River bottom finds

A Dinosaur bone was found in the river. Well actually it is probably a cow bone, but it's quite large.

We also found some old bottles, some golf balls, and quite a few pop cans. Nothing of any value but it did help to pick up the shoreline.

I did notice a few tracks up and down, so maybe someone already found the "antiques" before we got there.

Hopefully the volunteer turnout for the "cleanup the river" this coming weekend (15th I believe) is good and the rest of the garbage is cleaned up.

I took a walk along the north side of the River and over the School Road bridge last Friday (Sept. 7), and was amazed at the number of bikes in and along the water by the bridge. I counted at least four, with one bike standing perfectly upside down in the water, with the wheels in the air. Anyone missing a bike? I also saw a rotting sofa, mattress springs, and many construction cones and signs. Maybe the road crew working on Highway 7 could come and reclaim their equipment.

Dam demolition was scheduled to start today. It appears a portion of the concrete dam has been removed.

A man with a metal detector was seen going through the bed of the river near the dam Monday afternoon. Any new finds to report? Readers are invited to post thoughts about the looks of the river without water or findings here.

One lone carp was seen swimming in a remaining pothole near the sanctuary today, too. Any other potholes with fish still left in them?

Along with the cans, bottles, and even a stemmed wine glass, I found the odometer wheels for a car or truck. No other car parts. It must have been from an older model as there were only five number wheels plus a sixth in black to show the 1/10 miles. I know what your thinking, but this was found on the South side of the river in a residential neighborhood not close to any of the Hwy. 7 auto dealers.

There is still plenty of junk in the river even after the Saturday cleanup. I encourage everyone to take a stroll along the river bottom. Bring a small plastic bag and pick up a few cans and bottles. Every little bit helps.

After living on the river for 18 years and life guarding at the mill pond with the diving tower, I was amazed how shallow the river has become. The town should take this time to dredge the river at least up to the new bridge and possibly use the soil to extend the property of the homeowners and parks along the banks as Ted Hanson did to the 3 houses back when the dam broke in 1965. I was just a kid then but we never found anything of value, but I found a strange stainless steel cylinder with a glass viewing port that looked like it came off a spaceship! New found out what it was, but we had fun pretending!

I've been told by city officials that there is no plan to dredge the river basin, and that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources probably would not approve such action. The DNR sees the rocks and other structures as providing fish habitat.

Cost is another factor. It is apparently expensive to dig out the basin and haul the material away. As for Dr. Remulak's suggestion that the dredged material could be used to create more property for riverfront homeowners, I suspect, from having covered city government for 13 years, that the other 95 percent of property owners in town might object to their tax dollars being used to improve and enlarge the already more valuable water frontage lots of the few who live along the river.

(Terry Davis is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)