Buffalo River State Park WPA Sites

Buffalo River State Park was established in order to create jobs during the Great Depression and to preserve the native prairie in the area. The park development began with the Moorhead Rod and Gun Club, which had formed in 1925 as a response to the dwindling numbers of game in the area.[1] The project was conceptualized in 1935 and the park itself was established in 1937. Throughout the entire development process, the Rod and Gun Club, led by then-president C.P Brown, campaigned heavily on the local and national level with hopes to see the park come to fruition. The Works Progress Administration [WPA] developed the park, constructing six different buildings on the park’s land; a bathhouse, a dam, a swimming area, a stone curb, a residence, and a latrine.[2]

Like most of the other WPA projects in the state of Minnesota, the sites at Buffalo River State Park incorporate a “rustic style split stone construction.”[3] This architectural style was developed and utilized by the National Park Service in the 20th century. Oftentimes in order to incorporate the rustic part of the style, the stones used in the buildings were harvested from local areas. Therefore each park is connected through the rustic style, yet the stone symbolizes each park’s uniqueness. In the case of Buffalo River, local split stone was used to construct the buildings.[4]

Of the WPA features in the park three are classified as buildings and the other three as structures. The bathhouse shares a similar layout to seven other state park bathhouses. Most of these buildings have undergone renovations since the 1930s. For instance, the latrine was initially built with cedar shingles which were later replaced with asphalt in 1959. All of the structures are gathered in one area with the swimming beach as the focal point. This man-made beach was created by diverting the river with two dams; an outlet and a diversion dam.[5] This beach has been popular with locals since its creation but in recent years the beach has remained closed due in part to a lack of lifeguards and recent pandemic-related events.[6] When it’s not swimming season the lake is drained and people flock to the river and the trails.

One of the most noteworthy parts of Buffalo River State Park is its abundance of native virgin prairie. Yet, these areas see possibly the least amount of foot traffic in the park.[7] This is a good thing for the preservation of the prairie, a dwindling biome within the great plains. Here, native wildflowers bloom, and birds such as phoebes, thrushes, and wrens populate the landscape.[8] The park was initially 122 acres though once an adjacent prairie was added on in the 1960s, it expanded to approximately 1,240 acres. The prairieland is connected to the Bluestem Prairie Reserve which makes the connected land one of the largest areas of undisturbed prairie in the region.[9]

Buffalo River State Park may by comparison to other state parks like Itasca State Park come off as modest, yet it has prevailed as a small gem loved by the local populace. If you happen to be in the Moorhead area this place is a must-see.

[1] Piehl, Mark. Buffalo River State Park: Clay County's little gem. Clay County Historical Society Newsletter. 10.

[2] Buffalo River State Park, Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed April 20, 2021. https://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/stateparks/Buffalo.php.

[3] Buffalo River State Park, Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed April 20, 2021. https://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/stateparks/Buffalo.php.

[4] Benson, David R. Stories in Log and Stone: The Legacy of the New Deal in Minnesota State Parks. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2002. 62, 63, 86.

[5] National Register of Historic Places. Buffalo River State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources, Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota, Reference Number 10240018. 2, 3, 4.

[6] Buffalo River State Park, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, April 12, 2021, accessed April 20, 2021, https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00124#homepage.

[7] Meyer, Roy Willard. Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota State Parks. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1991. p. 125

[8] Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration. Manfred, Frederick. The WPA Guide to Minnesota. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1985. p. 440.

[9] Roy Willard Meyer, Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota State Parks (Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1991), 125, 126.

Benson, David R. Stories in Log and Stone: The Legacy of the New Deal in Minnesota State Parks. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2002.

Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration. The WPA Guide to Minnesota. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1985.

Meyer, Roy Willard. Everyone's Country Estate: A History of Minnesota State Parks. Saint Paul, Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1991.

Piehl, Mark. "Buffalo River State Park: Clay County's little gem". Clay County Historical Society Newsletter. Vol. 27, no. 3 (May/June 2004): 8-13.

Buffalo River State Park. Minnesota Historical Society. https://www.mnhs.org/places/nationalregister/stateparks/Buffalo.php.

National Register of Historic Places. Buffalo River State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources, Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota, Reference Number 10240018

Buffalo River State Park. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. April 12, 2021. Accessed April 20, 2021. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00124#homepage.