Chimney Rock is a protected scientific and natural area in rural

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

, Minnesota. The area features a

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

rock pillar; the last remaining in the county.

History

Natural sandstone pillars have been noted in two other areas of the county. The community and township of Castle Rock are eponymous with a similar formation which later collapsed. Lone Rock in Empire Township was noted by

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson th ...

in the early 1800s, but has since eroded significantly. Chimney Rock was noted as a landmark for settlers who moved to Dakota County in the 1800s. It was described as "the most picturesque and perfect example of columnar rock weathering in Minnesota" in 1905. Efforts to preserve Chimney Rock began in 2002 with a county bond issue preserving natural areas. In 2011, the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...

bought 76 acres of land surrounding the formation, which became the Scientific and Natural Area. A local group of DNR volunteers, the Hastings Environmental Protectors, maintains the SNA.

References

External links

Chimney Rock SNA official site
at the

Chimney Rock
at geocaching.com {{Dakota County, Minnesota topics Protected areas of Dakota County, Minnesota Protected areas established in 2011