The visitor center at the St. Croix River’s largest state park has been significantly remodeled, including with updated exhibits. The renovation at St. Croix State Park, between Hinckley, Minn. and Danbury, Wis., also incorporates a broader range of stories about the place, and makes it more accessible to more people.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources worked with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, which has strong ties to the park and surrounding area, to create interpretive content that represents the Ojibwe people’s past and present connections. They also collaborated with other members of the local community to include more perspectives.

The displays are also designed to connect with people who have cognitive, physical, visual, and hearing disabilities, including audio descriptions that enhance interactions. Some exhibits feature three-dimensional objects that can be touched and felt.

The DNR and the tribe celebrated completion of the project at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

“Every year, we are making progress on increasing access to the outdoors,” said Ann Pierce, Parks and Trails director. “Increasing adaptive-supported recreation opportunities throughout the state helps ensure all Minnesotans can explore the great outdoors and enjoy the health and wellness benefits of time spent in nature.”

The visitor center has also been renamed for Vice President Walter Mondale, as part of legislation passed in 2019 that renamed several public sites along the St. Croix for the lifelong river champion and protector. Mondale passed away last year at age 93.

The 34,000-acre St. Croix State Park was developed in the 1930s by the federal government as the St. Croix Recreation Demonstration Area, with extensive work from the Civilian Conservation Corps. Many of the stone buildings and other facilities this program constructed still stand today, giving the park a distinct National Park feeling. These structures are a big part of the reason the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The park’s Visitor Center is located in one of these historic structures, the St. Croix Lodge, a 106-foot long sandstone and log building constructed in 1937-38. It also offers a fireplace and seating area, room for meetings and interpretive programs, and restrooms.

The renovation project was funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which voters approved in 2008 to raise the statewide sales tax by three-eighths percent. Parks and trails receive 14.25 percent of the revenue.

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