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Final Project. Geog. 1108 Brittany Ray Pages: 61, 32, 76, 29. Page 61. Itasca State Park is partially on this page. The headwaters of the Mississippi River begin at Lake Itasca and flow all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Itasca State Park. In the entire park there are over 100 lakes.
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Final Project Geog. 1108 Brittany Ray Pages: 61, 32, 76, 29
Page 61 Itasca State Park is partially on this page. The headwaters of the Mississippi River begin at Lake Itasca and flow all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Itasca State Park In the entire park there are over 100 lakes. The area is said to have been inhabited for over 8,000 years. Henry Schoolcraft initially thought that Cass Lake was the headwaters of the Mississippi River but noticed that there were two rivers flowing from the lake and had a hunch that the headwaters were actually farther north. He returned 12 years later to follow up on his hunch.
Spider Lake Spider Lake lies just east of Itasca State Park. The total area the lake covers is 569.51 acres. The maximum depth is 96 feet. Water clarity is 18 feet deep. However, this lake does not have a public access, so having a family member with a cabin on the lake is the easiest access to the lake.
Lake George Lake George is in the center of Lake George Township. The lakes are is 825.7 acres. The water depth reaches only 29 feet, with water clarity of 12 feet. In 2010, the lake was restocked with over 2,000 walleye fingerlings.
Blue Lake Blue Lake is the second of the two lakes I get to send weekends during the summer on. The lake area is 336.34 acres. The water depth reaches 84 feet at its maximum and the water clarity is 14 feet. The lake also has a public landing for visitors to use. If you happen to fish on blue lake make sure you have your trout stamp because if not there is a hefty fine.
Potato Lake County route 40 separates Potato Lake from Blue Lake. The lake area is 2096.05 acres. The depth reaches 87 feet with only 5 feet of clarity. On the lake there is a campground and two public accesses. For fisherman, there is mostly bluegills and rock bass, but also a large amount of northern pike and a fair amount of walleyes.
Park Rapids Park Rapids is the largest city in the area other than Detroit Lakes to the west. It is located on the southern border of Mud Lake. Both state route 34 and U.S. route 71 run right through Park Rapids. Park Rapids is so awesome it even has its own Wal-Mart that was recently built. Starting in Park Rapids is the Heartland State Trail. This includes hiking and bike paths that reach all the way to the Crow Wing River.
Park Rapids cont. The city also has the North Country Museum of Arts and a municipal airport just slightly south of the actual city. Park Rapids is located is the SE ¼ of Todd Township.
Dorset The towns population is only around 20 the 30 people. Taking a left on state route 7 from the Heartland Trial will bring you right into the little town of Dorset. The town is only two or three blocks long. The town consists of the Dorset House (the café), three larger restaurants, and some small gift shops. Possibly the best part of the town is the ice cream parlor in one of the restaurants. They have just about every flavor of ice cream you could imagine and offer shakes, malt, sundaes, or banana splits all in varying sizes.
Nevis Nevis is another small town, but is larger that Dorset easily. The town consists of many gift/antique shops, a convenient store/gas station, and a bait shop where you can buy your fishing license at and any bait for you fishing trip. Nevis also has a few restaurants and a couple of churches spread throughout the town.
Along the Minnesota River The Minnesota River cuts right through the center of page 32. The first little town is Jordan, founded in 1854. The is chalk full of antique shops and an old brewery. To most the town may appear to be just a passing thought on the way to Le Seur.
Belle Plaine Belle Plaine would be the next city on the trip south on Highway 169. Belle Plaine is located between 169 and the Minnesota River. The town contains many of the things people expect to see; bars, a realtor, antique shops, and even an accounting/ tax specialist.
Le Sueur Heading into Le Sueur is heading into the land of the Jolly Green Giant. Le Sueur is the home the Jolly Green Giant canned and frozen vegetable production factory. The Minnesota Valley Canning Company introduced the Jolly Green Giant in 1925. It is now owned by General Mills and no longer headed in Le Sueur.
Le Sueur cont. The same house that was lived in by the founder of the company who created the green giant was first owned by Dr. William Mayo. Dr. Mayo built the house and practiced medicine there for 5 years before relocating to Rochester. Rochester is now the home of the Mayo Clinic.
Le Sueur Le Sueur Mill
Mankato Mankato flanks the Minnesota River on both sides. It is separated into North Mankato and Mankato respectively. Although, the majority of the city lies east of the river. Mankato is located in the NW ¼ of Mankato township and the NE ¼ of South Bend township.
Mankato cont. Mankato is the home the University of Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks. The school has a Division 1 hockey program but for the most part is Division 2. For two summers I got the opportunity to stay in the dorms and play on the basketball court for a tournament while I was still in high school.
Mankato cont. Just north of Mankato is the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail. The trail provides both hiking and biking trails. Mankato also has a municipal airport to the NW. South and west of Mankato there is a campground, a golf course and even more parks to explore.
The Mesabi Iron Range Between 1900 and 1980 the Mesabi Range produced 60% of the nation’s iron output. In 1960, 2.5 trillion tons of ore had been mined and transported to Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, or other port cities on Lake Superior. Today, the range mines for mainly taconite instead of iron ore.
The Mesabi Iron Range cont. The Mesabi Range stretches from Grand Rapids all the way north to Babbitt, MN. It also runs directly through Superior National Forest. In the range is Vermillion Train Park. The area has two public accesses in the area.
Embarrass Sitting just north of the Mesabi Iron Range is the town of Embarrass. This town is known mostly for the fact that it records the lowest daily temperature in the U.S. The town consists mainly of Finns. In 1941, the WPA Guide to Minnesota reported that of the 652 people who lived in the town, only two were not Finnish.
Embarrass cont. As you enter to city from the west there is a visitor center. If it is open, you can take a heritage tour of some of the nearby homes. You will see Finnish construction techniques and hear stories of the early farming days. There is also a gift shop and a campground just outside of town.
Aurora Aurora is an average size town on the iron range. County route 100 drive right through downtown Aurora. The Laskin Energy Center is on the outskirts of the city. It was opened in 1953. It is operated by Minnesota Power in Duluth.
Hoyt Lakes Roughly, the same size as Aurora, Hoyt Lakes is another important city to the Mesabi Iron Range. Located just south of the actual range, Hoyt Lakes was used as a processing location. Kobe Steel, Ltd., built a $235 million dollar manufacturing facility here. The production capacity was predicted at 500,000 metric tons.
Hoyt Lakes cont. The city includes a few gas stations, many churches, a barber shop, a really good pizza place/bar, and it even has a Country Inn hotel with an indoor pool. Hint: if you were wondering how I know that, my dad grew up here and we would always go to the pizza place one night. Most of my dad’s family still lives up there.
Lake Vermillion About 20 miles north of Hoyt Lakes is Lake Vermillion. The lake’s area is approximately 410 acres. The maximum depth is 27 feet The water clarity is 8.5 feet deep. The lake was restocked with over 4,000 walleye fingerlings in 2010.
Whitewater Lake Whitewater Lake is southwest of Hoyt Lakes. The lake is open fishing, has a public park nearby and has a public access for boats. The lake area covers 1212 acres. Has a maximum depth of 73 feet. The water clarity reaches all the way to 25 feet deep.
Page 29 Most of page 29 is one piece of farmland. Most are divided into the somewhat standard 80 acre lots.
Walnut Grove Walnut Grove is famous for being the home of little Laura Ingalls Wilder. Today, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum is in Walnut Grove in her honor. At the museum, visitors can experience what it was like to pound away on an antique pump organ. There is also a separate building for the TV show memorabilia and a gift shop. Her actual home is also open for visits.
