Glendalough State Park
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Glendalough State Park is a
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 ...
of
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 ...
, USA, in
Otter Tail County Otter Tail County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,081. Its county seat is Fergus Falls. Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in it ...
near Battle Lake close to
Minnesota State Highway 78 Minnesota State Highway 78 (MN 78) is a highway in west-central Minnesota, which runs from State Highway 79 near Erdahl and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 in Perham. Route description Stat ...
. It is named after
Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine. ...
in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The park was once used as a resort and game farm by the owners of
Cowles Media Company Cowles Media Company ( ) (1935–1998) was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing, and Cowles Enth ...
, owner of what is today the ''
Star Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...
'' newspaper. The park contains on land and on the water. Cowles Media Company transferred title to Glendalough to the Nature Conservancy in 1990, and the Nature Conservancy transferred title to the State of Minnesota in 1992. Glendalough was officially declared a state park with a celebration on
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
, April 22, 1992.


History

In 1903, Ezra G. Valentine developed that land into a summer retreat called Valentine's Camp. In 1905 the park was left to Valentine's children, John Alden and Miss Blanche, who later sold the land to Fred A. Everts. Everts sold the Valentine camp to F.E. Murphy who owned and operated the Minneapolis Tribune. Murphy renamed the land Glendalough, after a monastery in Ireland. With the depression in the 1930s and land becoming available for purchase, Murphy expanded the camp and started a game farm. In 1941, Glendalough, along with the ''Minneapolis Tribune'', was purchased by Cowles Media Company, which was partially owned by John Cowles, Sr. Glendalough Game Farm hosted important individuals such as President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
and Vice President
Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
during its time. On Earth Day in 1990, the land was donated to
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 ...
by
Cowles Media Company Cowles Media Company ( ) (1935–1998) was a newspaper, magazine and information publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. The company operated Cowles Business Media, Cowles Creative Publishing, and Cowles Enth ...
, and in 1992 the title was transferred to the State of Minnesota. While that transfer took place in June, celebrations of the park's anniversary are held around
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...
.


2004 and 2005 blowdown

In August 2004, a
severe thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are someti ...
with straight-line winds came through the area, causing severe damage to the landscape. As a result of this devastating incident, the park was closed to the public for a week to clean up debris left by the storm. Less than ten months later, in 2005, Glendalough State Park was hit by another thunderstorm resulting in damage. Following the 2005 storm, the state park was able to remain open with aid from the staff and volunteers of the park. The staff and volunteers used signs and notices warning park visitors of hazards of downed trees throughout the park.


Recreation

Glendalough State Park has many forms of recreation facilities that are provided to park visitors, including fishing, camping, hiking, birding, picture taking, boating, kayaking and canoeing. The park has a Historic Lodge where former Presidents
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
and
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, and former Vice President
Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...
stayed when they visited Glendalough State Park. While camping at Glendalough State Park, it is highly advised that any food be stored into a food locker that the park provides with the site. The park discourage visitors from storing their food in the tents because the wildlife can easily tear open the tents and get to the food.


Lodging

Glendalough State Park has the historic Glendalough Lodge at the park. The lodge is rented out to parties for tours or family gatherings. The state park also has the Trail Center near the Glendalough Lodge.


Camping

At Glendalough State Park, there are three sites designated for camping. The west shore of Annie Battle Lake, between south Annie Battle Lake and North of Molly Stark Lake and on the Southeast corner of Annie Battle Lake.


Picnicking and swimming

Glendalough offers picnicking and swimming areas, often with solitude. Glendalough has two swimming areas for the visitors: on the north shore of Annie Battle Lake near the historic Lodge and Trail Center, and on the north shore of Molly Stark Lake near the Picnic Shelter.


Cart-in site

The campsite along the west side of Annie Battle Lake is designated as a cart-in campground. The state park wants the park visitors to have a primitive setting while camping. This location has four cabins; four electric cabins with one of the cabins being designated as handicapped accessible for the park visitors who need these accommodations.


Group camp

There is one group camp site in the state park: along the creek that flows from Molly Stark Lake to Annie Battle Lake. The group camp is designated for more than seven people for a regular site but no more than 45.


Canoe-in campground

The canoe-in campsites is one of the primitive settings that Glendalough State Park has to offer. Over at the canoe-in sites are three tent sites and two
yurts A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...
. Glendalough State Park is one of three state parks in Minnesota to have yurts available for campers to stay in.


Rustic camping

Between
Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
and
Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
, the facility at the main
campground A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for camping, overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight u ...
shuts down for the season for a more rustic style of living.


Biology and ecology


Plant life

Glendalough State Park has a few restored acres of land designated as prairie restoration. Within this restoration land, prairie plants such as
Big Bluestem ''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot. Taxon ...
,
Pasque Flower The genus ''Pulsatilla'' contains about 40 species of herbaceous perennial plants native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, "pasakh", the common name pasque flower refers to th ...
, and Pussy toe may be found.


Wildlife

Wildlife at Glendalough State Park consists of red-winged blackbirds,
white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s,
osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
s,
turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
s,
Canada geese The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...
,
wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...
s,
pied-billed grebe The pied-billed grebe (''Podilymbus podiceps'') is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Because the Atitlán grebe (''Podilymbus gigas'') has become extinct, the Pied-Billed Grebe is now the sole extant member of the genus ''Podilymbus'' ...
s,
barred owl The barred owl (''Strix varia''), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus '' Strix'', whic ...
s,
red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
es,
blue-winged teal The blue-winged teal (''Spatula discors'') is a species of bird in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. One of the smaller members of the dabbling duck group, it occurs in North America, where it breeds from southern Alaska to Nova Scotia ...
s,
beavers 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 ...
s and
snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s.


References


Further reading

* Glendalough State Park pamphlet handout 2008 * Otter Tail County Recorder's Office


External links


Glendalough State Park

{{authority control 1992 establishments in Minnesota Protected areas established in 1992 Protected areas of Otter Tail County, Minnesota State parks of Minnesota