Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/18/2004

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ENTRODUCTION The Amoka County' Board of Parks and Recreation believes that responsible planmng for the ~ture depends on an inventor'y of Mississippi West Regional Park and an analysis of the biophysical resources of the park. Students ua the Natural Resource and EnvironmenmI.Studies (NILES) program 'at ae University, of Minnesrma were asked to inventory, analyze and develop recommendations for Mississippi.West Regnonal Park. Study Area Description Mississippi West Regional Park is located in the city of Ramsey in )moka County, Minnesota (Figure 1). The park is located on the north side oft. he Mississippi Kiver and south of Highway 10 west of Ramsey Boulevard. Toe total area is 266.17 acres including two islands, Foster's and Cloquet. The sxte at one t/me was used pr/maNly for agricultural product/on. Today the land is forested and in pasture. There are some ag-ncultural fields maintained both for wildlife food supply and profit. Suburban and COmmercial development encompass the land around the park. Site History Mississippi West Regional Park is located in a comdor of history (Hanse, 1995; Szmanda, 1995; Marmon, 1995; Boos, 1995). In 1837 the northwest, em part oft, he state became open to settlement. Homesteaders came from lVLinneapolis, St. Paul and further east to settle the lands to the north and west. 3an ox can trail, known as the Metropolrtan Trail (Figure 2 ), extended northward from St. Paul and followed the Nfississippi River up through Anoka County along the present day course of Highway 10. The trail migrated even further north through 'Fargo, North Dakota and finally ended at Pembma, North Dakota on the Canadian border. Even though homesteaders extensively used the trail to expand north and west, the largest use of the trail was the fur trade industry coming south to Mirmeapolis and St. Paul. Many small towns sprang up around the trail to take part in the trading activity. The first town to appear m Anoka County was Itasca Village. Th/s town was perfectly s/mated for the trade activities that were going on with the ox trail on the northern border of the town and the Miss/ss/ppi River at the southern border. Itasca Village was officially estabhshed in 1849, the year Minnesota became a terntor'/, and was platted as a village by 1852. At the 'ame,.the people o'f Itasca Village were r.r;~dng to turn their town into the captor/of the Minnescta territory. The bill Mat was ~o turn Irasca Village into dee remrorial caprtal was hidden by a committ~ chaUxnan Oom the Governor .X. iexxnder Rzrnsev Hence ti;e bill was not signed and Itasca ViLlage &d not become ~e m-'-ntorial capmaL 53