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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I HISTORY Glacial Pre-History Knowledge of the glacial history of the Anoka Sandplain provides information for determining the soil forming factors and general landscape characteristics of the area. The most recent glaciation event to impact the area of Ramsey occurred during the Wisconsin glaciation period, approximately 20,000 years ago. During this period, two lobes shaped Anoka County. As the Des Moines Lobe advanced from the northwest while the Grantsburg sublobe, an offshoot, formed and blocked the Mississippi River watershed. When the watershed was blocked, glacial Lake Grantsburg was created and formed the Anoka Sandplain. After the retreat of the Grantsburg Sublobe, the diverted Mississippi River migrated southwest to its current course. The migrating river and its shifting meltwaters deposited the sandy material that is associated with the Anoka Sandplain (USDA, 1977). Settlement Pre-European Settlement Native Americans had a great influence on landscape and cultural development of the Anoka Sandplain. Native Americans resided and used this area for the past 10,000 to 11,000 years (W ovcha et aI., 1995). The landscape was impacted by the use of prairie fires set by Native Americans. Fire was used to clear land, attract buffalo and other game, ease travel through the dense grass, and to kill and dry trees for firewood (Wovcha et aI., 1995). Locally, Native American agriculture was conducted on a small scale, near river floodplains. Due to the small scale of farming, the landscape was not severely effected by Native Americans. The study of specific Native American groups active on the Anoka sandplain is still evolving, yet it is evident that civilizations impacted this area long before the arrival of Europeans. European Settlement The first Europeans to settle this area established a trading post with the Winnebago Indians in 1849 (Minnesota Historical Society, 1881). Settlers from the east founded Itasca, the first permanent settlement in Anoka County, during the spring of 1850 (Minnesota Historical Company, 1881). Early European-Americans settled in the dense stands of trees in the area to take advantage of abundant water and fuel. The settlers prized the wet meadows near the streams and marshes for hay production. 3