Fort Ridgely State Park

Fort Ridgely State Park CCC/Rustic Style Historic Resources
Fort Ridgely State Park is located in Minnesota
Fort Ridgely State Park
Fort Ridgely State Park is located in the United States
Fort Ridgely State Park
Nearest cityNew Ulm, Minnesota
Coordinates44°27′3″N 94°43′36″W / 44.45083°N 94.72667°W / 44.45083; -94.72667
Area220 acres (89 ha)
Built1934; 90 years ago (1934)
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleNational Park Service rustic
MPSMinnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
NRHP reference No.89001668 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1989

Fort Ridgely State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the Minnesota River south of Fairfax. It preserves Fort Ridgely, site of the Battle of Fort Ridgely during the Dakota War of 1862. It was the only Minnesota state park with a 9-hole golf course, which overlooks the Minnesota River and goes along Fort Ridgely Creek.

The park was established in 1911.[2] The Civilian Conservation Corps Rustic Style buildings within the state park, built between 1934 and 1936,[3] are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In September 2016, the golf course was closed due to declining revenue. A group of local residents launched a campaign hoping to raise enough money to lease the course from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and re-open it. However the group failed to win the support of the Fairfax City Council. The DNR plans to plow the course under and restore it to native prairie.[4][5]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Rustic Style Architecture in Minnesota State Parks". www.mnhs.org. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Remington, Harry (March 10, 1935). "CCC Program Spurs Work in State Forest Parks". Star Tribune. p. 28. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Minnesota lawmaker voices concern over saving golf course". Argus-Leader. Allociated Press. April 8, 2017. pp. C3. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. ^ McKinney, Matt (July 16, 2017). "Campaign to reopen the Fort Ridgely golf course falls short". Star Tribune. pp. B5. Retrieved January 9, 2021.