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Big Stone Lake State Park
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State Park Overview |
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Nature of the Area |
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Big Stone Lake State Park is part of the Minnesota River Country Landscape Region, a large area which extends almost 200 miles from Ortonville to Mankato. At one time, the landscape consisted of tall and mid-grass prairie, interspersed with marshes, lakes and streams. Today, extensive farming has replaced the prairie. Cottonwoods, ash, and silver maples can be found on the lakes shoreline. The Bonanza Area includes 30 acres of rare glacial till hill prairie, which is designated as a Scientific and Natural Area (SNA).
Long ago, this area was the south end of glacial Lake Agassiz. Torrents of water cut the valley when glacial river Warren drained Lake Aggassiz. The area around Big Stone Lake State Park consists of granite and gneiss quarries. The top three inches of stone is exposed and contains the fossil remains of sharks teeth.
Deer, raccoons, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, meadowlarks, sedge wrens, robins, thrashers and mourning doves are sighted in the park. |
History of the Area |
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Big Stone Lake State Park
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