Twin Cities Sanitation History
Sigrid Arnott
January 1996
Abstract:
Studying the history of sanitation systems contributes to an understanding of
archaeological features such as privies, cesspools, and garbage pits and
identification of those with high archaeological potential. When American
cities began to build sanitary and waste disposal facilities in the mid-19th
century, miasma rising from stagnant water was still widely blamed for the
spread of illness, and early efforts were aimed at eliminating wetlands as
well as controlling offensive odors and “bad air.” In Minneapolis the first
sewers were built in 1871, but most residences were served by privies and
drew their water from wells or cisterns until the early 20th century. City
ordinances repeatedly sought to regulate the hauling and disposal of organic
wastes, revealing the lag between the building of sewers and abandonment of
private privies. St. Paul adopted a comprehensive public health ordinance in
1887 that addressed problems of sanitation and waste disposal, but, as in
Minneapolis, sewers and the water supply needed to make them effective did
not reach all areas of the city until well into the 20th century.
HTML Version
Introduction
Minneapolis
St. Paul
Summary
Bibliography
