Cross Ranch State Park is a public recreation area covering on the west bank of the Missouri River south of

Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influen ...

in Oliver County,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

's Cross Ranch Nature Preserve, a preserve which features a roaming herd of more than 200 adult

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

, lies adjacent to the

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

History

In the late 1800s, A.G. Gaines, a scout and land agent for the

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a Mergers and acquisitions, merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the e ...

, owned an where the park and preserve now stand. Although the subsequent owners, Bob and Gladys Levis, wished for the land to become a state park, and its purchase was approved by the state legislature in 1979, Bismarck businessman Robert McCarney funded a statewide referral that killed the proposal. The Nature Conservancy purchased the ranch from the Levis in 1982. It then donated land for the state park in 1989, while holding onto for use as a nature preserve.

Activities and amenities

The state park and nature preserve provide of trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. The park also offers kayaking, canoeing, cabins, yurts, and campsites.

References

External links

Cross Ranch State Park
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department
Cross Ranch State Park Map
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department
Cross Ranch Preserve
The Nature Conservancy {{authority control State parks of North Dakota Protected areas established in 1989 1989 establishments in North Dakota Protected areas of Oliver County, North Dakota