"THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY" - Westbound I-94 Rest Area; Washington Co., MN - Minnesota Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

At the westbound Interstate 94 rest area just as you enter from Wisconsin, visitors can find this Minnesota Historical Marker.

The text of the marker reads:

THE ST. CROIX RIVER VALLEY

Forming a long stretch of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, the St. Croix is one of America’s most scenic Wild Rivers. Its valley is sometimes referred to as the “New England of the West.”

Along with the Brule River in northern Wisconsin, the St. Croix forms a water passageway between Lake Superior and the upper Mississippi River that was well known to the Dakoda and Ojibway people and became a highway of the early fur traders. In the last half of the 19th Century lumbermen found the river useful for transporting logs and lumber in huge drives from the white pine forests of the north to the booming markets of the growing midwest.

Swedish novelist Fredrika Bremer saw the St. Croix valley as “just the country fro a new Scandinavia,” and the first of many Swedish settlers in Minnesota built their homes near here in 1850. The Minnesota territory had been organized and named just two years earlier in a convention at the river town of Stillwater, the “Birthplace of Minnesota” some six miles north of this marker.

In the 20th Century the St. Croix valley has become an important recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities. Interstate Park, located north of here, was established in 1895 as a joint enterprise of Wisconsin and Minnesota. It was the first such cooperative state park in the United States. Several other parks and forest reserves now occupy much of the land on both sides of “America’s Rhine,” and thousands enjoy its beauty year round.

Erected by the Minnesota Historical Society 1986

Marker Type:: Roadside

Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site'.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/16/2012 DougandSandra visited it 04/01/2010 Teambadger visited it

View all visits/logs