Old Man Winter visits Old East Henderson

March 22 was a good day for a walk. It had just snowed a good dose of slush, and normally I would have wanted to curl up next to the fire inside and enjoy a cozy day inside. It wasn’t that cold, and my wife and I felt inspired to get out of the house and do a simple activity like drive into town for milk. The landing at Depot Creek seemed to call me as I drove back to our house, so we decided to pull in and look at the river.

Some awe-inspiring natural scenery was our reward, as well as some unique bird sightings and a spontaneous walk through the ruins of East Henderson. As I walk down to the river I always pause to admire the two train bridges; the original stone arch bridge now tucked into the woods supporting a long abandoned trestle, and the current steel bridge with stone abutments. Sadly, many of the bridges of our past are rendered obsolete by the increased demand for transportation or their structures deteriorate after years of use and abuse. It’s nice to see two examples of older style bridges right in our backyard.

I couldn’t help but notice the activity of birds this fine day despite the blanket of heavy wet snow. We glanced across the river when we came to a clearing and counted five Bald Eagles in a large cottonwood. I was disappointed when they flew away and I didn’t get a photo of this meeting, but I was pleasantly reassured when the eagles kept soaring over us for the rest of our time. We saw two eagles sparring mid-air in a well-known mating ritual, and witnessed an eagle and a red-tailed hawk soaring side-by-side, perhaps engaging in some cross-species communication about food or great places to soar. Many migrating warblers were about, most of them too distant or active to get a close look for identification.

The water in Depot Creek was flowing vigorously towards the swollen river, and I felt a bone-chill while imagining what it would feel like to put on my swimsuit and jump in for a polar swim. Some rather large chunks of ice caught my eye on the sandbar, chunks of random triangular shapes 15 feet long and 10 inches thick. I have always enjoyed the spring melt, when the ravines turn into rivers, the maple sap starts to flow, and it becomes clear whether or not we’re going to have to close the flood gates this year.

Our walk through the woods at the river landing ended in a tour of the ruins at East Henderson. As a child I used to explore this area when there were still some abandoned structures that remained from the village’s past. There were three houses (and associated outbuildings) and one of them had been used as a potato factory; I clearly remember the old metal conveyors going through windows into the building, more processing equipment inside. I remember there was a lot of junk and old stuff strewn about inside and outside, and that’s probably why this last bit of an East Henderson city block was razed in the late ‘90s.

Of course the old Peavey Elevator still stands; a grand structure indeed. I have fantasies of seeing this building restored someday and being used as a retail space or trailhead for some future bike trail through the valley. Of course, maybe passenger rail will return to the valley after a 60-year hiatus and this building could be a train station. With enough time, resources, and money anything is possible! I would be devastated if this final remnant of old East Henderson ever disappears from my drive into town.

A few columns back I was wishing for a good ol’ Minnesota winter, and we sure got one this year. I should be careful what I wish for, though, because we are still in a winter weather pattern and who knows when 60 degrees with roll around again. We flirted with it this past weekend, and it sure felt great. At this point, I think most people in town would be satisfied with a sunny day and temps warm enough for a light jacket.

Despite the fact that I’m totally sick of it, some part of me still feels very satisfied to finally get below average temps and some decent snowfalls. I could really do without the mud right now, but as they say, this is life in Minnesota and a true Minnesotan can put up with just about anything. I agree.