McCarthy Beach State Park
| McCarthy Beach State Park | |
| Minnesota State Park | |
 McCarthy Beach State Park. | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Minnesota |
| County | Saint Louis |
| Location | French Township |
| - elevation | 1,381 ft (421 m) [1] |
| - coordinates | 47°40′21″N 93°1′48″W / 47.67250°N 93.03000°WCoordinates: 47°40′21″N 93°1′48″W / 47.67250°N 93.03000°W |
| Area | 2,471 acres (1,000.0 ha) |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Management | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
  Location of McCarthy Beach State Park in Minnesota | |
McCarthy Beach State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, on the Sturgeon Lake chain near Hibbing. It is located in French Township, Saint Louis County.
Ecosystem
Thirty-three species of wildlife inhabit the park including white-tailed deer, black bear, timber wolves, chipmunks, red squirrels, raccoons, and several species of reptiles and amphibians. More than 175 species of birds also visit the area.
The park protects a northern boreal forest with stands of red and white pine and leatherleaf-black spruce lowlands.
Geology
The glaciers that moved through the area gouged and tore at the bedrock, the cooled lava of ancient volcanoes. During that period, glaciers flowed south, retreated north, and flowed south again. The first glacier stopped where McCarthy Beach is now located. It left low rolling hills with steep sides called moraines. Between the hills, the glaciers gouged valleys and in the larger valleys, lakes were formed.
History
In 1895, the Swan River Logging Company built a railroad to Sturgeon Lake. The railroad hauled logs to the Swan River where they were floated down the Mississippi River to Minneapolis sawmills. Over the years, the area became a popular picnic and tenting ground for people from the Iron Range. When the property owner John A. McCarthy died in 1943, his daughter sold the land to a lumberman. Local citizens became concerned about the fate of the timber and were able to persuade the new owner to sell the land. Locals raised some of the money to finance the sale. By matching local money with state money the land was purchased and became a state park in 1945.
Statistics
- 2,311 acres (9.35 km2)
- 115,842 annual visits
References
- ↑ "McCarthy Beach State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-01-11. Retrieved 2011-02-25.