Picturesque limestone bluffs and deep ravines make
Whitewater State Park a very popular southeastern park. The 2,700 acre park is
an angler's paradise with brown, brook, and rainbow trout swimming in the
spring-fed Whitewater River and Trout Run Creek. Visitors enjoy a sandy swimming
beach, a year-round visitor center, easy-to-challenging hiking trails, camping,
a group camp, and a modern group center. Come winter, enjoy cross-country
skiing, snowshoeing, or stay at the group center in rustic, winterized cabins.
All through the year, discover the natural and human history of the area at one
of the many interpretive programs, visitor center exhibits or self-guided
trails.Quick stats:
2,700 acres
292,413 annual visits
Naturalist:
Naturalist programs are year-round. See our Seasonal Sampler for a listing of
upcoming programs.
Wildlife
Nearly 50 kinds of mammals and 250 kinds of birds use the Whitewater River
Valley during the course of a year. Wild turkeys are in the valley and bald
eagles can be found year-around. In the spring, listen and look for the rare
bird, the Louisiana waterthrush. Of Minnesota's rare animals and plants, 43
percent live in the Blufflands.
History
Dakota Indians named the river Whitewater because it turned milky white in
the spring as high water eroded light-colored clay deposits along its banks. In
1851, a treaty opened up most of southern Minnesota for white settlement,
including the Whitewater area. Settlers removed much of the native vegetation in
order to farm and graze the land. In 1900, flooding related to land use began.
Almost two decades later, local citizens lobbied successfully to establish
Whitewater State Park to protect some of the most beautiful parts of the valley.
Due to land use practices that were unsuited to the Blufflands rough landscape,
flooding increased through the 1920s and 1930s leading to the abandonment of
valley farms and towns. In 1938 the nearby town of Beaver flooded 28 times,
marking the worst year of flooding in Whitewater Valley. In the early 1940s,
state and federal conservation officials worked with local landowners and
implemented sweeping conservation measures. Richard Dorer of the Minnesota
Department of Conservation (now the Department of Natural Resources) designed a
plan for the revival of the Whitewater River Valley. Grass, shrubs, and trees
were planted on the slopes. On the uplands, contoured fields and terraces were
laid out. Dikes were built forming ponds. The burning of hillside forests was
banned. Some erosion prone lands were purchased, which now makes up the 28,000
acre Whitewater Wildlife Management Area adjacent to Whitewater State Park.
Today, through the Whitewater Watershed Project, citizens and conservation staff
are working together to create a healthier future for the land, water, and
people of the Whitewater watershed.
Geology
Nearly 450 million years ago, shallow seas covered most of North America,
including southeastern Minnesota. On its bed, sediment accumulated that turned
into rock hundreds of feet thick. When the sea withdrew, erosion carved through
the bedrock, creating the original valleys and bluffs found in what is now
Whitewater State Park. More recently, glacial meltwaters sculpted the cliffs and
valleys.
Landscape
When settlers arrived, they found a great diversity of plant life in the
Blufflands Landscape Region. In the valleys, they discovered a rich, bottomland
forest with clean, spring-fed streams teeming with native brook trout. Oaks grew
on some slopes with maple and basswood trees on other slopes. South facing
hillsides were covered with prairie. Much of the uplands contained oak savanna,
gently rolling prairie with scattered oaks. This Southern Oak Barrens Landscape
Region is one of the rarest vegetative community types in Minnesota.
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