Old Mill State Park is a small

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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 ...

on the Middle River between Argyle and Newfolden on an ancient beach of glacial

Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz was a large glacial lake in central North America. Fed by glacial meltwater at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined. First postulated in 1823 by William H. Keating, it ...

in Marshall County in the northwestern part of the state. It is a park.

History

The park area was originally homesteaded by the Larson Family in 1882. A series of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

- and wind-powered mills were soon built in the area. Eventually a steam-powered mill replaced the older technology. The state bought the area in 1937 and rebuilt the steam engine in 1958. Every year as part of the park's special events and interpretive programs, the old mill is run as it had been years ago.

Wildlife

Many species are attracted to the river that runs through the park.

Deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

are the largest animals that frequent the park.

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

white-tailed jackrabbit The white-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus townsendii''), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha ...

s and

snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...

s are common. A bird migration route runs through the park adding more wildlife especially in the spring and fall. The ground-nesting marsh hawk is a common summer resident. Owls and the occasional eagle have been sighted in the park.

National Register of Historic Places

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

including eight contributing buildings and structures, built by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The Larson Mill is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

External links

Old Mill State Park
{{authority control 1937 establishments in Minnesota Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Mill museums in Minnesota Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Protected areas established in 1937 Protected areas of Marshall County, Minnesota Rustic architecture in Minnesota State parks of Minnesota Works Progress Administration in Minnesota Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Marshall County, Minnesota