Crosby Farm is a regional
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
in
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...
, United States, in the
floodplain forests
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
along the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. It is named after a farmstead Thomas Crosby owned from 1858 to 1886. Crosby Farm Regional Park is maintained by the City of Saint Paul and is within the
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
History
Thomas Crosby acquired the original, farm in 1858 at the West End/
Highland Park area of Saint Paul and farmed it until his death in 1886. A succession of other families owned the farm over the following decades. In the 1960s, the Saint Paul Port Authority acquired the land and leased it as parkland to the City of Saint Paul.
Regional park
The ,
contiguous
Hidden Falls and Crosby Farm regional parks are Saint Paul's largest natural park. Crosby Farm park protects the floodplain forest along the Mississippi River corridor's north bank, the dense oak forest adjacent to the river bluff, and several wetlands and small lakes, including Crosby Lake and Upper Lake.
Recreation
Crosby Farm Regional Park includes of paved trails for hiking and cycling that connect it to the
Watergate Marina and Hidden Falls Regional Park.
Popular activities include picnicking, hiking, boating, fishing, cycling, and
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
.
See also
*
History of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, the county seat of Ramsey County, and the state capital of Minnesota. The origin and growth of the city were spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United ...
*
Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River upstream of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, at the confluence of its main tributary, the Missouri River.
History
In terms of geologic and hydrographic history, the Upper ...
References
External links
Crosby Farm Regional Park mapMississippi National River and Recreation Area
{{Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Hiking trails in Minnesota
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Protected areas of Ramsey County, Minnesota
Parks in Minnesota