Get the comprehensive guide that helps you learn about and explore Minnesota’s Itasca State Park. It’s easy to see why Itasca State Park is Minnesota’s most popular park. Most famously known for the Mississippi River Headwaters, Itasca State Park offers 50 miles of hiking trails, 16 miles of bike routes, 28 miles of skiing trails, 32 miles of snowmobiling trails, 100 lakes, and dozens of beautiful historic buildings to explore—all within 32,836 acres of pine and hardwood forests that are up to 300 years old! With so much to see and do, it’s hard to know where to begin. Expert author Deane Johnson is here to help with The Best of Itasca, your comprehensive guide to this beloved state park. Whether you’re visiting for a day, staying for a week or simply want a keepsake, you’ll find everything you need in the pages of this book. Features: Detailed guide to hiking, biking, camping, lodging, and skiing - Fascinating stories from Itasca’s colorful past - Tips on finding the park’s hidden gems throughout the seasons - Natural history of the land, dating back to prehistory - Nearby attractions, such as the La Salle Lake State Recreation Area Improve your life; connect with nature at Itasca State Park. Deane Johnson has been an active photographer since acquiring his first Canon FTb in 1976. He grew up in Grand Forks, ND, and has lived and traveled throughout northern Minnesota. Drawn to the lakes and woods of Park Rapids, MN, in 1980, he has lived there since then. A retired family physician, he was a founding member of the Jackpine Writers’ Bloc, plays clarinet and saxophone, and was a co-owner of Beagle Books of Park Rapids with his wife, Jill. He was the photographer for Jill’s book, “Little Minnesota: 100 Towns Around 100.” ITASCA HISTORY A More Thorough Look at Itasca On February 12, 1889, Brower was commissioned by the Minnesota Historical Society to do a detailed survey of the water and land of the entire Lake Itasca watershed. His work, which set the stage for the establishment of the park, was poorly financed and he was forced to pay most of the costs out of his own pocket. He enlisted a number of assistants to map the hydrology and land in great detail; his crew included several Park Rapids residents and settlers already at Lake Itasca. They began their survey a month later and continued until October. Headwaters are Hard to Define What constitutes a river’s source? Is it the first drops of water from a spring, the trickle of a stream, or must it be a lake? Could Hernando DeSoto Lake or Whipple Lake, connected to the Headwaters via underground flowage, be considered the source? Can Nicollet Lake, Elk Lake or Mary Lake, all of which feed Lake Itasca, be singled out? Brower noted that various rivers of the world have all had varying criteria applied to determine their sources, and that there was no single, widely accepted definition. So he concluded, “in the absence of any fundamental term upon which to proceed, a reliable rule of no uncertainty, the rule dictated by nature, in ascertaining where the waters were gathered which form the remotest source of the Mississippi, was adopted . . .” In other words, you choose what best fits your concept of “source,” and go with it. Debunking Glazier Brower’s detailed map and studies of the water flow and patterns around Lake Itasca and Elk Lake determined that Lake Itasca was the best choice as the true source, due to the flow from multiple streams, including Nicollet Creek, which provided the most water, as well as other inlets, including Chambers Creek from Elk Lake, and Mary Creek, Boutwell Creek and French Creek. Brower, eager to refute Glazier’s claims that Elk Lake was the source, documented that the drought of 1889 reduced Chambers Creek to a depth of one inch with “imperceptible flow” by September. He reported that Peter Turnbull in 1883–1884 “walked up the bed of the creek without wetting the soles of his shoes.” Yet there was always a current into the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca, greatly exceeding the flow from all the feeder streams combined, suggesting that underground sources provide the lake with much of its water. Modern hydrologic studies have proven that he was right and, in fact, show that over half of Lake Itasca’s water is spring-fed. Itasca Becomes an Official State Park During his detailed survey, Brower recognized what a natural treasure he was exploring and began his efforts to establish a state park to protect the timber, wildlife and other natural resources in the area. On March 2, 1891, General John Sanborn from Ramsey County introduced Brower’s bill, S.F. 461, to establish the park. A similar request to the federal government was denied, as lands in the area had already been sold. As the timber industry was the major economic engine in the state, and many in the legislature and higher levels of state government were closely connected with it, Brower’s efforts to deny loggers access to such a significant area was met with str