Historic Minnesota Waterfall Destroyed By Heavy Rains
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota has lost a beloved and historic waterfall.
Heavy rains this week have left a trail of destruction across southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Many areas saw rainfall totals between 8 and 12 inches.
The quaint town of Hokah, west of LaCrosse, is coming to terms with its loss. Nestled amid bluffs and valleys, Hokah looks postcard perfect -- until Tuesday's downpour left its most popular attraction battered and broken.
"It's hard to even picture what it looked like, but it was the falls were over there, and they're not," said a town resident.
Como Falls was an idyllic setting, a photographers dream.
"I had my wedding down here in 2003," said resident Tamara Rank.
She says it was her little piece of paradise.
"If you knew it was here you just had to come to it. It was beautiful, it still is beautiful, you just got to see beyond the devastation," Rank said.
The flooding were so fierce that it actually changed the entire course of Thompson Creek, diverting water away from what had been Como Falls.
Curious onlookers stop to soak up the devastation: twisted trees, mangled tables and a silent waterfall.
For now, old photos and fond memories will have to do. They are visions of a scenic park that meant so much to so many.
The city estimates restoring the park and waterfall could approach $1 million.