The poem's story line was based on traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tales, as recorded, sometimes incorrectly, by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft.

[1] Accomplished Norwegian sculptor Jacob Fjelde immigrated to Minnesota in 1887, following family members to the area.

[1] Fjelde's expenses for Hiawatha and Minnehaha were paid for by small donations collected from Minnesota schoolchildren.

Fjelde had struggled to find American Indian people to model the faces after, and he relied on photographs to guide his work.

[1] The debate continued until 1912, when the sculpture finally was cast, then installed and unveiled in a public ceremony at Minnehaha Park on October 5.