Itasca State Park

Approximately 7–8,000 years ago, Native American hunters pursued wild animals for food in the Itasca State Park region. These early people ambushed bison, deer, and moose at watering sites and killed them with stone–tipped spears. The bison kill site along Wilderness Drive in the park gives visitors historical insight about this period.

A few thousand years later, a group of people of the Woodland Period arrived at Lake Itasca. They lived in larger, more permanent settlements and made a variety of stone, wood, and bone tools. Burial mounds from this era can be seen today at the Itasca Indian Cemetery.

In 1832 Anishinaabe guide Ozawindib led explorer Henry Schoolcraft to the source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca. It was on this journey that Schoolcraft, with the help of an educated missionary companion, created the name Itasca from the Latin words for "truth" and "head" (veritas caput).Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Itasca. 2007. 22 April 2007 In the late 19th century, Jacob V. Brower, historian, anthropologist and land surveyor, came to the park region to settle the dispute of the actual location of the Mississippi's headwaters. Brower saw this region being quickly transformed by logging, and was determined to protect some of the pine forests for future generations. It was Brower's tireless efforts to save the remaining pine forest surrounding Lake Itasca that led the state legislature to establish Itasca as a Minnesota State Park on April 20, 1891, by a margin of only one vote.Itasca State Park, Visit Bemidji, http://www.visitbemidji.com/itasca_state_park.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614212235/http://www.visitbemidji.com/itasca_state_park.html |date=June 14, 2007 }}. Through his conservation work and the continuing efforts of others throughout the decades, the grounds of Itasca had been maintained.

Established in 1909, Itasca Biological Station and Labs (IBSL) is one of the oldest and largest continuously operated inland field training centers in the United States.The Wildest Classroom in Minnesota, Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories, http://cbs.umn.edu/itasca/. This site serves as a research facility and a site for summer-session undergraduate field biology courses for the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences. Each year new College of Biological Sciences students attend the "Nature of Life" orientation program which is held by the lake, allowing the study of a diverse, undisturbed environment from the organismal level to that of an entire ecosystem.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbs.umn.edu/alumni/ibs |title=Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories | College of Biological Sciences |access-date=2013-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410151210/http://www.cbs.umn.edu/alumni/ibs |archive-date=2013-04-10 |url-status=dead }}

File:First_Bridge_over_the_Mississippi_River.jpg) over the Mississippi, about 25 feet west of its source at Lake Itasca]]

Lake Itasca, the official source of the Mississippi River and a scenic area of northern Minnesota, has remained relatively unchanged from its natural state. Most of the area has a heavy growth of timber that includes virgin red pine, which is also Minnesota's state tree. Some of the red pine in Itasca are over 200 years old.

The Itasca terrain is sometimes referred to as "knob and kettle." The knobs are mounds of debris deposited directly by the ice near the edge of glaciers or by melt–water streams flowing on or under the glacier's surface. The kettles are depressions, usually filled with water, formed by dormant ice masses buried or partially buried under glacial debris that later melted. The retreat of the ice around 10,000 years ago left behind 157 lakes of varying size that cover {{convert|3000|acre|km2}} of Itasca State Park. The glaciers deposited a moraine, a combination of silt, clay, sand, and gravel that covers the landscape to a depth of around {{convert|680|ft|m}}.Anita Cholewa and David Biesboer, Common Plants of Itasca State Park, Minnesota: Bell Museum of Natural History,2005 The park also integrates {{convert|27500|acre|km2}} of upland and {{convert|1500|acre|km2}} of swamp.

Image:Pinus resinosa Itasca.jpg

The Itasca area's old-growth pine forests are almost as famous as the Mississippi headwaters. The area is currently one of the few places in state that has preserved these ancient pines from destruction. These pine forests were the main concern of Brower when he pushed to preserve the area as a state park. Logging operations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries depleted the large pine forests found in the park. Logging ended around 1920.Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Itasca State Park Management Plan. Minnesota, 1998.

Pine restoration has been attempted dating back to 1902, but with limited success.Snow, Kristin. Management of Pine Regeneration in Itasca State Park. Minnesota, 1999. Fire suppression in the area has eliminated wildfires in the park since the 1920s. Fire is necessary to the regeneration of white, red, and jack pines in the area because it opens the forest floor and canopy for new trees to grow. An overpopulation of white-tailed deer also stunt the regeneration efforts of these pines, as deer browse young pine seedling and prevent them from maturing into trees.

A combination of jack pine and northern pin oak dominated the park before European settlement. Among the numerous varieties of trees Itasca accommodates are quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen, paper birch, red pine, white pine, as well as a mix of northern hardwoods. Current vegetation of the park now include: eastern white pine, red pine, aspen–birch, mixed hardwoods, jack pine barrens, and conifer bog. Logged areas of white and red pine are now home to a combination of aspen and birch trees, with aspen being the most dominant species of tree in the park today. The four principal forest communities in this locale remain to be aspen–birch, red pine, white pine, and northern hardwoods.

The park is home to fourteen plants placed on the state endangered species list; these consist of ram's–head lady's slipper (Cypripedium arietinum), olivaceous spike–rush (Eleocharis olivacea), bog adder's–mouth (Malaxis paludosa), slender naiad (Najas gracillma), and sheathed pondweed (Potamogeton vaginatus).

Three terrestrial biomes, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and prairie all intersect in the Itasca region and allow habitat for numerous vegetation and animals. Itasca is home to over 200 bird species encompassing: bald eagles, loons, grebes, cormorants, herons, ducks, owls, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets, vireos, tanagers, finches, and warblers. Residing among the many trails in the park are over 60 types of mammals including beaver, porcupine, black bear, and timber wolves.

The white-tailed deer overpopulation has caused problems within the park. According to 1998 statistics it was estimated that the density of deer is around 15 to 17 per square mile compared with the 4–10 per square mile in similar areas in Wisconsin. The cause of the deer boom was the addition of man-made open spaces and a deer protection zone put in place from the early 20th century until the 1940s. Annual deer hunts have been held since 1940 in an effort to curb white tail deer population.

The caddisfly Chilostigma itascae is only known to live in Nicollet Creek in the park.{{Cite journal|first=Carrol L. |last=Henderson |url=http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb08/mp.html |title=Minnesota Profile: Headwaters Chilostigman Caddisfly |journal=Minnesota Conservation Volunteer |volume=71 |issue=416 |pages=72–73 |date=January–February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325165752/http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/janfeb08/mp.html |archive-date=2009-03-25 }}

Under the name of Itasca Natural Area, the area was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service under the Historic Sites Act.{{cite web | title = Itasca Natural Area | work = NNL Guide-Minnesota | publisher = National Park Service | url = http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/site.cfm?Site=ITAS-MN | access-date = 2012-09-15 | archive-date = March 6, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130306113055/http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/site.cfm?Site=ITAS-MN | url-status = dead }} It received this designation in November 1965 from the United States Secretary of the Interior, giving it recognition as an outstanding example of the nation's natural history.{{cite web | title = Overview, National Natural Landmarks | work = Nature & Science | publisher = National Park Service | url = http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/ | access-date = 2008-09-26 | archive-date = 2008-09-21 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080921204743/http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/ | url-status = dead }} The designation describes its significance:

The area contains some of the finest remaining stands of virgin red pine, spruce-balsam fir, and maple-basswood-aspen forest, supporting 141 bird and 53 mammal species, including bald eagles.

{{main|Climate of Minnesota}}

Itasca State Park lies in northern Minnesota; a location that can be affected by three major air masses. An Arctic air stream extends south from Canada during the winter months; Pacific air that follows strong west winds move over the area and during the summer month a tropical air stream flows north from the Gulf of Mexico. These various air masses have a strong effect on the climate of the area around Itasca State Park.

The winter climate produces extremely cold temperatures, with an average minimum temperature for Itasca being {{convert|-4|F|C}}.{{cite web | title = Climatography of the United States | publisher = National Climatic Data Center | date = 1971–2000 | url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/DLYNRMS/dnrm?coopid=214106 | access-date = 2007-05-03 }} This cold weather is accompanied with snowfall amounts averaging around {{convert|54.6|in|cm}} annually. A combination of the Arctic air with heavy snowfall and wind can create severe blizzard conditions in the area.

In the summer, the Pacific and tropical winds from the Gulf create warm to hot temperatures, with the highs during July averaging {{convert|78.4|F|C}}. However a clash of cool, dry polar air from Canada and the moisture from the southern tropical Gulf air can lead to showers and thunderstorms. The average annual rainfall in the Itasca area is {{convert|27|in|cm}}. It has a relatively short growing season, with the first frost usually occurring in late September to early October and the first frost-free days not occurring until mid-May or early June.

{{Weather box

|location = Itasca State Park (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1911–present)

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 62

|Feb record high F = 63

|Mar record high F = 81

|Apr record high F = 96

|May record high F = 98

|Jun record high F = 100

|Jul record high F = 105

|Aug record high F = 101

|Sep record high F = 99

|Oct record high F = 92

|Nov record high F = 74

|Dec record high F = 59

|year record high F = 105

|Jan high F = 16.9

|Feb high F = 22.8

|Mar high F = 35.9

|Apr high F = 51.0

|May high F = 65.0

|Jun high F = 74.3

|Jul high F = 78.8

|Aug high F = 77.4

|Sep high F = 68.1

|Oct high F = 52.1

|Nov high F = 34.8

|Dec high F = 22.2

|year high F = 49.9

|Jan mean F = 6.3

|Feb mean F = 10.6

|Mar mean F = 24.0

|Apr mean F = 38.5

|May mean F = 52.2

|Jun mean F = 62.4

|Jul mean F = 66.9

|Aug mean F = 65.1

|Sep mean F = 56.2

|Oct mean F = 42.3

|Nov mean F = 26.7

|Dec mean F = 13.7

|year mean F = 38.7

|Jan low F = −4.3

|Feb low F = −1.6

|Mar low F = 12.1

|Apr low F = 26.0

|May low F = 39.4

|Jun low F = 50.6

|Jul low F = 54.9

|Aug low F = 52.7

|Sep low F = 44.3

|Oct low F = 32.5

|Nov low F = 18.6

|Dec low F = 5.1

|year low F = 27.5

|Jan record low F = −51

|Feb record low F = −52

|Mar record low F = −44

|Apr record low F = −17

|May record low F = 11

|Jun record low F = 24

|Jul record low F = 32

|Aug record low F = 26

|Sep record low F = 16

|Oct record low F = -14

|Nov record low F = −30

|Dec record low F = −47

|year record low F = -52

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.75

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.72

|Mar precipitation inch = 1.22

|Apr precipitation inch = 2.00

|May precipitation inch = 3.18

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.57

|Jul precipitation inch = 3.53

|Aug precipitation inch = 3.23

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.08

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.85

|Nov precipitation inch = 1.32

|Dec precipitation inch = 1.12

|year precipitation inch = 27.57

|Jan snow inch = 9.6

|Feb snow inch = 8.0

|Mar snow inch = 7.8

|Apr snow inch = 6.2

|May snow inch = 0.1

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 1.0

|Nov snow inch = 9.1

|Dec snow inch = 9.8

|year snow inch = 51.6

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 8.8

|Feb precipitation days = 7.6

|Mar precipitation days = 7.5

|Apr precipitation days = 8.8

|May precipitation days = 13.3

|Jun precipitation days = 13.9

|Jul precipitation days = 12.8

|Aug precipitation days = 10.9

|Sep precipitation days = 11.9

|Oct precipitation days = 11.3

|Nov precipitation days = 8.8

|Dec precipitation days = 10.0

|year precipitation days = 125.6

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 6.5

|Feb snow days = 5.9

|Mar snow days = 3.9

|Apr snow days = 1.9

|May snow days = 0.1

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 1.0

|Nov snow days = 4.1

|Dec snow days = 8.2

|year snow days = 31.6

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=fgf

| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = June 23, 2021

| archive-date = May 19, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210519054330/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=fgf

| url-status = dead

}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00214106&format=pdf

| title = Station: Itasca UNIV of MINN, MN

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = June 23, 2021}}

}}

Image:Mississippi River Itasca State Park.jpg

Itasca State Park's recreational activities cover all four seasons of the year. Within the restored log building headquarters is a 31-bed youth hostel operated by Hostelling International USA, open to travelers of all ages.{{cite web |url=http://www.hiusa.org/hostels/usa_hostels/minnesota/itasca_state_park/60070 |title=Youth Hostel Lake Itasca Minnesota Budget Backpacker Cheap Hotel |website=www.hiusa.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617003643/http://www.hiusa.org/hostels/usa_hostels/minnesota/itasca_state_park/60070 |archive-date=2010-06-17}}

Spring reels in the fishermen for the May fishing openers of walleye, northern pike, bass, and panfish. The park is in full bloom including a vast array of wildflowers. Birding is also a popular spring activity as the varying species return from migration.

File:Itasca Fire Tower.jpg

Lake Itasca is a popular location for summer activities in Minnesota, with 496,651 visitors in 2006. Fishing, canoeing, boating, and kayaking equipment are always accessible. On land recreation consists of biking via the Heartland Trail, horseback riding, and hiking. A {{convert|9.6|mi|km|adj=on}} section of the North Country National Scenic Trail passes through the park's southern tier and includes three backcountry campsites. Numerous historical sites are available to view. The headwaters of the Mississippi River are one of the most visited sites featured at the park. Tourists can visit the new Mary Gibbs Visitor Center and the exhibits at the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center. The park also offers a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on}} climb up the historic Aiton Heights Fire Tower.

Fall unveils the beautiful array of colors amidst the variety of trees throughout the park. This is another recommended season to bike, hike, or even take a leisurely walk through the designated trails. The park offers {{convert|33|mi|km}} worth of hiking trails.

Winter lures in the ice fishermen, who gather on Lake Itasca. Snowmobilers can travel hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails, while the skiers use {{convert|30|mi|km}} of cross country skiing trails (both novice and skilled level) that are maintained regularly.

File:Itasca State Park Sign.JPG

Scattered around the boundaries of Itasca State Park stand a variety of historical and tourist attractions. Constructed over a 37-year period from 1905 to 1942, development was undertaken by two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps as well as two Works Progress Administration (WPA) camps. Architects for this later development were from the Minnesota Central Design Office of the National Park Service with Edward W. Barber and V.C. Martin serving as principal architects for the park buildings.Itasca State Park, Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/stateparks/Itasca.html. Log construction was generally used because timber was easily available in the area.

Itasca's rustic style design is the largest collection of log–constructed buildings in the state park system. It provides a uniform appearance to the park, setting it apart from all others. Douglas Lodge, built in 1905, is the oldest surviving building and the first to be constructed in the Rustic Style. This structure is located along the south shore of Lake Itasca and was built using peeled logs harvested from the surrounding forests. Funded by State legislature in 1903, it became the first building to house the park's visitors. Originally, it was called "Itasca Park Lodge" or "State House", but was later named after Minnesota Attorney General Wallace B. Douglas, a prominent figure in the battle to save the timber in Itasca State Park at the start of the 20th century.Itasca State Park, Minnesota Historical Society,

http://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/stateparks/ItascaRes.html. At the time, very few governments were setting aside land for conservation, which shows the significance of this encounter. Douglas Lodge has provided tourist facilities since 1911 and remains functional today after undergoing renovations in the years following its grand opening. The Lodge is used as a hotel for guests to stay in, and the main lobby for the "Douglas Lodge Cabins" around it. There is also a restaurant famous for wild rice soup.

The Clubhouse, assembled in 1911, overlooks Lake Itasca. The interior contains ten dormitories placed around a two–story Rustic Style lobby. The Clubhouse contains a very large fireplace, couches, and a very great staircase. Over the years, the Clubhouse encountered few problems in the maintenance department other than minor deterioration in the lower logs, which were replaced in 1984. Today, guests may stay in the ten rooms.

Image:Mississippi River origin monument.jpgThe Old Timer's Cabin is also found on the shores of Lake Itasca, located north of the Clubhouse. This was the first CCC–constructed building to appear in the park. The CCC originally referred to the Old Timer's Cabin as the "Honeymooner's Cabin" because of its small size and relative isolation .

Forest Inn is one of the largest creations by the CCC in the state park system, standing {{convert|144|by|50|ft|m}}. It took a crew of 200 CCC members to produce the finished product, complete with both split stone and log components. The stone used in the walkways were scrap pieces from the quarries and stone works of the St. Cloud area and the logs used on the cabin came from the pine and balsam fir within the park vicinity.

The headwaters of the Mississippi River are clearly defined by a {{convert|44|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} long outlet dam at the north end of Lake Itasca. This setup allows tourists to wade in shallow water or cross over it by way of the bridge constructed of logs. In 1903 a 24-year-old park commissioner named Mary Gibbs played a significant role in saving the tall pine forests and shoreline of the Mississippi River Headwaters by resisting efforts to log the area. In honor of her efforts, the Mary Gibbs Visitor Center, which encloses a restaurant, gift shop, various displays and exhibits of the park's features, and an outdoor plaza now exists. Visitors can walk across the rocks connecting the sides of the Mississippi. There is also a bridge, for those who don't want to get wet.

Itasca State Park currently contains more than 30 known archaeological and cemetery sites. The study of archaeological remains in the Itasca area was started by Jacob V. Brower in the late 19th century. Survey work on archaeological remains place human activity in the Itasca area as early as 8,000 years ago. Human activity spans over several historical periods, from Early Eastern Archaic, through the Archaic and Woodland periods.

The Itasca Bison Kill Site is the oldest archaeological site within Itasca State Park. The site dates back to the Early Eastern Archaic period. The discovery took place in 1937 during the construction of the Wilderness Drive. It is located near the southwestern shore of Lake Itasca by Nicollet Creek. An initial finding of the remains of human made artifacts prompted the University of Minnesota to conduct an extensive excavation of the area in 1964 and 1965. Excavation of the area revealed a large of amount of bones from an extinct species of Bison hence the name of the site. Human tools, such as knives, spears and scrapers were discovered in the vicinity.

The Itasca State Park Site was discovered and excavated by Jacob Brower in the late 19th century. The site consists of ten burial mounds, dating back approximately 800 years, along the northeastern shore of Lake Itasca. An effort was made in the late 1980s to rebury American Indian remains that had been removed. This act was in collaboration with a statewide effort to rebury the several thousand remains that had been excavated.

Several other major sites exist in Itasca, including the Headwaters Site, which is located along the northeast shore of Lake Itasca, and a village site discovered by Jacob Brower in the late 19th century. Significant portions of this site have been converted into trails, parking lots and visitor service facilities. Archaeological remains have also been discovered at the Headwater's West Terrace Site along the west bank of the Mississippi near Lake Itasca, the Bear Paw Campground Site which lies adjacent to Lake Itasca, as well as Pioneer Cemetery which is located on the eastern shore of Lake Itasca and contains the remains of early European pioneers.

{{Reflist}}

• Cholewa, Anita and David Biesboer. Common Plants of Itasca State Park. Minnesota: Bell Museum of Natural History, 2005
• Itasca. 2007. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 18 April 2007.

:.

• Itasca State Park. 2001. Minnesota Historical Society. 19 April 2007.
• Itasca State Park. 2004. Visit Bemidji. 18 April 2007 .
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Itasca. 2007. 22 April 2007
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Itasca State Park Management Plan. Minnesota, 1998.
• Snow, Kristin. Management of Pine Regeneration in Itasca State Park. Minnesota, 1999.
• "The Wildest Classroom in Minnesota." Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. 26 March 2007. Regents of the University of Minnesota. 7 May 2007..
• Welcome to Itasca Lakes Country. Itasca Area Lakes Tourism Association. 19 April 2007.

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.mnopedia.org/event/creation-itasca-state-park Creation of Itasca State Park in MNopedia, the Minnesota Encyclopedia]
• [http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/itasca/index.html Itasca State Park]

{{National Natural Landmarks in Minnesota}}

{{Registered Historic Places}}

{{Protected areas of Minnesota}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1891 establishments in Minnesota

Category:Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota

Category:Archaic period in North America

Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota

Category:National Natural Landmarks in Minnesota

Category:Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota

Category:Protected areas of Becker County, Minnesota

Category:Protected areas of Clearwater County, Minnesota

Category:Protected areas of Hubbard County, Minnesota

Category:Protected areas on the Mississippi River

Category:Rustic architecture in Minnesota

Category:State parks of Minnesota

Category:Works Progress Administration in Minnesota

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Becker County, Minnesota

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Clearwater County, Minnesota

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hubbard County, Minnesota

Category:Bison hunting

Category:Cemeteries in Minnesota

Category:Native American cemeteries

Category:Former Native American populated places in the United States