County Ditch 17

Before it was developed as a residential neighborhood in the mid-1900s, the Morningside neighborhood was largely a low-lying wet area, with a county ditch running right through it. The original plan for County Ditch 17 was part of the Minnesota History Museum collection from the bygone Hennepin County Soil and Water Conservation District. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District is the current county ditch authority.

Here's a photo of the original plan and a modern map with the former ditch location drawn in. This 1908 survey map with modern streets overlaid shows the location of historical wetlands throughout the City.