.

John is the author of The River We Have Wrought: A History of the Upper Mississippi (2003) and River of History (2003). John holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Minnesota.

About City Stories

City Stories is a multi-day festival celebrating the architecture, history, and cultural stories of the Twin Cities through tours, talks, and experiences across the region. City Stories is produced by Rethos and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s Minnesota Chapter. Buy tickets to other City Stories events here.

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