HASTINGS, Minn. — Pittsburgh once laid claim to "Three Rivers Stadium," but the Steel City doesn't have a corner on the confluence market.
The latest installment of the ongoing KARE in the Air tour finds our trusty drone hovering over downtown Hastings, a place where the Mississippi, St. Croix and Vermillion Rivers meet.
Hastings was smart enough to capitalize on its riverfront setting from the time the town was incorporated in 1857. Water provided power and transportation options that fueled Hastings' reputation as a shipping and milling center, and home to flour and lumber mills, foundries, factories, breweries, hotels and retail stores.
The rivers continue to provide Hastings with its unique identity. Dozens of turn-of-the-century buildings have been repurposed and transformed into bars, restaurants, shops and hotels.
Among those is the Confluence Hotel, once known as the Hudson Manufacturing Building.
That commitment to maintaining a sense of history spreads to nearby neighborhoods, where homes built more than a hundred years ago have been lovingly restored to their former glory.
Hastings is also known for its amazing parks and trail system, including a 10-mile loop that takes visitors along the Mississippi River.