Zippel Bay State Park
Encyclopedia
Zippel Bay State Park is a state park in Lake of the Woods County
, Minnesota
in the United States. It is on the white sand beach shoreline of the Lake of the Woods
, near the United States border with Canada
. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping
, hiking
, fishing
and cross-country skiing
.
dates back to prehistoric times. Evidence of their settlements have been found along the Rainy River just east of the bay. The first Europeans in the area were the French explorers of New France
. Coureur des bois
Pierre La Vérendrye
passed through the area in 1732 and reported settlements of the Cree
, Monsoni, Dakota
, and Assiniboine tribes. These natives preceded the Ojibwe who were pushed into the area by European-American settlers as they pushed their way west through Canada and the United States.
La Vérendrye built Fort St. Pierre
, a small post on Rainy River
. La Vérendrye next established a strong French foothold in the area at Fort St. Charles
on what is now known as Magnuson's Island. From here, French-Canadian voyageurs explored a large section of mid-continent North America, constructed other forts, and conducted fur trading, whose revenues were critical to the economy of the colony. The "golden age" of the French-Canadian fur trade lasted for 30 years before they were forced to abandon their forts at the end of the French and Indian War
in 1763. As a result the area came under the jurisdiction of the British. Transfer of the area to the rule of the United States occurred at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
when the Treaty of Paris
was signed in 1783. The exact boundary was not established until 1842. This was due to confusion about the precise location of the "northwest corner of Lake of the Woods." After 50 years of controversy and confusion the matter was officially settled when the official boundary was established.
Wilhelm Zippel was one of the first permanent settlers in the area. He moved to the area in 1887 and built a home on a peninsula near the entrance of Zippel Bay. Zippel and his family established a commercial fishing enterprise on the lake. A small fishing village also was established in the area and was thriving by 1909. The village included a post office, cold-storage building and homes for the fishermen. There is little evidence of the remains of the village besides foundations, debris and depressions in the land. Zippel Bay State Park was established in 1959 to provide public access to Lake of the Woods and provide recreational opportunities in the area. Construction of the park did not get underway until 1963 and was completed in 1967.
, birch
and aspen
trees. Other plants in the area include choke cherries, blueberries
, cranberries
, Juneberries, pin cherries, strawberries and mushroom
s. The plantlife attracts herbivore
s like Moose
and White-tailed deer
. Other wildlife in the park include Black Bear
, Coyote
, Mink
, Fisher
, Otter
and the rarely seen Pine Marten
. Timber Wolves
have also been sighted in the park.
The shoreline of Lake of the Woods attract a wide variety of shorebirds, water fowl and birds of prey. Sandhill Crane
s nest on the northern side of Zippel Bay. The bay is one of four known breeding areas for the rare Piping Plover
. The plover is nearing extinction in the Great Lakes
region of North America. Other birds found in the park include American White Pelican
s, Franklin's
and Bonaparte's Gull
s, Double-crested Cormorant
s, and several species of tern
s. Osprey
s and Bald Eagle
s nest in the park.
, Lake Agassiz
. Lake of the Woods is a remnant of the glacial lake. The glacial history of northern Minnesota created areas of peatlands and sandy mineral rich soil. The topography of the area is generally gently sloped with some abrupt slopes that are former beaches of Lake of the Woods. Several rock outcrops a scattered around the shores of the lake and the bay.
and sauger
which is a smaller relative of the walleye. Other fish caught in the lake at the park include perch
, muskellunge
and smallmouth bass
.
Lake sturgeon
are rarely caught in the modern era, but they do play a role in the history of the park. Wilhelm Zippel built his fishing business on sturgeon. The sturgeon were caught for their valuable eggs, caviar
. The fish were butchered and sent to market. The fish which can weigh up to 250 pounds (113.4 kg) and reach an age of 100 are occasionally caught by anglers at the park.
Zippel Bay State Park has two campgrounds with 57 campsites and one group camping area for organizations like the Boy Scouts. The camping areas have showers and vault toilets with dumping stations available for campers with recreational vehicle
s. The park has 6 miles (9.7 km) of hiking trails, 11 miles (17.7 km) of cross-country skiing trails and 3 miles (4.8 km) of snow mobile trails. Additionally Zippel Bay State Park has picnic facilities including separate tables and a pavilion, a swimming area, boat ramps and a fishing pier.
Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
Lake of the Woods County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 4,045. Its county seat is Baudette. The county contains the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the Lower 48 States, and includes the U.S. portion of Lake of the Woods, shared with...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the United States. It is on the white sand beach shoreline of the Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
, near the United States border with Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
.
History
The history of human habitation in the Zippel Bay are of Lake of the WoodsLake of the Woods
Lake of the Woods is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates a small land area of Minnesota from the rest of the United States. The Northwest Angle and the town of Angle Township can only be reached from the rest of...
dates back to prehistoric times. Evidence of their settlements have been found along the Rainy River just east of the bay. The first Europeans in the area were the French explorers of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
. Coureur des bois
Coureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
Pierre La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. In the 1730s he and his four sons opened up the area west of Lake Superior and thus began the process that added Western Canada to the original New France in the Saint Lawrence basin...
passed through the area in 1732 and reported settlements of the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
, Monsoni, Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, and Assiniboine tribes. These natives preceded the Ojibwe who were pushed into the area by European-American settlers as they pushed their way west through Canada and the United States.
La Vérendrye built Fort St. Pierre
Fort St. Pierre
Fort Saint Pierre was the first fort built west of Fort Kaministiquia by Pierre La Vérendrye in northwestern Ontario. La Vérendrye, the first western commander, built it in 1731 at the beginning of his explorations. As military officer, La Vérendrye had multiple responsibilities, and he created...
, a small post on Rainy River
Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)
The Rainy River is a river, approximately long, which forms part of the U.S.-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
. La Vérendrye next established a strong French foothold in the area at Fort St. Charles
Fort St. Charles
Fort Saint Charles was a secure trading post constructed in 1732, one of several western forts built under the direction of military commander La Vérendrye...
on what is now known as Magnuson's Island. From here, French-Canadian voyageurs explored a large section of mid-continent North America, constructed other forts, and conducted fur trading, whose revenues were critical to the economy of the colony. The "golden age" of the French-Canadian fur trade lasted for 30 years before they were forced to abandon their forts at the end of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in 1763. As a result the area came under the jurisdiction of the British. Transfer of the area to the rule of the United States occurred at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
when the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
was signed in 1783. The exact boundary was not established until 1842. This was due to confusion about the precise location of the "northwest corner of Lake of the Woods." After 50 years of controversy and confusion the matter was officially settled when the official boundary was established.
Wilhelm Zippel was one of the first permanent settlers in the area. He moved to the area in 1887 and built a home on a peninsula near the entrance of Zippel Bay. Zippel and his family established a commercial fishing enterprise on the lake. A small fishing village also was established in the area and was thriving by 1909. The village included a post office, cold-storage building and homes for the fishermen. There is little evidence of the remains of the village besides foundations, debris and depressions in the land. Zippel Bay State Park was established in 1959 to provide public access to Lake of the Woods and provide recreational opportunities in the area. Construction of the park did not get underway until 1963 and was completed in 1967.
Ecology
Zippel Bay State Park is home to a diverse population of jack pineJack Pine
Jack pine is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine, with the southernmost part of the range just into northwest Indiana...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
trees. Other plants in the area include choke cherries, blueberries
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
, cranberries
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
, Juneberries, pin cherries, strawberries and mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s. The plantlife attracts herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
s like Moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
and White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
. Other wildlife in the park include Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, Mink
Mink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
, Fisher
Fisher (animal)
The fisher is a medium-size mammal native to North America. It is a member of the mustelid family, commonly referred to as the weasel family. The fisher is closely related to but larger than the American Marten...
, Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
and the rarely seen Pine Marten
Pine Marten
The European Pine Marten , known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as Pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. It...
. Timber Wolves
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
have also been sighted in the park.
The shoreline of Lake of the Woods attract a wide variety of shorebirds, water fowl and birds of prey. Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
s nest on the northern side of Zippel Bay. The bay is one of four known breeding areas for the rare Piping Plover
Piping Plover
The Piping Plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck...
. The plover is nearing extinction in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region of North America. Other birds found in the park include American White Pelican
American White Pelican
The American White Pelican is a large aquatic bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America, in winter....
s, Franklin's
Franklin's Gull
The Franklin's Gull is a small gull.-Description:It breeds in central provinces of Canada and adjacent states of the northern United States...
and Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
The Bonaparte's Gull is a small gull.The Bonaparte's Gull is a small species, larger only than the Little Gull and the Saunders's Gull among all gull species. Adults are long with a wingspan and a body mass of . They have a black hood and a short thin dark bill. The body is mainly white with...
s, Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...
s, and several species of tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s. Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s and Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s nest in the park.
Geology
Zippel Bay State Park is in a part of Minnesota that was at one time park of a glacial lakeGlacial lake
A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,000 years ago, glaciers began to retreat. A retreating glacier often left behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ended, these melted to create...
, Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz was an immense glacial lake located in the center of North America. Fed by glacial runoff at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined, and it held more water than contained by all lakes in the world today.-Conception:First...
. Lake of the Woods is a remnant of the glacial lake. The glacial history of northern Minnesota created areas of peatlands and sandy mineral rich soil. The topography of the area is generally gently sloped with some abrupt slopes that are former beaches of Lake of the Woods. Several rock outcrops a scattered around the shores of the lake and the bay.
Recreation
Zippel Bay State Park is open for year-round recreation with fishing being the primary attraction. Lake of the Woods has an abundance of walleyeWalleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
and sauger
Sauger
The sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae which resembles its close relative the walleye. They are members of the largest vertebrate order, Perciforms. They are the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers obtain two dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the...
which is a smaller relative of the walleye. Other fish caught in the lake at the park include perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
and smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
.
Lake sturgeon
Lake sturgeon
The lake sturgeon is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 20 species of sturgeon. Like other sturgeons, this species is an evolutionarily ancient bottomfeeder with a partly cartilaginous skeleton and skin bearing rows of bony plates...
are rarely caught in the modern era, but they do play a role in the history of the park. Wilhelm Zippel built his fishing business on sturgeon. The sturgeon were caught for their valuable eggs, caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
. The fish were butchered and sent to market. The fish which can weigh up to 250 pounds (113.4 kg) and reach an age of 100 are occasionally caught by anglers at the park.
Zippel Bay State Park has two campgrounds with 57 campsites and one group camping area for organizations like the Boy Scouts. The camping areas have showers and vault toilets with dumping stations available for campers with recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
s. The park has 6 miles (9.7 km) of hiking trails, 11 miles (17.7 km) of cross-country skiing trails and 3 miles (4.8 km) of snow mobile trails. Additionally Zippel Bay State Park has picnic facilities including separate tables and a pavilion, a swimming area, boat ramps and a fishing pier.