Beaver Creek Valley State Park

Geobox|Protected area
name = Beaver Creek Valley State Park
category = Minnesota State Park
category_iucn = V

---

image_caption = East Beaver Creek, a spring-fed a trout stream, has carved the narrow Beaver Creek Valley.
country = United States
country_

state = Minnesota
state_

state_type = State
region = Houston
region_type = County
city_type = City
city = Caledonia
lat_d = 43
lat_m = 39
lat_s = 0
lat_NS = N
long_d = 91
long_m = 34
long_s = 58
long_EW = W
area_unit = acre
area_imperial = 1187
area_round = 1
established = 1937
map_locator = Minnesota


management_body = Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Beaver Creek Valley State Park is a 1,187 acre (4.8 km²) Minnesota state park near the town of Caledonia. The park features a steep, narrow valley carved by East Beaver Creek, a spring-fed trout stream. The heavily forested valley, up to convert|250|ft|m deep in places, is a hidden natural oasis amidst the farmland of southeastern Minnesota.

Natural history

Between 500 and 450 million years ago shallow inland seas covered the region. Sediment built up into a layer called Oneota dolomite followed by a layer called Jordan sandstone, followed by a second layer of dolomite.cite web
title = Beaver Creek Valley State Park
publisher = State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources
month = April | year = 2006
url = http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_parks/spk00112_summer.pdf
accessdate = 2008-01-16|format=PDF] Today the Jordan sandstone forms the walls of the valley while the upper layer of dolomite caps the ridges. Both types of rock are water-permeable, resulting in numerous springs.

The deep valley of East Beaver Creek is indicative of the Driftless Area. Whereas most of the American Midwest was blanketed with till, or drift, by three successive ice ages, the Driftless Area remained ice-free. Therefore streams and rivers have had a longer time to cut into their beds, eroding deep valleys and leaving high ridges.

East Beaver Creek, which joins with West Beaver Creek at the north end of the park, is in the drainage system of the Root River. Flash flooding can occur after heavy rainfall. The creek supports a naturally-occurring population of brown trout (unlike those trout streams which are created by fish stocking).

Within the valley the vegetation is bottomland hardwoods such as black ash, willow, box elder, cottonwood, and elm. Higher on the valley walls and on the flat ground beyond the forest is a mix of maple, walnut, basswood, and oak. Some south and west-facing slopes bear remnant prairie patches. Several rare or endangered plants are found in the park.Hintz, Martin. "Natural Wonders of Minnesota". Country Roads Press: Oaks, PA; 1996.]

Acadian flycatchers and Louisiana waterthrushes, birds rare in Minnesota, nest within the park. There are also resident timber rattlesnakes but they are rarely encountered by visitors.

Cultural history

A Native American village was once located in Beaver Creek Valley, as indicated by archaeological field surveys. Some prehistoric stone tools have been found.

Europeans began homesteading the area in the 1850s, attracted by rich farming soil, hardwood lumber, and streams conducive to milling.cite web
title = Beaver Creek Valley State Park
publisher = Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
year = 2008
url = http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/beaver_creek_valley/index.html
accessdate = 2008-01-23] Much of the land around Beaver Creek Valley was too rugged to farm, so most of the parcels were used as pasture or woodlots. In 1876 a gristmill was built on Beaver Creek. Now known as the Schech Mill, it is the last water-powered mill in Minnesota still operating with its original equipment.Franklin, Robert. "Flour power - The owners of Schech's Mill - the last of Minnesota's once-numerous water-powered mills with original equipment - are looking for help to keep it grinding away." "Star Tribune" May 21, 2001.]

Beaver Creek Valley was proposed as a state park in the 1930s, and acquisition of the privately-owned lots began in 1936. The park was authorized by the Minnesota Legislature the following year.Meyer, Roy W. "Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota's State Parks". Minnesota Historical Society Press: St. Paul, 1991.] A small Works Progress Administration crew arrived in 1938 and built the entrance road, flood control structures, picnic ground, and trails. [Benson, David R. "Stories in Log and Stone: The Legacy of the New Deal in Minnesota State Parks". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: St. Paul, 2002.] The campground was developed in the late 1940s. The boundaries of the park were extended in the late 1960s out of concern that landowners along the blufftops might cut the timber, causing erosion. However few owners were willing to sell these lots, as most of it was good farmland which, moreover, wouldn't be easily accessible to parkgoers on the valley floor. In the face of anti-expansion sentiment, the 1978 state legislature redrew the statutory boundaries of the park to include only state-owned land. A provision remains by which additional land could be acquired from willing sellers without legislative action. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been interested in adding the Schech Mill to the park, but the family that has owned it since 1887 has preferred to operate the mill privately as a tourist attraction.

In the mid-1990s Beaver Creek Valley State Park was caught in a dispute between fishing and birdwatching interests. To improve the habitat for large trout, fisheries staff were setting rocks along the banks of the creek to prevent erosion and create overhangs where the fish could hide. However Louisiana waterthrushes and sometimes cerulean warblers nest at the base of creekside trees, some of which were being removed to make space for the rocks. After a public battle over the state's wildlife management policies, the upper and lower sections of East Beaver Creek were improved and the middle section left alone. [Anderson, Dennis. "Only setting is peaceful - Habitat battles can be hard to settle." "Star Tribune" June 14, 1996.]

Recreation

Fishing for brown trout is a popular activity in Beaver Creek Valley State Park. Trophy specimens of convert|16|in|mm or more have been caught. Because the valley is so narrow, the campground sites are staggered on either side of the park road. There are 42 drive-in sites (16 with electrical hookups), 6 walk-in sites, a camper cabin, and at the end of the park road 3 group camp sites. There are convert|8|mi|km of hiking trails.

References

External links

* [http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/beaver_creek_valley/index.html Beaver Creek Valley State Park] official website.