Itasca State Park

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Itasca State Park
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
The source of the Mississippi River on the edge of Lake Itasca
Location:	Minnesota, USA
Nearest city:	Park Rapids, Minnesota
Coordinates:	47°14′23″N, 95°12′27″W
Area:	32,000 acres (130 km²)
Established:	April 20, 1891
Total Visitation:	481,508 (in 2000)
Governing body:	Minnesota DNR

Itasca State Park is a state park in Minnesota, 21 miles (34 km) north of Park Rapids, Minnesota and 25 miles (48 km) from Bagley, Minnesota. The park contains Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Henry Schoolcraft determined that Itasca is the river's source in 1832. Groves of virgin red and eastern white pine are also found in the park.

Large red pine in Itasca State Park

Itasca State Park was established by the Minnesota Legislature on April 20, 1891, the first of Minnesota's state parks and second oldest in the United States, behind Niagara Falls. The Douglas Lodge building, constructed in 1905, was the first National Park Service Rustic style building in the Minnesota state park system. Twelve other Rustic Style buildings were built over the next 20 years. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration contributed to recreational development of the park, building a number of additional buildings in the Rustic Style. These buildings represent the largest collection of log buildings in the state park system and are architecturally significant.

The park now covers 32,000 acres (130 km²) and includes more than 100 lakes. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. In 2000, Itasca State Park had 481,508 visitors.