Saint Croix State Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Nearest city:	Hinckley, Minnesota
Built/Founded:	1936
Architect:	National Park Service, Civilian Conservation Corps
Added to NRHP:	January 31, 1997
Reference #:	96001594 ^[1]
MPS:	Minnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
Governing body:	State

Saint Croix State Park is a Minnesota state park on the St. Croix River east of Hinckley on Minn. Highway 48.

The land in the area was used for logging between the mid-1800s and about 1915. After the logging era was over, farmers were attracted to the newly cleared land, but the soil was poor and not productive enough to make a living. In 1934, 18,000 acres of farmland was purchased, and the following year, the St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area was started. Under the direction of the National Park Service, the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps built group camps, roads, and campgrounds. The Recreational Demonstration Area became St. Croix State Park in 1943. Many of the structures in the park are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the entire historic district was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1997.