Interstate Park
Encyclopedia
Interstate Park comprises two adjacent state park
s 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 1330 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
.
sent at least ten separate lava
flows across the region that now includes Interstate Park. These flows hardened into basalt
, which fractured at several joints. In the Cambrian period
, Between 530 and 470 million years ago, the region was covered by a shallow sea which deposited sandstone
and siltstone
atop the basalt. This epoch of the Cambrian, the Furongian, was originally called the Croixian in North America because the layers exposed in this area were its type locality
.
At the end of the last glacial period 10,000 years ago, torrents of water flowed south from the melting glaciers, carving the St. Croix River Valley. The soft Cambrian sediments were easily eroded into a wide valley, but the hard basalt was resistant to erosion and when it reached the hard basalt floor, the river was channeled into a deep, steep-walled gorge. The river switched courses over time, carving several small ravines. At one stage the flow entered the current channel on the Wisconsin side below the modern gorge, hollowing out an area which is now a backwater lake called Lake O' the Dalles. When the river began carving the main gorge, it intersected an old joint running through the basalt. The water naturally followed this easier path, resulting in the sharp bend in the St. Croix River at Angle Rock. The walls of the Dalles rise from 50 to 250 feet (76.2 m) above the river.
The Glacial St. Croix River carved a series of terraces along its banks. Sand and gravel were occasionally caught in eddies
or whirlpool
s and were swirled around with such force that they drilled holes straight down into the rock. Larger rocks caught in the spin would polish the shafts smooth. The Glacial Gardens area on the Minnesota shore contains more than 80 of these glacial potholes, the greatest concentration in the world. The volume of the St. Croix River eventually lessened, exposing many of the potholes to the air. Dirt, vegetation, and rainwater have collected in them, disguising their true depths. Some have been excavated; one, the Bottomless Pit, is 10 feet (3 m) wide and 60 feet (18.3 m) deep, the deepest explored pothole in the world. Other unexcavated potholes in the park are even wider, suggesting that they may be deeper as well.
Weathering has created other rock formations. The Old Man of the Dalles on the Wisconsin shore resembles a human face. Another formation resembling a Maltese cross
has been erroneously claimed as the origin of the name St. Croix ('holy cross' in the French language
). A former formation on the Minnesota side called the Devil's Chair looked like a high-backed throne.
, but was denuded by loggers. Most of the vegetation today is second-growth forest, with some sections dominated by maple
s and basswoods and others by eastern white pines. Drier areas support oak savanna
while wetter areas bear floodplain forest. The driest hilltops even support prickly pear
cactus. Early successional
species take hold on the exposed basalt rocks. Over 400 species of ferns and flowering plants have been catalogued in the Wisconsin park.
Mammal
s found in the parks include white-tailed deer
, fox
es, raccoon
s, gray squirrels
, otters, mink
, muskrat
s, and beavers, and 150 species of birds have been identified in the park, of whom at least 75 species are known to nest in the area.
The St. Croix River was an important transportation route for Native Americans
. Prehistoric tools have been found in the park, but no village sites. The first Europeans to pass through the Dalles were Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut
, and his 1680 expedition, though he made no particular mention of the site. Fur trade
rs used the river extensively, and a French fort was located near the Minnesota campground in the early 18th century.
During the logging
era from 1837 to 1898, logs were rafted down the St. Croix River. By 1857 a sawmill
was operating near what is now the Minnesota campground, joined in 1867 by a boat-building yard. Both were owned by a leading citizen of Taylors Falls, W.H.C. Folsom, after whom an island in the park is named. The narrow gorge and the sharp turn at Angle Rock caused severe logjams in 1865, 1877, 1883, and 1886. The June 1886 jam is believed to have been the worst in history; at least 150 million board feet of logs were backed up for three miles (5 km). Neither dynamite nor steamboat
s with tow ropes were able to budge the jam. A crew of 175 men working 24 hours a day under electric lights took six weeks to break the jam, during which time several mills downstream went out of business. To control the water flow and prevent further catastrophic jams, the Nevers Dam was built upstream in 1890 in what is now Wild River State Park
.
During this same period, the Dalles of the St. Croix became a popular visitor attraction. Steamboat service to Taylors Falls began in 1838, and a railroad connection was finished in 1880. The catastrophic logjams drew tourists in droves, as many as a thousand a day.
In the 1860s businessmen from St. Paul proposed mining
the basalt of the Dalles to make gravel, a plan which galvanized interest in protecting the area. Locals had also been growing concerned by encroaching buildings and vandalism of the rock formations. A travel agent named George Hazzard became the leading advocate for a park, and gained the support of newspapers, several landowners in the area, influential people like W.H.C. Folsom, and ultimately the state senator and representative. These last two introduced a bill to the Minnesota Legislature
calling for the creation of the State Park of the Dalles of the St. Croix and urging cooperation with Wisconsin to protect both sides of the Dalles. The bill passed in 1895, creating the second state park in Minnesota. Hazzard and his allies had a more difficult time lobbying the Wisconsin Legislature
, but succeeded in 1900 with the creation of the first state park in Wisconsin, resulting in the first interstate parkland collaboration in the United States.
In 1906 the commissioner of the Minnesota park asked a family from Stillwater
to conduct boat tours of the Dalles. Beginning with a small powerboat, this concession
business grew quickly. In 1910 they began renting canoes and rowboats, and offered tours on progressively larger boats. Today they are still in business, family-owned for four generations.
U.S. Route 8
descends through the Minnesota park in a road cut blasted in 1931. The Minnesota Department of Transportation
built stone overlooks and guardrails along the highway in the mid 1930s. Civilian Conservation Corps
Company 633 arrived in 1935, building roads, trails, picnic grounds, plumbing, the beach and beach house on Lake O' the Dalles, and retaining walls. The CCC camp departed in December 1937 and were replaced by the 4610th Company of the Works Progress Administration
in July 1938. Using basalt quarried in the park by the CCC, they built restrooms, picnic shelters, water fountains, and retaining walls. These historical structures are clustered in two separate areas of the Minnesota park: in the campground and near the Glacial Gardens. The two areas were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
In April 2005 a landmark rock formation called the Devil's Chair collapsed. An investigation found that the basalt pinnacle was toppled by vandals
using crowbars and possibly a hydraulic spreader. Despite a reward for tips, the culprits have never been identified.
s since the 1930s.
The two parks are administered separately and require separate vehicle permits. In 1987 each park began honoring the other state's permit on weekdays, but the practice has since ceased. It is possible to walk between the parks by crossing the U.S. Route 8 bridge. Both parks have a visitor center
with interpretive displays and a gift shop.
The Wisconsin park has two campgrounds with 85 sites. A group campsite accommodates up to 60 people. There are nine miles (14 km) of trail.
The Minnesota park has a campground with showers and 37 sites, 22 of which have electrical hookups. A group campsite accommodates up to 100 people. There are 4 miles (6.4 km) of trail. A long-standing concession offers scenic boat cruises and canoe
and kayak
rentals with shuttle service back from near Osceola, Wisconsin
, and William O'Brien State Park
.
There is a swimming beach on Lake O' the Dalles, in the Wisconsin park. Swimming in the river is dangerous because of strong current
s. Rock climbing
is permitted on many of the cliffs on either side of the river. Certain sensitive areas, as well as all potholes, are off limits to climbing.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
s on the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
-Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
border, both named Interstate State Park. They straddle the Dalles of the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota)
The St. Croix River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The lower of the river form the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The river is a National Scenic Riverway under the protection of the National Park Service. A...
, a deep basalt gorge with glacial potholes and other rock formations. The Wisconsin park is 1330 acres (538 ha) and the Minnesota park is 298 acres (121 ha). The towns of Taylors Falls, Minnesota
Taylors Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 951 people, 369 households, and 247 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6 people per square mile . There were 386 housing units at an average density of 103.7 per square mile...
and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin
St. Croix Falls is a city in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,033 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of St. Croix Falls....
are adjacent to the park. Interstate Park is within the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a federally protected system of riverways located in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It protects of river, including the St. Croix River , and the Namekagon River , as well as adjacent land along the rivers. The St...
and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
Ice Age National Scientific Reserve
The Ice Age National Scientific Reserve is a collection of nine sites in Wisconsin that preserve geological evidence of glaciation. The reserve was created in 1971 to protect the scientific and scenic value of the landforms...
. The western terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Ice Age Trail
The Ice Age Trail is a designated National Scenic Trail in the United States that will run some through the state of Wisconsin once completed. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by numerous private and public agencies including, most notably,...
is on the Wisconsin side. On the Minnesota side, two areas contain National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style buildings and structures that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Geology
1.1 billion years ago, a series of volcanic eruptions from the Midcontinent Rift SystemMidcontinent Rift System
The Midcontinent Rift System or Keweenawan Rift is a long geological rift in the center of the North American continent and south-central part of the North American plate. It formed when the continent's core, the North American craton, began to split apart during the Mesoproterozoic era of the...
sent at least ten separate lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows across the region that now includes Interstate Park. These flows hardened into basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
, which fractured at several joints. In the Cambrian period
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
, Between 530 and 470 million years ago, the region was covered by a shallow sea which deposited sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
atop the basalt. This epoch of the Cambrian, the Furongian, was originally called the Croixian in North America because the layers exposed in this area were its type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
.
At the end of the last glacial period 10,000 years ago, torrents of water flowed south from the melting glaciers, carving the St. Croix River Valley. The soft Cambrian sediments were easily eroded into a wide valley, but the hard basalt was resistant to erosion and when it reached the hard basalt floor, the river was channeled into a deep, steep-walled gorge. The river switched courses over time, carving several small ravines. At one stage the flow entered the current channel on the Wisconsin side below the modern gorge, hollowing out an area which is now a backwater lake called Lake O' the Dalles. When the river began carving the main gorge, it intersected an old joint running through the basalt. The water naturally followed this easier path, resulting in the sharp bend in the St. Croix River at Angle Rock. The walls of the Dalles rise from 50 to 250 feet (76.2 m) above the river.
The Glacial St. Croix River carved a series of terraces along its banks. Sand and gravel were occasionally caught in eddies
Eddy (fluid dynamics)
In fluid dynamics, an eddy is the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle. The moving fluid creates a space devoid of downstream-flowing fluid on the downstream side of the object...
or whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
s and were swirled around with such force that they drilled holes straight down into the rock. Larger rocks caught in the spin would polish the shafts smooth. The Glacial Gardens area on the Minnesota shore contains more than 80 of these glacial potholes, the greatest concentration in the world. The volume of the St. Croix River eventually lessened, exposing many of the potholes to the air. Dirt, vegetation, and rainwater have collected in them, disguising their true depths. Some have been excavated; one, the Bottomless Pit, is 10 feet (3 m) wide and 60 feet (18.3 m) deep, the deepest explored pothole in the world. Other unexcavated potholes in the park are even wider, suggesting that they may be deeper as well.
Weathering has created other rock formations. The Old Man of the Dalles on the Wisconsin shore resembles a human face. Another formation resembling a Maltese cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
has been erroneously claimed as the origin of the name St. Croix ('holy cross' in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
). A former formation on the Minnesota side called the Devil's Chair looked like a high-backed throne.
Biology
Several habitats are found within the parks. Originally most of the land was forested with large eastern white pinesEastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
, but was denuded by loggers. Most of the vegetation today is second-growth forest, with some sections dominated by maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s and basswoods and others by eastern white pines. Drier areas support oak savanna
Oak savanna
An oak savanna is a type of savanna, or lightly forested grassland, where oaks are the dominant tree species. These savannas were maintained historically through wildfires set by lightning, grazing, low precipitation, poor soil, and/or fires set by Native Americans...
while wetter areas bear floodplain forest. The driest hilltops even support prickly pear
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
cactus. Early successional
Ecological succession
Ecological succession, is the phenomenon or process by which a community progressively transforms itself until a stable community is formed. It is a fundamental concept in ecology, and refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community...
species take hold on the exposed basalt rocks. Over 400 species of ferns and flowering plants have been catalogued in the Wisconsin park.
Mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s found in the parks include white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, gray squirrels
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
, otters, mink
American Mink
The American mink is a semi-aquatic species of Mustelid native to North America, though human intervention has expanded its range to many parts of Europe and South America. Because of this, it is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Since the extinction of the sea mink, the American mink is the...
, muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
s, and beavers, and 150 species of birds have been identified in the park, of whom at least 75 species are known to nest in the area.
Cultural history
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. Prehistoric tools have been found in the park, but no village sites. The first Europeans to pass through the Dalles were Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut
Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut
Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut was a French soldier and explorer who is the first European known to have visited the area where the city of Duluth, Minnesota is now located and the headwaters of the Mississippi River near Grand Rapids...
, and his 1680 expedition, though he made no particular mention of the site. Fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
rs used the river extensively, and a French fort was located near the Minnesota campground in the early 18th century.
During the logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
era from 1837 to 1898, logs were rafted down the St. Croix River. By 1857 a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
was operating near what is now the Minnesota campground, joined in 1867 by a boat-building yard. Both were owned by a leading citizen of Taylors Falls, W.H.C. Folsom, after whom an island in the park is named. The narrow gorge and the sharp turn at Angle Rock caused severe logjams in 1865, 1877, 1883, and 1886. The June 1886 jam is believed to have been the worst in history; at least 150 million board feet of logs were backed up for three miles (5 km). Neither dynamite nor steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s with tow ropes were able to budge the jam. A crew of 175 men working 24 hours a day under electric lights took six weeks to break the jam, during which time several mills downstream went out of business. To control the water flow and prevent further catastrophic jams, the Nevers Dam was built upstream in 1890 in what is now Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park
Wild River State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, curving along of the St. Croix River. This long, narrow park is shaped somewhat like a sideways 'S', with development largely concentrated in the lower third. The remote upper sections flank the mouth of a tributary called the Sunrise...
.
During this same period, the Dalles of the St. Croix became a popular visitor attraction. Steamboat service to Taylors Falls began in 1838, and a railroad connection was finished in 1880. The catastrophic logjams drew tourists in droves, as many as a thousand a day.
In the 1860s businessmen from St. Paul proposed mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
the basalt of the Dalles to make gravel, a plan which galvanized interest in protecting the area. Locals had also been growing concerned by encroaching buildings and vandalism of the rock formations. A travel agent named George Hazzard became the leading advocate for a park, and gained the support of newspapers, several landowners in the area, influential people like W.H.C. Folsom, and ultimately the state senator and representative. These last two introduced a bill to the Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
calling for the creation of the State Park of the Dalles of the St. Croix and urging cooperation with Wisconsin to protect both sides of the Dalles. The bill passed in 1895, creating the second state park in Minnesota. Hazzard and his allies had a more difficult time lobbying the Wisconsin Legislature
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Wisconsin Senate and the lower Wisconsin Assembly...
, but succeeded in 1900 with the creation of the first state park in Wisconsin, resulting in the first interstate parkland collaboration in the United States.
In 1906 the commissioner of the Minnesota park asked a family from Stillwater
Stillwater, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,143 people, 5,797 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,340.0 people per square mile . There were 5,926 housing units at an average density of 915.7 per square mile...
to conduct boat tours of the Dalles. Beginning with a small powerboat, this concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
business grew quickly. In 1910 they began renting canoes and rowboats, and offered tours on progressively larger boats. Today they are still in business, family-owned for four generations.
U.S. Route 8
U.S. Route 8
U.S. Highway 8 is a United States Highway that runs primarily east–west for , mostly within the state of Wisconsin. It runs from Interstate 35 in Forest Lake, Minnesota to US 2 at Norway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near the border with Wisconsin. Except for the short freeway...
descends through the Minnesota park in a road cut blasted in 1931. The Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
built stone overlooks and guardrails along the highway in the mid 1930s. Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
Company 633 arrived in 1935, building roads, trails, picnic grounds, plumbing, the beach and beach house on Lake O' the Dalles, and retaining walls. The CCC camp departed in December 1937 and were replaced by the 4610th Company of the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
in July 1938. Using basalt quarried in the park by the CCC, they built restrooms, picnic shelters, water fountains, and retaining walls. These historical structures are clustered in two separate areas of the Minnesota park: in the campground and near the Glacial Gardens. The two areas were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
In April 2005 a landmark rock formation called the Devil's Chair collapsed. An investigation found that the basalt pinnacle was toppled by vandals
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
using crowbars and possibly a hydraulic spreader. Despite a reward for tips, the culprits have never been identified.
Recreation
Located an hour's drive from Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Interstate Park has received annual visitation comparable to many U.S. national parkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s since the 1930s.
The two parks are administered separately and require separate vehicle permits. In 1987 each park began honoring the other state's permit on weekdays, but the practice has since ceased. It is possible to walk between the parks by crossing the U.S. Route 8 bridge. Both parks have a visitor center
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
with interpretive displays and a gift shop.
The Wisconsin park has two campgrounds with 85 sites. A group campsite accommodates up to 60 people. There are nine miles (14 km) of trail.
The Minnesota park has a campground with showers and 37 sites, 22 of which have electrical hookups. A group campsite accommodates up to 100 people. There are 4 miles (6.4 km) of trail. A long-standing concession offers scenic boat cruises and canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
and kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
rentals with shuttle service back from near Osceola, Wisconsin
Osceola, Wisconsin
Osceola is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,421 at the 2000 census. The village is located mostly within the Town of Osceola.The downtown features Cascade Falls, a waterfall with a crest, located on Osceola Creek....
, and William O'Brien State Park
William O'Brien State Park
William O'Brien State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, along the St. Croix River. Its hiking trails traverse rolling glacial moraine, riparian zones, restored oak savanna, wooded areas and bogs...
.
There is a swimming beach on Lake O' the Dalles, in the Wisconsin park. Swimming in the river is dangerous because of strong current
Current (stream)
A current, in a river or stream, is the flow of water influenced by gravity as the water moves downhill to reduce its potential energy. The current varies spatially as well as temporally within the stream, dependent upon the flow volume of water, stream gradient, and channel geometrics...
s. Rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
is permitted on many of the cliffs on either side of the river. Certain sensitive areas, as well as all potholes, are off limits to climbing.