MINNEAPOLIS WALKING TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Bde Maka Ska Walk: Shorelines, Stories, and a Village Remembered
A 90-minute guided walk tracing layers of landscape and community—from the original lake shoreline at Thomas Avenue to public art marking the Dakota village—useful for anyone who wants a compact, interpretive look at Minneapolis’s shifting lakeside histories.
Bde Maka Ska Walk: Shorelines, Stories, and a Village Remembered.
This guided walk moves between water and memorial stones, weaving together Lakewood Cemetery’s architecture and monuments with shorelines that once hosted settlement and seasonal life. Along the way you’ll confront layered narratives of landscape and community transition from 1829 to the present as the tour traces the original lake edge at Thomas Avenue S., the late-19th-century Cottage City development, and public art recognizing the Dakota village of Heyata Othunwe on grounds that overlap with the cemetery.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Walk the Original Lake Edge
The route begins at the original shoreline at the foot of present-day Thomas Avenue S., then follows the present Bde Maka Ska shoreline—an opportunity to read how the lake’s edge has been reshaped and redeployed through community development and memory.
Cottage City and Urban Transformation
Discern traces of Cottage City, developed beginning in 1883, and consider how that late-19th-century development layered onto Indigenous presence and later cemetery ground uses.
Public Memory: Dakota Village and Settler Families
The tour stops at public art that recognizes the Dakota village Heyata Othunwe—‘The Village Set Back’—and prompts questions about how figures such as Ohiyesa/Dr. Charles Eastman and settler families like Andreas Ueland’s are recognized in a shared landscape.
What the day feels like
What This Walk Feels Like
For 90 minutes the guide leads a small group along paths that skirt water and monuments, alternating close readings of public art and cemetery architecture with broader context about community shifts from 1829 to today; the tone is conversational and anchored in specific points along the shoreline and cemetery grounds.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this walk suits—and what’s not specified in the provided data.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The guided walk runs 1.5 hours.
No specific gear list was provided in the supplied data.
Meet at the southeast corner of West Bde Maka Ska Parkway and Thomas Avenue S.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
Where is the meeting location?
Meet at the southeast corner of West Bde Maka Ska Parkway and Thomas Avenue S.
How long is the tour?
The tour lasts 1.5 hours.
What topics does the tour cover?
The walk explores landscape and community transitions from 1829 to the present, including Cottage City development, Lakewood Cemetery’s monuments and architecture, and public art recognizing the Dakota village Heyata Othunwe.
Does the route include the original shoreline?
Yes—the tour begins along the original lake shoreline at the foot of current Thomas Avenue S. and continues along the present Bde Maka Ska shoreline.
Will the tour address Indigenous and settler histories?
Yes—the itinerary explicitly engages multiple narratives, including public recognition of the Dakota village Heyata Othunwe and questions about how figures such as Ohiyesa/Dr. Charles Eastman and settler families are remembered in the landscape.
Who operates the walk?
The operator is Preserve Minneapolis.