- 10,000 BCE
- Glacial River Warren falls is formed near what is now downtown St. Paul and begins its slow journey upstream due to natural erosion.
- 8,000 BCE
- The falls move past Bdote, the confluence of Mni Sota Wakpa (Minnesota) and Haha Wakpa (Mississippi). The Dakota refer to the falls as Owamniyomni.
- 1680
- Father Louis Hennepin visits and names the Falls of St. Anthony.
- 1805
- Lieutenant Zebulon Pike negotiates a treaty with several Dakota representatives, to acquire land that includes the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers and St. Anthony Falls.
- 1820–23
- Colonel Josiah Snelling oversees the construction of Fort Snelling and the first mills at the falls.
- 1820–1860
- The falls area is a tourist attraction, drawing visitors from the eastern United States, the Deep South, and Europe.
- 1838
- A treaty with the Ojibwe opening up settlement east of the Mississippi is ratified. Franklin Steele claims land on the east side of the falls.
- 1848–1910
- “Sawdust Town”: Minneapolis is a national leader in lumber production.
- 1851
- Treaties of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota open up land west of the Mississippi for settlement.
- 1854–55
- First permanent bridge across the Mississippi is built at Nicollet Island. Village of St. Anthony is incorporated.
- 1855
- Congressman Robert Smith of Illinois buys land on west side of the falls.
- 1856
- Minneapolis Mill Company and St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company are incorporated by land owners on each side of the falls.
- 1856–58
- Waterpower companies construct a V-shaped dam to funnel water to each side of the river.
- 1858
- Minnesota becomes a state. Local residents of Minneapolis vote to become a city.
- 1860
- Eliza Winston, an enslaved person who travelled to St. Anthony with her owners for the summer, is granted freedom by a Minneapolis court.
- 1866
- C.C. Washburn builds his first flour mill in Minneapolis, later known as Washburn B Mill.
- 1867
- Minneapolis is incorporated.
- 1869
- Tunnel collapse threatens the falls.
- 1870–84
- The falls are restored and protected by an apron, dam, and underground dike built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
- 1870s
- “New process” of milling flour by gradual reduction revolutionizes the industry.
- 1872
- St. Anthony and Minneapolis merge into one city.
- 1874
- First Washburn A Mill opens.
- 1878
- Washburn A Mill explodes, killing 18 workers and destroying much of the west side mill district.
- 1880
- Second Washburn A Mill opens.
- 1880–1930
- “Mill City”: Minneapolis leads the nation in flour production.
- 1880
- Washburn Crosby wins the gold, silver, and bronze medals at the first and only International Millers’ Exposition. They promptly begin selling “Gold Medal Flour.”
- 1881
- Pillsbury A Mill opens, the largest mill in the world for three decades.
- 1882
- The nation's first central hydroelectric plant begins operating on Upton Island, providing lights for Washington Avenue businesses and a 257-foot light pole in Bridge Square.
- 1883
- James J. Hill’s Stone Arch Bridge opens, bringing passenger trains into the heart of downtown Minneapolis.
- 1897
- The Lower Dam hydroelectric plant is built and leased to the Twin City Rapid Transit Company.
- 1904
- The last sawmill located at the falls shuts down.
- 1916
- Peak year of Minneapolis flour production, averaging 49,000 barrels per day.
- 1920
- Saw milling above the falls draws to a close.
- 1921
- "Betty Crocker" is created as a way to answer an outpouring of baking questions from customers who participated in a Gold Medal picture puzzle promotion.
- 1920–50
- Many flour mills are dismantled; bridges and railroad trestles are cleared from the district.
- 1956
- Lower St. Anthony Lock and Dam opens.
- 1957
- Northern States Power becomes the sole licensee of waterpower at the falls.
- 1963
- Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is completed, opening the river above the falls to navigation.
- 1965
- Washburn A Mill closes.
- 1965
- Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy, is born.
- 1968
- Fuji Ya restaurant opens, built atop flour mill ruins. It is the first step in the redevelpment of the riverfront for non-industrial uses.
- 1971
- St. Anthony Falls Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1973
- Pracna on Main restaurant opens in a rehabbed Main Street saloon building.
- 1978
- Last passenger trains cross the Stone Arch Bridge.
- 1983
- Washburn A Mill is designated a National Historic Landmark.
- 1994
- Stone Arch Bridge reopens for bicycles and pedestrians.
- 1996
- St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail opens.
- 2001
- Mill Ruins Park opens.
- 2003
- Mill City Museum opens.
- 2006
- Guthrie Theater and Mill City Farmers Market open.
- 2015
- Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock closes.