Laserfiche WebLink
CHAPTER 3 <br />OVERVIEW OF ANOKA COUNTY <br /> <br />PRE-HISTORY <br /> <br />The history of Anoka County extends far beyond that of <br />written accounts ofea¢ly explorers. The county, much <br />like the entire uppe~ Midwest, was shaped by the <br />glaciation that occurred over 10,000 years ago. An <br />impoundment on the Early Mississippi River created an <br />enormous lake which gathered sandy sediment for <br />thousands of years. This sand, called the Anoka <br />Sandplain, is the dominant geologic feature in the <br />county. <br /> <br />Shortly after the g'!aci.ers retreated, Native Americans <br />sprend to the land to hpnt the bison and caribou which <br />migrated to the area to graze on the lush vegetation. <br />Thousands of years passed while the Native American <br />cultures thrived. The:se prosperous communities left <br />their imprints on the lahd. Evidence of this is present in <br />the mounds and anin{al bone deposits in Rice Creek <br />Chain of Lakes Park Reserve. <br /> <br /> EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT <br /> <br />Population GrOwth of Anoka County <br /> <br /> 300,000 <br /> 250,000 ' <br /> 200,000 <br /> <br /> 150,000 <br /> / <br /> <br /> 100,000 - ' ~,~,,/ <br /> 50,000 - <br /> / <br /> <br /> 1860 1930 1950'1965 1970 1980 1990 1992, <br />Population growtll in Anok8 County. <br /> <br />1800's when farming began. Large tracts of woodlands <br />were cut and plowed for corn and grain fields. In <br />addition, many of the pre-settlement wetland areas were <br />filled and drained. The ecosystems that once <br />functioned in Anoka County were fragmented and only <br />smaller islands of natural areas survived. [n the 1900's <br />the industrial age brought manufacturing to the <br />metropolitan area. Anoka County experienced <br />substantial population growth during this period. <br />Urbanization continues to be one of the greatest impacts <br />to the natural areas in the county. Today commercial <br />and retail industries are reshaping the county again. <br />The Protection of. the last remaining .natural areas <br />presents a challenge to Anoka County communities as <br />economic development continues. <br /> <br />NATURAL AREAS DISTRIBUTION <br /> <br />The Anoka Sanplain is a unique landscape in eastern <br />Minnesota. Within the county's boundaries there <br />existed some of the most expansive oak savanna and <br />tall grass prairie environments in the region. Originally' <br />savanna regions were infiltrated by emergent marshes <br />and cattail swamps. Several pockets of White Pine <br />stands dotted the northeastern portion of the county. <br /> <br />This rare White Pine stand is located in the Martin-lsland-Linwood <br />Lakes Regional Park. <br /> <br />European exploration: to the area began in the late <br />1600's. Father Louis Hennepin was the first explorer <br />credited with surveying the landscapes of Anoka <br />County. Frontier migration from St. Paul to Anoka <br />County began with fur traders and eventually <br />progressed to loggers titubering in the forested areas of <br />the county. These i~}fluences reshaped the natural <br />landscapes in the county. Dramatic alterations to the <br />land in Anoka County continued through the early <br /> <br />The Anoka Sandplain was a mosaic of habitats where <br />animal populations thrived due to the influences of the <br />glaciers and the Native Americans. Today those <br />environments have nearly vanished. According to <br />experts at the D.N.R. County Biological Survey, only <br />8% of the pre-settlement vegetation in Anoka County <br />exists today. These remaining natural areas should be <br />considered for protection to provide a more complete <br />natural history of Anoka County. Some of these areas <br /> <br />Page I <br /> <br /> <br />