Minneopa State Park

Last updated

Minneopa State Park
MinneopaFalls2010.jpg
Upper and Lower Minneopa Falls
USA Minnesota relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Minneopa State Park in Minnesota
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Minneopa State Park (the United States)
Location Blue Earth, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates 44°9′44″N94°6′8″W / 44.16222°N 94.10222°W / 44.16222; -94.10222
Area4,643 acres (18.79 km2)
Elevation856 ft (261 m) [1]
Established1905
Governing bodyMinnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minneopa State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources
WPA Minneopa Latrine.jpg
A WPA/Rustic Style building in the park
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location South Bend Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Nearest city Mankato, Minnesota
Area58 acres (23 ha)
Built1937–1940
Architectural style National Park Service rustic
MPS Minnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
NRHP reference No. 89001663
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1989

Minneopa State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, a large waterfall for southern Minnesota, and was expanded in the 1960s to include the lower reaches of Minneopa Creek and a large tract of prairie. [2] Minneopa is Minnesota's third oldest state park, after Itasca and Interstate. Two park resources are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the 1862 Seppman Mill and a district of seven Rustic Style structures built by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. The park is located almost entirely on the south side of the Minnesota River, three miles (4.8 km) west of Mankato. In 2015 the state reintroduced American bison to the park in a 330-acre (130 ha) fenced enclosure, through which visitors can drive in their vehicles. [3]

Contents

Geography

Minneopa State Park
[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]
Minneopa State Park

Minneopa State Park is divided into two distinct sections by a corridor of roads, railroads, and private property. The original section contains the falls and Rustic Style structures. The much larger northern section, added in 1969, stretches along the Minnesota River and includes the campground and Seppmann Mill. The sections are contiguous with travel from one to the other by a county road. [4] : 54 

Minneopa Creek drains a small watershed in Blue Earth County and a small part of eastern Brown County. [5] : 96  Most of its 11 miles (18 km) flow through farmland before entering the park. [6] : 5 2.2 miles (3.5 km) upstream from its mouth, Minneopa Creek flows over two waterfalls. [4] : 49  The creek cascades about 6 or 7 feet (2 m) over the upper falls and flows 66 feet (20 m) before dropping over the 39-foot (12 m) lower falls. [6] : 5  [7] The name is a shortening of Minneinneopa, which is translated from the Dakota language as "water falling twice." [8] Other translations have been given as "water of two falls" and "water of the dancing elk." [5] : 5  Although Minneopa Falls is often referred to as the highest waterfall in southern Minnesota, Minnemishinona Falls in a nearby Nicollet County park is slightly higher at 42 feet (13 m), but is not as scenic or well-known. [9] Lower Minneopa Falls can be called the region's largest, as it is 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, while Minnemishinona spans only 10 feet (3 m). [7]

The region of the park has a continental climate of cold winters and hot summers. Temperatures are slightly milder along Minneopa Creek than in the prairie section due to the heavy woods. [4] : 33 

Natural history

Geology

A glacial erratic in the park's prairie section TintaInyaOta.jpg
A glacial erratic in the park's prairie section

Minneopa State Park is underlain by flat layers of dolomite and sandstone. Evidence from well-drilling indicates that beneath these sedimentary rocks is a steeply tilted formation of granite that slopes down to the east deep under Mankato. [4] : 26  Atop everything is a thick blanket of till deposited by glaciers.

At the end of the last glacial period, the continental glaciers were melting to the north. Glacial River Warren carried torrents of meltwater across Minnesota, eroding a wide valley. [4] : 25  As the water level diminished in stages over time, fluvial terraces were left like steps on the sides of the valley. The glacial runoff ceased around 9,400 years ago, leaving a channel soon occupied by the vastly smaller Minnesota River.

The park's flat prairie area is a terrace of the ancient river. The Dakota name is Tinta inya ota, meaning "prairie with many rocks", because it is studded with numerous glacial erratics. These boulders were carried far from their northern sources by ice over 15,000 years ago. The soil is quite thin over limestone bedrock. [10]

Tributaries flowing into the Minnesota River had to drop down into the deep glacial valley, creating numerous waterfalls. [7] The waterfall on Minneopa Creek was likely once at the creek's mouth on the river. Over the millennia, downcutting of the creek has carved a gorge through the soft Jordan Sandstone, causing the waterfall to "migrate" upstream. [10] The double waterfall in Minneopa is the result of there being three layers of differing hardness in the sandstone. The upper and lower layers are softer than the middle, which creates a short stretch of erosion-resistant creekbed between two waterfalls. [11] The gorge is littered with blocks of the middle sandstone that broke off as the supporting layer below wore away. Weathering from the constant spray of the falls helps keep the gorge walls nearly vertical. [4] : 26 

Flora

The pre-settlement vegetation was tallgrass prairie, broken by a swath of Big Woods flanking Minneopa Creek, with oak savanna at the east end, and bottomland hardwood forest along the Minnesota River floodplain. [4] : 32  Today, these plant communities are largely intact, as much of the future park was unsuitable for agriculture, being too rocky, steep, or wet. [4] : 33  The prairie is the most deteriorated, as much of it was intensively used as livestock pasture. [4] : 46  Its 355 acres (144 ha) are dominated by junegrass, with a mix of other grasses, forbs, and small eastern red cedars. [4] : 34  Larger red cedars ring the prairie. [4] : 37  Southeast of the prairie are 204 acres (83 ha) of old fields exhibiting ecological succession. Their vegetation includes bluegrass, bromegrass, Russian thistle, alfalfa, and seedlings of eastern cottonwood and willow. [4] : 33  Controlled burning is being used to improve the quality of the prairie. [10] A 13-acre (5.3 ha) parcel is further along in its conversion from cultivation, with a very dense stand of young ash, basswood, elm, and boxelder. [4] : 34 

The valley sides of both the river and the creek support a northern hardwood forest of 273 acres (110 ha) altogether. The key species are sugar maple, basswood, elm, and northern red oak, with some hackberry and ironwood. [4] : 33  The basswoods and maples are becoming more dominant; Dutch elm disease claimed many elms, and the oaks are not replacing themselves as they mature and die due to their low shade tolerance. [4] : 47  There is a stand of yellow birch at the extreme southwestern limit of this range. [4] : 33 

The bottomland forest comprises 170 acres (69 ha) of cottonwood, silver maple, and elm. Saplings of those three species plus ash and basswood fill in the understory. [4] : 33  The campground and nearby picnic area are within 49 acres (20 ha) of oak savanna. Mature bur oaks dominate, with scattered birch, elm, hawthorn, and red cedar. [4] : 36  A further 49 acres (20 ha) of parkland are characterized as open woods, with just bur oaks and some elms. [4] : 33  Just north of the falls parking lot is an old 2-acre (0.81 ha) orchard of black walnut. The spot was poorly chosen, and the trees are stunted for their age. [4] : 34 

The park has very little in the way of wetlands. Near the river there is a 6-acre (2.4 ha) area of standing water with cattails, bulrushes, and arrowhead. [4] : 37 7 acres (2.8 ha) along the creek are classified as wet meadow, with reed canary grass, bluejoint, sedges, and cut-grass. [4] : 36 

Fauna

A variety of wildlife is attracted to Minneopa State Park's diverse habitats. White-tailed deer are common, while coyotes are often heard if not seen. [8] Beavers live along the Minnesota River. [10] Two-hundred-thirteen species of birds have been recorded in the park. [4] : 49  These include bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, eastern bluebirds, eastern and western meadowlarks, bobolinks, belted kingfishers, northern flickers, pileated woodpeckers, wild turkeys, and common pheasants. [8] [10] Few fish are found in upper Minneopa Creek due to warm water and agricultural pollutants, but the diverse habitats below the falls and closer to the Minnesota River support a variety of fish species. [4] : 38 

Bison were reintroduced to the park in September 2015, as part of a joint project to increase the state's population of genetically pure bison that was previously confined to Blue Mounds State Park and the Minnesota Zoo. [3] [12] Minneopa was selected because it had an existing prairie, suitable existing infrastructure, a large potential audience of nearby residents, and nearby academic institutions that could benefit from research opportunities. [13] Eleven females comprised the initial release, and the herd grew to 30 in 2019. [14] The bulls are rotated out for genetic diversity. [15] The maximum capacity of the site is about 40 individuals. [16] They roam a 330-acre (130 ha) fenced enclosure. Visitors drive through the habitat on a road that has cattle guards at either end, or view the bison from locations outside the fence. [3]

Cultural history

Early history

The area of Minneopa State Park has been inhabited for thousands of years. Eight sites with stone artifacts have been recorded in the park, along with a group of burial mounds near the northwest corner of the property. [4] : 43  The first Europeans in the area, led by Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, arrived in 1700 to mine a distinctive clay deposit from which the Blue Earth River gets its name, thinking it contained copper. From their base at Fort L'Huillier, they are thought to have journeyed the 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the future park, visiting Minneopa Falls and hunting bison on the prairie beside the Minnesota River. [6] : 6 

The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux opened up the region to white settlers, and a handful of individuals and families built homes along Minneopa Creek starting in 1853. The first of them, Isaac Lyons, used the creek to power a sawmill. The towns of South Bend and Mankato were founded a short distance to the east, on either side of the Blue Earth River. At this time, a band of Dakota led by Sintomniduta kept their village near the mouth of Minneopa Creek. They were known as "Six" for their habit of grouping tipis in multiples of six. [6] : 8  In the fall of 1853 Sintomniduta's sister was accused by her husband of infidelity, possibly as a ruse to divorce her and marry a younger woman. She and the chief hid for a few days in a cave at the foot of lower Minneopa Falls, until his warriors returned from a hunt and were able to attack her husband's band. [6] : 12  The sounds of this battle, and later a fight on June 9, 1860 between the Dakota and a party of Ojibwe warriors, terrified the settlers into thinking they were about to be attacked. [6] : 16  However, the Dakota maintained good relations with the whites, and the children of both groups often played together. [6] : 15  Sintomniduta's Cave, as it became known, collapsed around 1900. [6] : 12 

Growing popularity

"Minneopa Falls, Minnesota" (1862) by Robert S. Duncanson 'Minneopa Falls, Minnesota' by Robert S. Duncanson, Cincinnati Art Museum.JPG
"Minneopa Falls, Minnesota" (1862) by Robert S. Duncanson

The scenic falls and their shady glen became a popular destination, especially on hot summer days. Depictions of the falls by artists and photographers spread their fame across southern Minnesota. [17] The first business to cater to visitors was the Minneinneopa Park Hotel, opening in 1858 on well-landscaped grounds east of the falls. [5] Pioneering black artist Robert S. Duncanson toured Minnesota in September 1862 and made sketches of Minneopa Falls, upon which he based a painting later that year. [18] 1862 also saw local stonemason Louis Seppmann begin construction on his stone windmill, on a hill a mile to the northwest. However the American Civil War and the Dakota War of 1862 greatly depressed travel for several years. [19] The Minneinneopa Park Hotel closed in 1870 and served as a country home and then a dairy farm before burning down in 1906. [5]

In the late 1860s, the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad laid a track along Minneopa Creek. At this time, the property around the falls was owned by D.C. Evans, also owner of the biggest interest in South Bend. The railroad opted not to build a train station in South Bend due to its proximity to Mankato, so Evans convinced them to build a station at the falls. [6] : 18  Evans built bridges and stairs into the gorge. The agent at the train depot, J.B. Hodge, made great efforts to promote Minneopa Falls. He convinced the railroad company to advertise the destination and to offer four trains daily from Mankato in summer at a discount rate. [5] : 5  Group excursions as large as 5,000 people came from Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Winona, along with closer towns. [6] : 18  Visitors arrived by horse, wagon, and paddle steamer as well as train. [2]

Evans capitalized further on his falls property by platting the town of Minneopa in 1870. The town soon boasted a grain elevator, hotel, store, blacksmith shop, and a lumber business. However, a series of grasshopper plagues beginning in 1873 caused crops to fail for several years in a row, and the town was abandoned. [19]

Wooden bridge below Minneopa Falls, Mankato, Minnesota Wooden bridge below Minneopa Falls, Mankato, Minnesota.jpg
Wooden bridge below Minneopa Falls, Mankato, Minnesota

James-Younger Gang

The infamous James-Younger Gang hid out along Minneopa Creek following their disastrous September 7, 1876 bank robbery attempt in Northfield, Minnesota. After two weeks of rough travel while evading posses, the gang made camp under the railroad trestle over Minneopa Gorge. They hung up blankets as camouflage, but the hideout was spotted within a few days. [5] Lawmen converged on the camp one morning, but made too much noise in their eagerness to capture the famous robbers. Alerted, the gang fled up the side of the ravine and over an adjacent hill. [20] Bob and Jim Younger were still seriously injured from the Northfield raid, and the gang agreed to split up. That night Frank and Jesse James managed to flee on stolen horses as shots were fired at them. [21] It was the final parting of the James-Younger Gang after ten years of banditry together. [20] The rest of the gang circled back into the gorge and hid there for another three or four days before heading southwest. They were soon captured in a shootout near Madelia, Minnesota. [5]

State park creation

Visitors in Minneopa Gorge, 1898 Four women, three boys, Minneopa Falls, Blue Earth County, Minnesota.jpg
Visitors in Minneopa Gorge, 1898

Minneopa Falls passed through a succession of owners after D.C. Evans sold the property in 1885. [17] While it continued to be a popular destination, each private development went out of business. [11] By 1903, the latest owner was considering simply clearcutting the glen and pasturing cattle in it. [17] Local citizens concerned about losing access organized to advocate a public park instead. [11] A supportive state representative, Ezra Gates, introduced a bill to the 1905 Minnesota Legislature. Lobbying from Mankato residents helped ensure the passage of the Minneopa State Park bill, which included $5,000 to purchase and develop the land around the falls. By then, the property had yet another owner, who reluctantly sold just 25 acres (10 ha) to the state. Continued public support, though, induced the legislature to expand the boundaries and appropriate more funding the next year. [17]

J.B. Hodge, the railroad depot agent who had championed tourism at the falls, became the park's first superintendent. With state funding he was able to improve safety and access to the gorge, replacing the wooden stairs with cement steps and installing a railing, netting, and picnic tables. [17] Over the next decades, other developments included a bridge into the park, a refreshment stand, a large picnic shelter, and stabilization of the waterfalls. [6] Locals continued to take a strong, almost proprietary interest in the park. In 1927, the head of the park's local advisory board planted an orchard of black walnut trees (thinking nut sales could be a future source of funding), and only informed the state after the fact in a letter. [17]

State park development

Originally centered on the falls, Minneopa State Park gained a noncontiguous parcel in 1931, with the donation of the Seppman Mill by the builder's son. [6] : 26  Development stagnated during the Great Depression, until federal funds provided Works Progress Administration crews. From 1937 to 1940, young men improved the falls area with new stairs, a public shelter, restrooms, maintenance buildings, and other structures, all built from local sandstone. [22] A 58-acre (23 ha) district encompassing all seven of these enduring structures is on the National Register of Historic Places. [4] : 51 

Minneopa State Park remained quite small, had no campground, and attracted primarily local use. By the 1960s, Minnesota was removing many such parks from its state park system and transferring them to city or county management. [22] Minneopa faced a downgrade to a county park unless it could be expanded. Local groups once again rallied to its cause, and in 1967, the state legislature secured funds and a federal grant for expansion. The addition, purchased mostly from Seppmann heirs, included lower Minneopa Creek and 3 miles (4.8 km) of Minnesota River shore, and finally connected the Seppman Mill parcel with the rest of the park. The new land was soon developed with a campground, picnic area, and a road to the mill, and dedicated in 1972. A hiking and skiing trail system was blazed by volunteers by 1977. [17]

Recreation

Minneopa State Park has a campground with 61 sites, six of them with electrical hookups. There are also four group camps, each accommodating up to 15 people, and a camper cabin. [8] There are three picnic areas and two picnic shelters. [4] : 10 

The park has a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) hiking trail around the falls area. The northern section has 4 miles (6.4 km) of trail, which in the winter are groomed for cross-country skiing. [4] : 25  There is no official trail along the Minnesota River because each attempt has been demolished by floods. [4] : 47  A 2.5-mile (4.0 km) paved biking and walking trail connects Minneopa to Sibley Park in Mankato. It was completed in the fall of 2010 with a mix of federal, county, and state funds. [23]

There are fishing opportunities along the river, especially for channel and flathead catfish. [4] : 27  Minneopa Creek below the falls also supports game fish. [4] : 23 

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorges State Park</span> State park in North Carolina, United States

Gorges State Park is a 7,709-acre (31.20 km2) North Carolina state park in Transylvania County, North Carolina in the United States and along with other conservation lands is part of a 100,000+ acre conservation corridor stretching some 80 miles along the NC/SC state line. The land, along Jocassee Gorges, was purchased by the state from Duke Energy Corporation in 1999. It is North Carolina's westernmost state park and one of the state's newest. The park is adjacent to part of the Pisgah National Forest and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Toxaway Game Land. Gorges State Park provides the principal access to the Horsepasture River on these adjoining public lands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate Park</span> United States historic place

Interstate Park comprises two adjacent state parks on the Minnesota–Wisconsin border, both named Interstate State Park. They straddle the Dalles of the St. Croix River, a deep basalt gorge with glacial potholes and other rock formations. The Wisconsin park is 1,330 acres (538 ha) and the Minnesota park is 298 acres (121 ha). The towns of Taylors Falls, Minnesota and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin are adjacent to the park. Interstate Park is within the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. The western terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail is on the Wisconsin side. On the Minnesota side, two areas contain National Park Service rustic style buildings and structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Portage State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Grand Portage State Park is a state park at the northeastern tip of the U.S. state of Minnesota, on the Canada–United States border. It contains a 120-foot (37 m) waterfall, the tallest in the state, on the Pigeon River. The High Falls and other waterfalls and rapids upstream necessitated a historically important portage on a fur trade route between the Great Lakes and inland Canada. This 8.5-mile (13.7 km) path as well as the sites of historic forts at either end are preserved in nearby Grand Portage National Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontenac State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Frontenac State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Red Wing. The park is notable both for its history and for its birdwatching opportunities. The centerpiece of the park is a 430-foot-high (130 m), 3-mile-long (4.8 km) steep limestone bluff overlooking Lake Pepin, a natural widening of the Mississippi. The bluff is variously called Garrard's Bluff or Point No-Point, the latter name coming from riverboat captains because of the optical illusion that it protruded into the Mississippi River. There is a natural limestone arch on the blufftop called In-Yan-Teopa, a Dakota name meaning "Rock With Opening". Park lands entirely surround the town of Frontenac, once a high-class resort at the end of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo River State Park (Minnesota)</span> United States historic place

Buffalo River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, conserving a prairie bisected by the wooded banks of the Buffalo River. Together with the adjacent Bluestem Prairie Scientific and Natural Area co-owned by The Nature Conservancy and Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources, it protects one of the largest and highest-quality prairie remnants in Minnesota. It used to offer a man-made swimming pond close to the Fargo–Moorhead metropolitan area, however, that has not been open since 2018. Presently, it is most popular for its high quality educational programming, swimming in the Buffalo River, and picnicking. The 1,068-acre (432 ha) park is located just off U.S. Route 10 in Clay County, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Glyndon and 14 miles (23 km) east of Moorhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myre-Big Island State Park</span>

Myre-Big Island State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, just outside the city of Albert Lea. It has an area of 1,578 acres (6.39 km2). The park protects 8 miles (13 km) of shoreline on Albert Lea Lake. The nucleus of the park is Big Island, a 117-acre (0.47 km2) island attached to the mainland by a causeway. In turn a causeway connects Big Island to Little Island. The park was formerly named Helmer Myre State Park after former Minnesota State Senator Helmer Myre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park is a state park of Minnesota, US, northeast of Faribault just outside the small town of Nerstrand. The park derives its name from the Big Woods, a large, contiguous forested area covering much of southeast Minnesota prior to the 1840s, when European settlers began to establish farms in the territory, and from Nedstrand in Tysvær, Norway, of which Nerstrand is a namesake. The park and its forest were an outlying 'woods' typical of and similar to the Big Woods proper, which were historically found on the more recent glacier deposits located west of the Cannon River 10 miles (16 km) to the west. Aside from a small waterfall, the outstanding natural feature of the park is the forest itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Mounds State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Blue Mounds State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, in Rock County near the town of Luverne. It protects an American bison herd which grazes on one of the state's largest prairie remnants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver Creek Valley State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Beaver Creek Valley State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, featuring a steep, narrow valley carved by East Beaver Creek. This spring-fed stream is a fishing destination for its native brook trout, and introduced brown trout. The park rests on a heavily forested valley, up to 250 feet (76 m) deep in places, amidst the farmland of southeastern Minnesota. Located near the town of Caledonia, the park was developed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. The parkland exhibits the highly stream-carved terrain characteristic of the Driftless Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Cooke State Park</span> State park of Minnesota, United States

Jay Cooke State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, protecting the lower reaches of the Saint Louis River. The park is located about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Duluth and is one of the ten most visited state parks in Minnesota. The western half of the park contains part of a rocky, 13-mile (21 km) gorge. This was a major barrier to Native Americans and early Europeans traveling by canoe, which they bypassed with the challenging Grand Portage of the St. Louis River. The river was a vital link connecting the Mississippi waterways to the west with the Great Lakes to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallulah Gorge State Park</span>

Tallulah Gorge State Park is a 2,689-acre (1,088 ha) Georgia state park adjacent to Tallulah Falls, Georgia, along the county line between Rabun and Habersham Counties. The park surrounds Tallulah Gorge, a 1,000-foot (300 m) deep gorge formed by the action of the Tallulah River, which runs along the floor of the gorge. The major attractions of the gorge are the six waterfalls known as the Tallulah Falls, which cause the river to drop 500 feet over one mile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judge C. R. Magney State Park</span> State park in Minnesota, United States

Judge C. R. Magney State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Minnesota, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It was named for Clarence R. Magney, a former mayor of Duluth and justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, who was instrumental in getting 11 state parks and scenic waysides established along the North Shore. The park is best known for the Devil's Kettle, an unusual waterfall and rock formation in which half of the Brule River disappears into a pothole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flandrau State Park</span> United States historic place

Flandrau State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the Cottonwood River adjacent to the city of New Ulm. Initially called Cottonwood River State Park, it was renamed in 1945 to honor Charles Eugene Flandrau, a leading citizen of early Minnesota who commanded defenses during the Battles of New Ulm in the Dakota War of 1862. The park was originally developed in the 1930s as a job creation project to provide a recreational reservoir. However the dam was repeatedly damaged by floods and was removed in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Croix State Park</span> United States historic place

St. Croix State Park is a state park in Pine County, Minnesota, USA. The park follows the shore of the St. Croix River for 21 miles (34 km) and contains the last 7 miles (11 km) of the Kettle River. At 33,895 acres (13,717 ha) it is the largest Minnesota state park. It was developed as a Recreational Demonstration Area in the 1930s, and is one of the finest surviving properties of this type in the nation. 164 structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration survive, the largest collection of New Deal projects in Minnesota. As a historic district they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places and proclaimed a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sakatah Lake State Park</span> State park in Minnesota

Sakatah Lake State Park is an 842-acre (341 ha) state park of Minnesota, USA, on a natural widening of the Cannon River near the town of Waterville. The Dakota native to the area called it "Sakatah" which means "singing hills". To honor this native heritage, some of the trails in the park have been given Dakota names. The Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail, which connects Faribault and Mankato, runs through this park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monson Lake State Park</span> United States historic place

Monson Lake State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, originally established as a memorial to 13 Swedish American pioneers who were killed there in the Dakota War of 1862. A district of 1930s New Deal structures is on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite being nearly doubled in size in 2009, the state park remains one of Minnesota's smallest. It is located off Minnesota State Highway 9 just west of Sunburg and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Willmar. This seasonally-staffed park is managed from nearby Sibley State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shetek State Park</span> United States historic place

Lake Shetek State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on Lake Shetek, which is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota and the headwaters of the Des Moines River. It is most popular for water recreation and camping. However the park also contains historical resources related to the Dakota War of 1862, including an original log cabin and a monument to 15 white settlers killed there and at nearby Slaughter Slough on August 20, 1862.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohiopyle State Park</span>

Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 20,500 acres (8,300 ha) in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than 14 miles (23 km) of the Youghiogheny River gorge that passes through the park. The river provides some of the best whitewater boating in the Eastern United States. Ohiopyle State Park is bisected by Pennsylvania Route 381 south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The park opened to the public in 1965 but was not officially dedicated until 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seppman Mill</span> United States historic place

The Seppman Mill is a former windmill in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States, now preserved in Minneopa State Park. It was built by Louis Seppmann, a German immigrant, between 1862 and 1864 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The sails and internal machinery have been removed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area</span> Recreation area in Minnesota, United States

Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area is a state park unit of Minnesota, USA, currently in development. It includes undeveloped shoreline on both Greenleaf and Sioux Lakes, halfway between the cities of Hutchinson and Litchfield in Meeker County. Portions of the state recreation area (SRA) are open to the public for day-use recreation, but there are no facilities yet on site. The park boundaries were set by the Minnesota Legislature and the state is still acquiring land from willing sellers; two-thirds of the property remain privately owned.

References

  1. ↑ "Minneopa State Park". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey. January 11, 1980. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Snapshot: Minneopa State Park". Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. May–June 2005. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Krohn, Tim (September 25, 2015). "New bison herd runs free at Minneopa". Mankato Free Press. Mankato, Minn. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation (1998). Minneopa State Park Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Herbst, Gordon H. (2007). Minneinneopa: 150 Year History Minneopa State Park. Janesville, Minn: Akorn Creations LLC. ISBN   978-0-9790885-1-3.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hughes, Thomas (1932). History of Minneopa State Park. [St. Paul, Minn?]: Minnesota Department of Conservation, Division of Forestry.
  7. 1 2 3 Hequet, Marc (May–June 2010). "Searching for Waterfalls". Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (2010). "Minneopa State Park". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  9. ↑ Lien, Dennis (October 15, 2007). "A hidden gem is open to the public". Pioneer Press. St. Paul, Minn.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Minneopa State Park" (PDF). State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources. September 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minneopa State Park interpretive signage.
  12. ↑ Stanley, Greg (September 6, 2020). "Are bison the key to bringing back Minnesota prairies?". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd Reintroduction: Minneopa State Park". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ Schmierbach, Edie (April 21, 2021). "Bison herd's first baby of 2021 is here". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ Krohn, Tim (May 7, 2023). "Bison have become our most famous residents". Yahoo Life. Mankato, Minnesota: The Free Press. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Westenberg, Kerri (May 24, 2019). "Nearly a dozen baby bison expand herd at Mankato's Minneopa State Park". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Meyer, Roy W. (1991). Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota's State Parks. St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN   0-87351-266-9.
  18. ↑ Ketner, Joseph D. (1993). The Emergence of the African-American Artist: Robert S. Duncanson, 1821-1872 . Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN   0-8262-0880-0.
  19. 1 2 "Friends of Minneopa Virtual Tour". Friends of Minneopa State Park. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  20. 1 2 Northfield Historical Society; Student Community Outreach Program Experience, Independent School District No. 659 (2008). Caught in the Storm: A Field Guide to the James & Younger Gang Escape Trail. Northfield, Minn.: Northfield Historical Society Press. ISBN   978-0-9705966-3-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Koblas, John J. (2001). Jesse James Ate Here: An Outlaw Tour and History of Minnesota at the Time of the Northfield Raid. St. Cloud, Minn.: North Star Press of St. Cloud. ISBN   0-87839-169-X.
  22. 1 2 "Rustic Style Resources in Minnesota State Parks: Minneopa State Park". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved May 9, 2006.
  23. ↑ Rueda, Jim (October 2, 2010). "Long-awaited Minneopa bike/pedestrian trail is off & biking". The Free Press. Mankato, Minn.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.