Sakatah Lake State Park was formed by glacial activity over 14,000 years ago. The glaciers left large mounds of rocks and mineral deposits called moraines in this region. The park sits in one of those moraines and some parts of it in this park are over 400 feet deep! Pretty cool!In "recent" times, the Dakota indians, specifically the Wahpekita tribe,
inhabited the area that is now the park. It was this tribe that named the area Sakatah, which, in their language, translates roughly to "the sights and sounds of children playing on the hill," or "Singing Hills" The rivers in the region, Cannon River, Minnesota River, Zumbro River, etc, were the main transportation routes of the time. Think of them as the "interstate highway system" of the day. Since the Big Woods area (the area of most of Central and Southern Minnesota) made land travel very difficult, water routes were optimal. There were lots of trading posts and Indian villages along these rivers. It is thought that an indian village existed right between Upper and Lower Sakatah Lakes. In 1862, Alexander Faribault, a trader, set up a trading post on the shore of cannon Lake which became one of the first white villages in the region.
The park is a beautiful system of trails around the lake that are perfect for hiking, biking, inline skating, and even cross-country skiing. As you can see by my photos, my sister, Brielle, and I had a wonderful morning of hiking and exploring the trails around the lake. You will have fun too, when you visit!
Sakatah Lake State Park was formed by glacial activity over 14,000 years ago. The glaciers left large mounds of rocks and mineral deposits called moraines in this region. The park sits in one of those moraines and some parts of it in this park are over 400 feet deep! Pretty cool!In "recent" times, the Dakota indians, specifically the Wahpekita tribe, 
inhabited the area that is now the park. It was this tribe that named the area Sakatah, which, in their language, translates roughly to "the sights and sounds of children playing on the hill," or "Singing Hills" The rivers in the region, Cannon River, Minnesota River, Zumbro River, etc, were the main transportation routes of the time. Think of them as the "interstate highway system" of the day. Since the Big Woods area (the area of most of Central and Southern Minnesota) made land travel very difficult, water routes were optimal. There were lots of trading posts and Indian villages along these rivers. It is thought that an indian village existed right between Upper and Lower Sakatah Lakes. In 1862, Alexander Faribault, a trader, set up a trading post on the shore of cannon Lake which became one of the first white villages in the region. 
The park is a beautiful system of trails around the lake that are perfect for hiking, biking, inline skating, and even cross-country skiing. As you can see by my photos, my sister, Brielle, and I had a wonderful morning of hiking and exploring the trails around the lake. You will have fun too, when you visit!
(Posted by Wendy, I don't have a Google account)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a beautiful place, Brianna. Our family will have to check it out soon!