Remodeled St. Croix State Park visitor center offers fresh stories and accessible appeal

New exhibits developed in partnership with tribe and local community designed to share broad perspectives with new audiences.

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St. Croix Lodge, Visitor Center, St. Croix State Park (Joe Passe/Flickr)

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.

New interpretive exhibit at Visitor Center. (MN DNR)

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.

Video by MN DNR

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.



St. Croix State Park Events:

Did You Hear That? Night Hike
July 8, 2022
8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Ultimate Survivor: Fern Edition
July 9, 2022
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Chimney Stories
July 9, 2022
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Like A Wolf in the Night
July 9, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Jr. Naturalist Sensory Games
July 10, 2022
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Retro Reels
July 15, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Like a Wolf in the Night
July 16, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

When Animals Make Tracks
July 16, 2022
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Jr. Naturalist Sensory Games
July 16, 2022
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Camo Creatures Treasure Hunt
July 17, 2022
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Retro Reels
July 22, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Like a Wolf in the Night
July 23, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

When Animals Make Tracks
July 23, 2022
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Your Burning Questions: Fire in the Park
July 23, 2022
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Archery in the Parks
July 24, 2022
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Navigating by the Stars
July 29, 2022
9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

When Animals Make Tracks
July 30, 2022
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Your Burning Questions: Fire in the Park
July 30, 2022
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

How to Recognize Different Types of Trees from Quite a Long Way Away (And Up Close!)
July 30, 2022
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Navigating by the Stars
Aug. 5, 2022
9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Your Burning Questions: Fire in the Park
Aug. 6, 2022
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Know Your Knots
Aug. 6, 2022
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

How to Recognize Different Types of Trees from Quite a Long Way Away (And Up Close!)
Aug. 7, 2022
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.