Historically, there were a number of islands on the east bank of the
Mississippi River north of Saint Anthony Falls. Nicollet Island is
the only island remaining intact. Boom Island was the next island
north. It was called Boom Island because it was the anchor point for
a large logging boom. This is where lumbermen would string a chain
across the river to catch logs being floated down to the sawmills. The
logs would be sorted out and channeled to the correct mills.
By the turn of the century, Boom Island was used by the large sawmills
to store lumber while it was being dried. Later, a large sawmill was
built on the island. Shortly after 1900, the Wisconsin Central Railroad
used the lower end of Boom Island for a large rail yard. Local industries
began to fill in the river channels, eventually turning Boom Island into
toxic waste brownfield.
The railroads started to withdraw after WWII, and the Wisconsin Central
abandoned Boom Island in 1970. The City of Minneapolis took over the island.
The lower section was to be the site of the new Interstate-335 river crossing.
The upper island was cleaned up and converted into a marina. Local tour boats
use the space, and there is a public launch for private boats. The site is
famous for one of the best views of the Minneapolis skyline at night. The
park opened in 1987. The highway project has since been cancelled, so as
of 2008, the lower island is being cleaned up.