LAKE SHETEK STATE PARK Miles Ailer Dump

LAKE SHETEK STATE PARK Miles ailer Dump

Cart-in Sites Group Zuya Center Group Primitive Camp Amphitheater Observation Deck & Spotting Scope Visitor Center Dam Tr Station PropertyPrivate Prohibited Use Public (except on designated designated on (except FACILITIES AND trails) to CURRIE, 2 miles FEATURES: Kilometers • 77 semi-modern campsites; 3.4.5

67 electrical (Wolf Point NORTH

Campground) 3.4.5

Bicycle Trail Bicycle

• 10 rustic cart-in sites ing

Lake Shetek–Currie Lake

• 20 rustic campsites (Prairie Hiking Biking (paved) Park Information/Park Office Picnic Area Beach Boat Ramp Monument Campground Camper Cabin

Campground)

ACILITIES Marsh Lake Shetek T ra ebster il

Eastlick

0.1.2. SUMMER TRAILS F 0.1.2. Marsh d

•1 primitive group camp W 37 (Wilderness camp) Islan

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capacity 1 mile • Camper Cabin to CURRIE, PO9

•Picnic area with 2 shelters PO12 PO13 PO10 PO11 PO14

rail

(1 winter warming shelter) T ast E

PO8

PO15 k

PL1

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• Boat and canoe launch h Des Moines River

(Cart-in) it rrie m u

PO7 C

– Currie Dam S k • Rowboat,canoe and kayak te il

(Group Camp) (Group e PO16 h ra ke S le T

La icyc il B umbers

rental Trail Lake ra

Smith Lake

Park Lake PO6 T PO17

•8 miles of hiking trails Park

ark Lake ark P

PO5 Smith Lake Trail North Trail Lake Smith

• 6 mikes of paved bike trail 37 ke PO18 a L il ith ra •5 miles of snowmobile trails Trail m S est T PO4

Fish Pond W Fish No.2

Pond il are RESERVABLE PO19 a •3 miles of ski trails Rearing r T Shetek

Underlined site n il PO3 ra Management Area Wildlife Monument

T Fish Pond

PO20 e No.1 Rearing id

VISITOR FAVORITES: S Monument e PO2 k

a Zuya Trail

• Swimming beach il

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LAKE SHETEK STATE PARK LAKE SHETEK STATE PRAIRIE CAMPGROUND d Hudson Acres n

• Koch Cabin a

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• Loon Island B

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•Fishing ponds Forman

•Interpretive center ic

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• Nature Store P olfpoint il

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• Shetek Monument T d

• Eastlick Marsh observation n la

Boy Is

Scout Camp

Loon Island

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olf Point Trail Point olf o •Woodland, marsh, and prairie L W hiking trails Check it out - you'll be glad you did. Lake Shetek OOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION OOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION L egional offices, Minnesota state parks and major Minnesota state parks egional offices, The DNR has mapped the state showing federal, state and county lands with their recreational facilities. (PRIM) are Information Maps Public Recreation the DNR gift shop, DNR from available for purchase r sporting and map stores. Because lands exist within the boundaries of this park that are not under the jurisdiction of the D.N.R., check with the park manager if you plan to use facilities such as trails and roads other than those shown. eeley Island © 7/2008 by State of Minnesota, K Department of Natural Resources Visitors enjoy fishing for walleye, northern, perch, Small landslides dammed nearby meltwater channels bullhead, crappie, channel catfish and other species. and depressions, which backed up water and eventually Underlined site numbers Koch Restrooms created Lake Shetek. Cabin TRAILS The 1,109-acre park consists of numerous old fields are RESERVABLE /Showers which are remnants of pioneer farms and woodlots, of HISTORY: The natural beauties of the Lake Shetek area Hiking Parking oak, hackberry, basswood, elm, and ash. These woodlots which attract present day visitors are not confined only became buffers against the winds of the great plains. to the 20th century. Long before white settlement ap- FA CILITIES Interpretive peared in the area, American Indians were settled in the Center WILDLIFE: Before modern agriculture was introduced, Telephone Duluth Lake Shetek area. Undoubtedly the first visitors were Fish Cleaning • most of the Lake Shetek area was a treeless prairie that wandering hunters in pursuit of bison. Because of its contained hundreds of species of wildflowers and Park Office supply of water, bison and those who preyed upon them 74e Camper Cabin grasses. The prairie was habitat for such animals as were attracted to the Shetek area. bison, elk, antelope, wolves, and prairie chickens. Over 76e 73e Cart-in Sites 75e 64e Group Camp the past century, 99 percent of Minnesota’s native prairie Strictly speaking, the first to settle the area were the 65e Amphitheater Minneapolis/ has been removed and transformed into cropland. peoples of the Great Oasis culture on the northeastern 77e Group Center 67e 63e St. Paul • slope of the Coteau. In the mid 1840s, European and 53e The habitats now in the park still support many wildlife 78e 69e 66e Boat Ramp American explorers such as Catlin, Nicollet, Prescot 55e Monument LAKE SHETEK species. A quiet hike on one of the park trails can yield and Freemont explored the area associated with Lake 70e 54e Picnic Area STATE PARK a glimpse of a doe and her fawn, the bubbly sounds Shetek and what would later be called Murray County. 68e e Electrical Sites of bobolinks in the prairie, or the graceful flight of a 71e 56e 59e 42e Beach white pelican overhead. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels The first settlement by whites occurred in 1856. From 72e 61e 57e 45e Water and raccoon have adapted all too well to the park’s the period 1856-1862 a settlement was established. 58e 47e Dump Station recreational areas, and are frequent visitors of campers Although its population varied, it probably numbered 60e 43e Toilets 48e 31e LAKE SHETEK and picnickers. no more than 40 persons at any given time. This settle- 62e 44e 51e ment was established from Lake Fremont to Beauty 46e 33e The wooded shorelines of Lake Shetek provide cover STATE PARK Lake along the eastern belt of land adjacent to Lake 49e 35e 32e for a variety of woodland species. Notable animals Shetek. The availability of large trees and wood made 50e 18e include white-tail deer, fox, mink, beaver, fox squirrels, it attractive for settlers and pioneers. The western 37e 34e FOR MORE INFORMATION muskrat, woodchuck, and coyote. The woods also 52e 38e 20e shores of Shetek were largely prairie and thus offered 40e 19e 01e Lake Shetek State Park provide cover for many birds including cuckoos, 36e no appeal to the first settlers. 02 bunting, warblers, and hawks. 39e 21e 163 State Park Road 24e 04e Most of those who came in the 1856-62 period were 41e Several wetland areas in the park offer visitors an 25e 22e Currie, MN 56123-1018 taking advantage of then Governor Ramsey’s lenient 27e 03 opportunity to view waterfowl, reptiles and amphibi- 29e land regulations which permitted them to claim land 06e C01 (507) 763-3256 ans. At Eastlick Marsh, interpretive signs and an ob- 23e W02 after seven years’ occupation if they cleared sufficient 26e 07e ♦ servation deck with a spotting scope allow for close- 05 16 land area for a farm. 28e 09e W04 up viewing and easy identification of coot, grebes, 30e W06 Department of Natural Resources 11e 15 W01 W08 ducks, herons, and pelicans. Many species of waterfowl The promise of the first white settlement of Shetek 08 14 W09 Information Center can be seen nesting in and around the park in spring came to an end during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. On W05 10 13 W07 500 Lafayette Road and early summer. August 20, 1862 three war bands of Dakota braves NORTH descended on the Shetek settlement. Fifteen settlers 12 St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 A large portion of the park consists of abandoned farm were killed in the attack and the rest scattered. After Lake W10 fields. In an effort to restore the natural prairie com- (651) 296-6157 (Metro Area) the conclusion of the Dakota Conflict on September 26, munity, carefully managed prescribed burns, weed 1862, Shetek lay abandoned for all practical purposes. Shetek 1-888-646-6367 (MN Toll Free) control, and other techniques are used in these areas. It was not until the 1900s that further settlements were Although it will take decades to even partially restore envisioned for the area. Families from Ireland were LAKE SHETEK STATE PARK TDD (Telecommunications the prairie, many species of prairie grasses and wild- tempted to settle at Avoca and nearby towns through WOLF POINT CAMPGROUND Device for Deaf) flowers can now be found in the park, Blazing star, generous grants and loans: however, the difficulty of black-eyed susans, coneflowers, vervain, sunflowers, (651) 296-5484 (Metro Area) farming soon doomed many of these efforts at further and bottle gentian are a few of the showy wildflowers settlement. Added to these distresses were severe Min- SO EVERYONE CAN ENJOY THE PARK . . . 1-800-657-3929 (MN Toll Free) again growing in the park. nesota winters, blackbird and locust infestations. ♦ • Park permits are required on every motorized vehicle GEOLOGY: Lake Shetek lies in the Coteau des Prairie Shetek never had any chance of developing a subsis- entering the park. This information is available in DNR Web Site: www.dnr.state.mn.us “highlands of the prairie” region of Minnesota, a State Parks Page: www.mnstateparks.info tence farming economy and thus, with the lack of • Pet waste deposited in mowed or maintained areas alternative format upon request. geological area which separates the Minnesota River economic integrity, it never became a community as from the Missouri River watershed. This Coteau region must be immediately cleaned up by the owner and thriving as Sioux Falls or Sioux City. However, the deposited in an appropriate waste container. LAKE SHETEK STATE PARK is located 14 miles north- was often inundated by glaciers that moved across beauty of Lake Shetek still remains. As it was beautiful • Edible berries, fungi and legally taken wild animals “Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from east of Slayton, 13 miles south of Tracy, and 33 miles Minnesota two million to 11,000 years ago. During in the eyes of the Native American and the white settler, the last period of glaciation (Wisconsin), the Des are the only things not protected by law in state parks. programs of the Minnesota Department of Natural southeast of Marshall, MN in Murray County. Access so it remains beautiful in our eyes too. Resources is available to all individuals regardless of to the park is by County Road 38, north of Currie. Moines lobe covered this area with deep deposits of • Hunting in the park and possessing any firearm is glacial till (rock debris). INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM: The park’s interpretive race, color, creed or religion, national origin, sex, marital Highway map index: D-19. allowed only during the special muzzle loader season. status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual center, open through the summer, has on display many • Loud noises and other disturbances are prohibited Shetek is an Ojibwe word. The most widely accepted Each advance of the glacier moved immense amounts orientation, age or disability. Discrimination inquires photographs, artifacts, maps and interpretive exhibits after 10 P.M. translation is “pelican”. Lake Shetek, the largest lake in of glacial till, which accumulated at the margins of relating to the natural and cultural resources in the should be sent to the Minnesota Department of Natural the glacier, forming irregular hills and depressions • It is unlawful for any person in a state park to Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, southwestern Minnesota, forms the headwaters of the park. A self-guided interpretive trail around Loon Minnesota Des Moines River. called moraines. The Coteau is essentially formed by Island begins at the boat landing. Kids can ask for a consume intoxicating liquors, or to display in public MN 55155-4031; or the Equal Opportunity two moraines, the Bemis and Altemont. Prairie Jr. Naturalist book at the park office and com- any intoxicating liquor containers. Office, Department of the Interior, Wash- For many years, the Department of Natural Resources ington, D.C. 20240.” About 12,000 years ago the climate warmed and the plete it to earn a Jr. Naturalist patch. • The park is closed from 10:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. except has stocked game fish in Lake Shetek. In 1975, an in camping areas. glaciers receded, producing swift rivers of meltwater DEPARTMENT OF aeration system was installed in the 3,600-acre lake, NATURAL RESOURCES which sculpted channels and formed outwash plains. • Minnesota State Park rules are available at park office. © 7/2008 by State of Minnesota, raising the winter oxygen level and reducing winterkill. Department of Natural Resources DNR Maps