A Day at Minneopa State Park

The Bank I am working for use Columbus day as a company – wide holiday.

I took off to Minneopa State Park at southern Minnesota. Due to its location it is just surrounded by the peak of stunning fall colors.

The park was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, a large waterfall for southern Minnesota, and was expanded in the 1960s to include the lower reaches of Minneopa Creek and a large tract of prairie. Minneopa is Minnesota’s third oldest state park, after Itasca and Interstate. The park is located almost entirely on the south side of the Minnesota River, 3 miles west of Mankato. In 2015 the state reintroduced American bison to the park in a 330-acre fenced enclosure, through which visitors can drive in their vehicles.

It was sunny and pleasant this morning, I drove into the enclosure and finally reached to Seppman Mill. I could only see a group of bisons laying in the middle of the field under the warm sunshine. They were too far away to be captured by my 300-mm lens. Even though I didn’t get the close encounter with bisons, I did appreciate the view of the enclosure.

Another attraction is the water falls. Minneopa Creek drains a small watershed in Blue Earth County and a small part of eastern Brown County. Most of its 11 miles flow through farmland before entering the park. 2.2 miles upstream from its mouth, Minneopa Creek flows over two waterfalls. The creek cascades about 6 or 7 feet over the upper falls and flows 66 feet before dropping over the 39-foot lower falls. The name is a shortening of Minneinneopa, which is translated from the Dakota language as “water falling twice.”

Here is the first fall.

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Here is the second fall.

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The water is flowing over the same course for many years, while witnessing the changes in people’s lives along its shorelines. I am sure it can tell many stories if it can talk, especially the stories behind the pandemic.

Thanks for visiting my post!