John A. Latsch, a successful Winona businessman and
founder of the Izaak Walton League, loved to fish in the waters of the
Mississippi River below the bluffs of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Today, a
half-mile hike up the deep ravine for a view from these peaks is well worth the
effort. From this vantage point, visitors relish a grand long view of the
Mississippi River Valley, the green lush forest in the summer, and the colors in
the fall.Quick stats:
1,654 acres
9,831 annual visits
Naturalist:
The best way to learn more about John Latsch State Park is to contact
Whitewater State Park for a map and information about what to see at John Latsch.
This park does not have a naturalist on staff.
Wildlife
Many different species of birds pass through John Latsch State Park on their
migration route. Coyotes, fox, opossum, timber rattlesnakes and white-tailed
deer are present in the park.
History
Steamboat captains on the Mississippi River relied on three rocky-headed
bluffs called Faith, Hope, and Charity to navigate their way up and down the
Mississippi River. These bluffs tower more than 500 feet above the river. In the
1850s, a busy steamboat landing and logging town was established below these
bluffs. The logging operations supplied cut timber for the sawmills in the new
town of Winona. For many years, the area was only visited by a few ambitious
hikers who hiked the steep hills for a bird's-eye view of the valley. A local
businessman, John A. Latsch, purchased some of these blufflands and persuaded an
adjacent landowner to donate, along with him, approximately 350 acres to the
state for a park in 1925. Latsch loved to fish in the waters below the bluffs of
Faith, Hope, and Charity. Later, he donated land to the state of Wisconsin
resulting in the formation of Perrot State Park, downriver from Winona.
Geology
John Latsch is located in the Blufflands Landscape Region, which is the "driftless"
area. When Europeans settled to this area, they experienced a diverse habitat of
river bottom forest, oak openings and barrens, and prairie.
Landscape
John Latsch State Park offers visitors a rich diversity of natural
communities: bluffs, prairie, floodplain forests, and oak forests in its 1,534
acres. Enjoy views of the Mississippi River, watch bald eagles soar above the
Mississippi River.
|
