Minneopa State Park
Encyclopedia
Minneopa State Park is a state park
in Minnesota
, USA. The park is located on the Minnesota River
3 miles (4.8 km) west of Mankato
. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, the largest waterfall
in southern Minnesota, which had already been a popular visitor attraction since the 1850s. 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.
Minneopa Creek drains a small watershed in Blue Earth County and a small part of eastern Brown County
. Most of its 11 miles (17.7 km) flow through farmland before entering the park. 2.2 miles (3.5 km) upstream from its mouth, Minneopa Creek flows over two waterfalls. The creek cascades about 6 or 7 feet (2 m) over the upper falls and flows 66 feet (20.1 m) before dropping over the 39 feet (11.9 m) lower falls. The name is a shortening of Minneinneopa, which is translated from the Dakota language
as "water falling twice." Other translations have been given as "water of two falls" and "water of the dancing elk." 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 (12.8 m) but is not as scenic or well-known. 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).
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.
and sandstone
. Evidence from well-drilling indicates that beneath these sedimentary rock
s is a steeply tilted formation of granite
that slopes down to the east deep under Mankato. 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. 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 erratic
s. These boulders were carried far from their northern sources by ice over 15,000 years ago. The soil is quite thin over limestone bedrock.
Tributaries flowing into the Minnesota River had to drop down into the deep glacial valley, creating numerous waterfalls. The waterfall on Minneopa Creek was likely once near its 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. 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. 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.
, 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
. Today these plant communities are largely intact, as much of the future park was unsuitable for agriculture, being too rocky, steep, or wet. The prairie is the most deteriorated as much of it was intensively used as livestock pasture
. Its 355 acres (143.7 ha) are dominated by junegrass
with a mix of other grasses and forb
s and small eastern red cedars
. Larger red cedars ring the prairie. Southeast of the prairie are 204 acres (82.6 ha) of old field
s exhibiting ecological succession
. Currently they feature bluegrass
, bromegrass
, Russian thistle, alfalfa
, and seedlings of eastern cottonwood and willow
. Controlled burn
ing is being used to improve the quality of the prairie. A 13 acres (5.3 ha) parcel is further along in its conversion from cultivation, with a very dense stand of young ash, basswood
, elm
, and boxelder
.
The valley sides of both the river and the creek support a northern hardwood forest
of 273 acres (110.5 ha) altogether. The key species are sugar maple, basswood, elm, and northern red oak with some hackberry and ironwood. 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
. There is a stand of yellow birch at the extreme southwestern limit of its range.
The bottomland forest comprises 170 acres (68.8 ha) of cottonwood, silver maple, and elm. Saplings of those three species plus ash and basswood fill in the understory. The campground and nearby picnic area are within 49 acres (19.8 ha) of oak savanna. Mature bur oaks dominate, with scattered birch
, elm, hawthorn
, and red cedar. A further 49 acres (19.8 ha) of parkland are characterized as open woods with just bur oaks and some elms. Just north of the falls parking lot is an old 2 acre (0.809372 ha) orchard
of black walnut. However it was a poorly chosen plot, as the trees are stunted for their age.
The park has very little in the way of wetlands. Near the river there is a 6 acres (2.4 ha) area of standing water with cattails
, bulrushes, and arrowhead. 7 acres (2.8 ha) along the creek are classified as wet meadow with reed canary grass
, bluejoint
, sedges
, and cut-grass
.
are common, while coyote
s are often heard if not seen. Beavers live along the Minnesota River. 213 species of birds have been recorded in the park. These include bald eagles
, red-tailed hawks
, eastern bluebirds
, eastern
and western meadowlarks
, bobolink
s, belted kingfishers
, northern flickers
, pileated woodpeckers
, wild turkeys
, and common pheasants
. 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 an unexpected variety of fish species.
, arrived in 1700 to mine a distinctive clay deposit from which the Blue Earth River
gets its name, mistakenly thinking it contained copper. From their base of Fort L'Huillier
they are thought to have journeyed the 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the future park, visiting Minneopa Falls and hunting bison
on the prairie beside the Minnesota River.
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
opened up the region to white settler
s, and a handful of 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 tipi
s in multiples of six. 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 they were able to attack her husband's band. 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. However the Dakota maintained good relations with the whites, and the children of both groups often played together. Sintomniduta's Cave, as it became known, collapsed around 1900.
toured Minnesota in September 1862 and made sketches of Minneopa Falls, upon which he based a painting later that year. 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. The Minneinneopa Park Hotel closed in 1870 and served as a country home and then a dairy farm before burning down in 1906.
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. 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. Group excursions as large as 5,000 people came from Minneapolis
, St. Paul
, and Winona
, along with closer towns. Visitors arrived by horse, wagon, and paddle steamer
as well as train.
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.
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. 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. 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. It was the final parting of the James-Younger Gang after 10 years of banditry together. The rest of the gang circled back into the gorge and hid there for another three or four days before heading southwest. However they were soon captured in a shootout near Madelia, Minnesota
.
the glen and pasturing cattle in it. Local citizens concerned about losing access organized to advocate a public park instead. A supportive state representative 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 (10.1 ha) to the state. Continued public support, though, induced the legislature to expand the boundaries and appropriate more funding the next year.
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. Over the next decades other developments included a bridge into the park, a refreshment stand, a large picnic shelter, and stabilization of the waterfalls. 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.
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. A 58 acres (23.5 ha) district encompassing all seven of these enduring structures is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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. 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, 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.
The park has a 0.5 mile (0.80467 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. There is no official trail along the Minnesota River because each attempt has been demolished by floods. A 2.5 miles (4 km) paved biking and walking trail connects the state park to two city parks in Mankato. It was completed in the fall of 2010 with a mix of federal, county, and state funds.
There are fishing opportunities along the river, especially for channel
and flathead catfish
. Minneopa Creek below the falls also supports game fish.
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...
in 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...
, USA. The park is located on the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
3 miles (4.8 km) west of Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, the largest waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in southern Minnesota, which had already been a popular visitor attraction since the 1850s. Minneopa is Minnesota's third oldest state park, after Itasca
Itasca State Park
Itasca State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park spans of northern Minnesota, and is located about north of Park Rapids, Minnesota and from Bagley, Minnesota...
and Interstate
Interstate Park
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 and the Minnesota park is . The...
. Two park resources 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...
: the 1862 Seppman Mill
Seppman Mill
The Seppman Mill is a former windmill in Minneopa State Park, Minnesota, USA. It was built by Louis Seppmann, a German immigrant, between 1862 and 1864 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places...
and a district of seven Rustic Style
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...
structures built by 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 the late 1930s.
Geography
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. Although the sections are contiguous, the only way to travel from one to the other is via a county road.Minneopa Creek drains a small watershed in Blue Earth County and a small part of eastern Brown County
Brown County, Minnesota
Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 25,893. Its county seat is New Ulm.-Geography:...
. Most of its 11 miles (17.7 km) flow through farmland before entering the park. 2.2 miles (3.5 km) upstream from its mouth, Minneopa Creek flows over two waterfalls. The creek cascades about 6 or 7 feet (2 m) over the upper falls and flows 66 feet (20.1 m) before dropping over the 39 feet (11.9 m) lower falls. The name is a shortening of Minneinneopa, which is translated from the Dakota language
Dakota language
Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...
as "water falling twice." Other translations have been given as "water of two falls" and "water of the dancing elk." Although Minneopa Falls is often referred to as the highest waterfall in southern Minnesota, Minnemishinona Falls in a nearby Nicollet County
Nicollet County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,771 people, 10,642 households, and 7,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile . There were 11,240 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...
park is slightly higher at 42 feet (12.8 m) but is not as scenic or well-known. 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).
The region of the park has a continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
of cold winters and hot summers. Temperatures are slightly milder along Minneopa Creek than in the prairie section due to the heavy woods.
Geology
Minneopa State Park is underlain by flat layers of dolomiteDolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
and 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,...
. Evidence from well-drilling indicates that beneath these sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
s is a steeply tilted formation of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
that slopes down to the east deep under Mankato. Atop everything is a thick blanket of till
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
deposited by glaciers.
At the end of the last glacial period the continental glaciers were melting to the north. Glacial River Warren
Glacial River Warren
right|thumb|210px|The course of the Minnesota River follows the valley carved by Glacial River WarrenGlacial River Warren or River Warren was a prehistoric river that drained Lake Agassiz in central North America between 11,700 and 9,400 years ago...
carried torrents of meltwater across Minnesota, eroding a wide valley. 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
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
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 erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
s. These boulders were carried far from their northern sources by ice over 15,000 years ago. The soil is quite thin over limestone bedrock.
Tributaries flowing into the Minnesota River had to drop down into the deep glacial valley, creating numerous waterfalls. The waterfall on Minneopa Creek was likely once near its mouth on the river. Over the millennia downcutting
Downcutting
Downcutting, also called erosional downcutting or downward erosion or vertical erosion is a geological process that deepens the channel of a stream or valley by removing material from the stream's bed or the valley's floor. How fast downcutting occurs depends on the stream's base level, which is...
of the creek has carved a gorge through the soft Jordan Sandstone, causing the waterfall to "migrate" upstream. 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. 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.
Flora
The presettlement vegetation would have been tallgrass prairieTallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
, broken by a swath of Big Woods
Big Woods
Big Woods refers to a type of temperate hardwood forest ecoregion found in south-central Minnesota. "Big Woods" is a direct translation of the name given to the region by French explorers: Grand Bois.-Trees:...
flanking Minneopa Creek with 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...
at the east end, and bottomland hardwood forest
Bottomland hardwood forest
The Bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soils required for the Gum, Oak and Bald Cypress trees that typically grow in this type of biome...
along the Minnesota River floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
. Today these plant communities are largely intact, as much of the future park was unsuitable for agriculture, being too rocky, steep, or wet. The prairie is the most deteriorated as much of it was intensively used as livestock pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
. Its 355 acres (143.7 ha) are dominated by junegrass
Koeleria
Koeleria is a genus of true grasses which includes species known generally as Junegrasses. The genus was named after German botanist Georg Ludwig Koeler.Selected species:*Koeleria asiatica - Eurasian Junegrass*Koeleria caudata...
with a mix of other grasses and forb
Forb
A forb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid . The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.-Etymology:...
s and small eastern red cedars
Juniperus virginiana
Juniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...
. Larger red cedars ring the prairie. Southeast of the prairie are 204 acres (82.6 ha) of old field
Old field (ecology)
Old field is a term used in ecology to describe lands formerly cultivated or grazed but later abandoned. The dominant flora include grasses, heaths and herbaceous plants, with encroaching woody vegetation. It represents an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing...
s exhibiting ecological succession
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...
. Currently they feature bluegrass
Poa
Poa is a genus of about 500 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass , bluegrass , tussock , and speargrass. "Poa" is Greek for fodder...
, bromegrass
Bromus
Bromus is a large genus of the grass family . Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 to 400, but plant taxonomists currently recognize around 160–170 species...
, Russian thistle, alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
, and seedlings of eastern cottonwood and willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
. Controlled burn
Controlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
ing is being used to improve the quality of the prairie. A 13 acres (5.3 ha) parcel is further along in its conversion from cultivation, with a very dense stand of young ash, basswood
Tilia americana
Tilia americana is a species of Tilia native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, and boxelder
Acer negundo
Acer negundo is a species of maple native to North America. Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, and Maple Ash are its most common names in the United States...
.
The valley sides of both the river and the creek support a northern hardwood forest
Northern hardwood forest
The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central Canada, extending south into the United States in northern New England and New York, and west along the Great Lakes to Minnesota and western Ontario...
of 273 acres (110.5 ha) altogether. The key species are sugar maple, basswood, elm, and northern red oak with some hackberry and ironwood. The basswoods and maples are becoming more dominant; Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease
Dutch elm disease is a disease caused by a member of the sac fungi category, affecting elm trees which is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native...
claimed many elms and the oaks are not replacing themselves as they mature and die due to their low shade tolerance
Shade tolerance
In ecology, shade tolerance is a plant's abilities to tolerate low light levels. The term is also used in horticulture and landscaping, although in this context its use is sometimes sloppy, especially with respect to labeling of plants for sale in nurseries....
. There is a stand of yellow birch at the extreme southwestern limit of its range.
The bottomland forest comprises 170 acres (68.8 ha) of cottonwood, silver maple, and elm. Saplings of those three species plus ash and basswood fill in the understory. The campground and nearby picnic area are within 49 acres (19.8 ha) of oak savanna. Mature bur oaks dominate, with scattered birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, elm, hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, and red cedar. A further 49 acres (19.8 ha) of parkland are characterized as open woods with just bur oaks and some elms. Just north of the falls parking lot is an old 2 acre (0.809372 ha) orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
of black walnut. However it was a poorly chosen plot, as the trees are stunted for their age.
The park has very little in the way of wetlands. Near the river there is a 6 acres (2.4 ha) area of standing water with cattails
Typha
Typha is a genus of about eleven species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. The genus has a largely Northern Hemisphere distribution, but is essentially cosmopolitan, being found in a variety of wetland habitats...
, bulrushes, and arrowhead. 7 acres (2.8 ha) along the creek are classified as wet meadow with reed canary grass
Reed canary grass
Reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America.-Description:The stems can reach 2.5...
, bluejoint
Calamagrostis canadensis
Calamagrostis canadensis is a species of grass, having three or more varieties, in the Poaceae family. It is known variously by the common names of Bluejoint, Bluejoint reedgrass, Marsh reedgrass, Canadian reedgrass, Meadow pinegrass, and Marsh pinegrass.-Varieties:Calamagrostis canadensis takes...
, sedges
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
, and cut-grass
Leersia oryzoides
Leersia oryzoides is a species of grass known by the common name rice cutgrass. It is a widespread grass native to Europe, Asia, and North America and present in many other regions, such as Australia, as an introduced species. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass growing to a maximum height...
.
Fauna
A variety of wildlife is attracted to Minneopa State Park's diverse habitats. White-tailed deerWhite-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...
are common, while coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s are often heard if not seen. Beavers live along the Minnesota River. 213 species of birds have been recorded in the park. These include bald eagles
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, red-tailed hawks
Red-tailed Hawk
The Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens. It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West...
, eastern bluebirds
Eastern Bluebird
The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a small thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards, and most recently can be spotted in suburban areas. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York....
, eastern
Eastern Meadowlark
The Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, is a medium-sized icterid bird, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark. It occurs from eastern North America to South America, where it is also most widespread in the east.-Description:...
and western meadowlarks
Western Meadowlark
Not to be confused with Eastern MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 8.5 in long. It nests on the ground in open country in western and central North America. It feeds mostly on insects, but also seeds and berries...
, bobolink
Bobolink
The Bobolink is a small New World blackbird and the only member of genus Dolichonyx.-Description:Adults are 16–18 cm long with short finch-like bills. They weigh about . Adult males are mostly black, although they do display creamy napes, and white scapulars, lower backs and rumps...
s, belted kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher
The Belted Kingfisher is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, the only member of that group commonly found in the northern United States and Canada. It is depicted on the 1986 series Canadian $5 note. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests...
, northern flickers
Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized member of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. There are over 100 common names for the Northern Flicker...
, pileated woodpeckers
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker is a very large North American woodpecker, almost crow-sized, inhabiting deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific coast. It is also the largest woodpecker in America.Adults are long, and weigh...
, wild turkeys
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
, and common pheasants
Common Pheasant
The Common Pheasant , is a bird in the pheasant family . It is native to Georgia and has been widely introduced elsewhere as a game bird. In parts of its range, namely in places where none of its relatives occur such as in Europe , it is simply known as the "pheasant"...
. 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 an unexpected variety of fish species.
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. The first Europeans in the area, led by Pierre-Charles Le SueurPierre-Charles Le Sueur
Pierre-Charles Le Sueur was a French fur trader and explorer in North America, recognized as the first known European to explore the Minnesota River valley....
, arrived in 1700 to mine a distinctive clay deposit from which the Blue Earth River
Blue Earth River
The Blue Earth River is a tributary of the Minnesota River, 108 miles long, in southern Minnesota in the United States, it is also a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources designated Water Trail. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch...
gets its name, mistakenly thinking it contained copper. From their base of Fort L'Huillier
Fort L'Huillier
Fort L'Huillier was a short-lived fortification located on the Blue Earth River, just south of its confluence with the Minnesota River in southern Minnesota, United States....
they are thought to have journeyed the 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the future park, visiting Minneopa Falls and hunting bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
on the prairie beside the Minnesota River.
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was a treaty signed on July 23, 1851, between the United States government and Sioux Indian bands in Minnesota Territory by which the Sioux ceded territory. The treaty was instigated by Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of Minnesota Territory, and Luke Lea,...
opened up the region to white settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s, and a handful of families built homes along Minneopa Creek starting in 1853. The first of them, Isaac Lyons, used the creek to power 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....
. 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 tipi
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
s in multiples of six. 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 they were able to attack her husband's band. 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. However the Dakota maintained good relations with the whites, and the children of both groups often played together. Sintomniduta's Cave, as it became known, collapsed around 1900.
Growing popularity
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. The first business to cater to visitors was the Minneinneopa Park Hotel, opening in 1858 on well-landscaped grounds east of the falls. Pioneering black artist Robert Scott DuncansonRobert Scott Duncanson
Robert Scott Duncanson was born in Seneca County, New York in 1821. Duncanson’s father was a Canadian of Scottish descent and his mother was an African American, thus making him “a freeborn person of color.” Duncanson, an artist who is relatively unknown today, painted America, both physically...
toured Minnesota in September 1862 and made sketches of Minneopa Falls, upon which he based a painting later that year. 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
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
greatly depressed travel for several years. The Minneinneopa Park Hotel closed in 1870 and served as a country home and then a dairy farm before burning down in 1906.
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
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in South Bend due to its proximity to Mankato, so Evans convinced them to build a station at the falls. 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. Group excursions as large as 5,000 people came from Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, and Winona
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, along with closer towns. Visitors arrived by horse, wagon, and paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
as well as train.
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.
The James-Younger Gang
The infamous James-Younger GangJames-Younger gang
The James-Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.The gang was centered in the state of Missouri. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months...
hid out along Minneopa Creek following their disastrous September 7, 1876 bank robbery attempt in Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
. After two weeks of rough travel while evading posses, the gang made camp under the railroad trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
over Minneopa Gorge. They hung up blankets as camouflage, but the hideout was spotted within a few days. 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. Bob
Bob Younger
Robert Ewing "Bob" Younger was an American criminal and outlaw, the younger brother of Cole, Jim and John Younger , he was a member of the James-Younger gang.-Life:...
and Jim Younger
Jim Younger
James Hardin "Jim" Younger was a notable American outlaw and member of the James-Younger gang. He was the brother of Cole, John and Bob Younger-Life:...
were still seriously injured from the Northfield raid, and the gang agreed to split up. That night Frank
Frank James
Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:...
and Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
managed to flee on stolen horses as shots were fired at them. It was the final parting of the James-Younger Gang after 10 years of banditry together. The rest of the gang circled back into the gorge and hid there for another three or four days before heading southwest. However they were soon captured in a shootout near Madelia, Minnesota
Madelia, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,340 people, 911 households, and 571 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,876.4 people per square mile . There were 1,000 housing units at an average density of 801.9 per square mile...
.
State park creation
Minneopa Falls passed through a succession of owners after D.C. Evans sold the property in 1885. While it continued to be a popular destination, each private development went out of business. By 1903 the latest owner was considering simply clearcuttingClearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
the glen and pasturing cattle in it. Local citizens concerned about losing access organized to advocate a public park instead. A supportive state representative introduced a bill to the 1905 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...
. 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 (10.1 ha) to the state. Continued public support, though, induced the legislature to expand the boundaries and appropriate more funding the next year.
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. Over the next decades other developments included a bridge into the park, a refreshment stand, a large picnic shelter, and stabilization of the waterfalls. 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.
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. Development stagnated during the Great Depression until federal funds provided Works Progress AdministrationWorks 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...
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. A 58 acres (23.5 ha) district encompassing all seven of these enduring structures is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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. 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, 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.
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. There are three picnic areas and two picnic shelters.The park has a 0.5 mile (0.80467 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. There is no official trail along the Minnesota River because each attempt has been demolished by floods. A 2.5 miles (4 km) paved biking and walking trail connects the state park to two city parks in Mankato. It was completed in the fall of 2010 with a mix of federal, county, and state funds.
There are fishing opportunities along the river, especially for channel
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
and flathead catfish
Flathead catfish
The flathead catfish , also called the yellow cat, opelousas, and shovelhead cat, are large North American freshwater catfish. This is the only species of the genus Pylodictis...
. Minneopa Creek below the falls also supports game fish.