Minneopa State Park

Minneopa State Park
Upper and Lower Minneopa Falls
Map showing the location of Minneopa State Park
Map showing the location of Minneopa State Park
Location of Minneopa State Park in Minnesota
Map showing the location of Minneopa State Park
Map showing the location of Minneopa State Park
Minneopa State Park (the United States)
LocationBlue Earth, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates44°9′44″N 94°6′8″W / 44.16222°N 94.10222°W / 44.16222; -94.10222
Area4,643 acres (18.79 km2)
Elevation856 ft (261 m)[1]
Established1905
Governing bodyMinnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minneopa State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources
A WPA/Rustic Style building in the park
Minneopa State Park is located in Minnesota
Minneopa State Park
Minneopa State Park is located in the United States
Minneopa State Park
LocationSouth Bend Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Nearest cityMankato, Minnesota
Area58 acres (23 ha)
Built1937–1940
Architectural styleNational Park Service rustic
MPSMinnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
NRHP reference No.89001663
Added to NRHPOctober 25, 1989

Minneopa State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, a large waterfall for southern Minnesota, and was expanded in the 1960s to include the lower reaches of Minneopa Creek and a large tract of prairie.[2] 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. The park is located almost entirely on the south side of the Minnesota River, three miles (4.8 km) west of Mankato. In 2015 the state reintroduced American bison to the park in a 330-acre (130 ha) fenced enclosure, through which visitors can drive in their vehicles.[3]

  1. ^ "Minneopa State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. January 11, 1980. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "Snapshot: Minneopa State Park". Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. May–June 2005. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Krohn, Tim (September 25, 2015). "New bison herd runs free at Minneopa". Mankato Free Press. Mankato, Minn. Retrieved November 4, 2016.