State park is located just north of Park Rapids

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

Our family will make another visit to Itasca State Park in late June. This writer has visited the park since the 1950s and the walk to the headwaters of the Mississippi River never grows old.

Those of us who truly love Itasca State Park, 20 miles north of Park Rapids, make return visits with a sense of excitement and anticipation. Established in 1891, Itasca is Minnesota’s oldest state park.

Residents of Otter Tail County should feel fortunate to live so close to this park. This hits home when one sees all of the out-of-state license plates this time of year at Itasca State Park.

There is enjoyment in taking the boardwalk for a 15-minute walk to the Old-Timers cabin. The boardwalk starts a short distance from Douglas Lodge. A panoramic view awaits you as you take the steps down the hill, from the lodge atop the hill.

Visitors to Itasca State Park also can hike from Forest Inn, a visitors center and gift shop near Douglas Lodge, southeasterly to Mary Lake. After a short walk along a trail near the lake, hikers can return to Forest Inn along the Ozawindib Trail. The entire route takes less than a half hour. 

In Itasca Park, you also can take hikes of longer durations. Anywhere you go, the park is beautiful.

Fergus Falls retiree Bruce Clark, who has been to state parks and national parks all across the United States, says Itasca State Park is his favorite.

“I grew up in a beautiful horse racing town in upstate New York, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains,” said Clark, an Army veteran. “I’ve been in all 48 contiguous states and lived in Germany for more than four years. Each location has beauty all its own, but nothing as good as Itasca State Park.”

Douglas Lodge dates back to 1905

The development of recreational facilities in Itasca State Park began in 1905 with the construction of Douglas Lodge, the first rustic style building in the state park system. Twelve more rustic buildings were later added to Itasca Park.

With the rustic style already firmly established, the federal work programs of the 1930s continued the tradition when they began large-scale recreational development in Itasca State Park. Work was undertaken by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Log construction was generally used because timber was easily available in the area.

As noted at an informational kiosk at the source of the Mississippi River in Itasca Park, one of the 1930s CCC projects was a seven-foot wide concrete piling and rock dam constructed at the outlet of Lake Itasca. This stabilized the flowage. 

In the words of project planners, the work also “made for a beautiful site at the start of the Mississippi River.” Another crew placed a log corduroy in the river channel at the headwaters, in 1933. 

Many people from Otter Tail County love Itasca State Park. It’s likely that nobody loved this park more than the late Ken Berg who worked in the art department at Otter Tail Power Company.

Ken’s love for Itasca Park rubbed off on his wife, Ruth and their four children, Tim, Deb, Paul and Lisa. The family took their camper to Itasca Park many times over the years. Ken and Ruth would hike along Lake Itasca to breakfast at the Douglas Lodge restaurant.

“My dad used to say, ‘This is my park, but I let everyone use it,’ an indication of how much he loved Itasca State Park,” said daughter Deb Berg Nelson.