Flandrau State Park

Geography Flandrau State Park lies in a small valley carved by the east-flowing Cottonwood River. Marshy oxbow lakes mark the river's former courses along the valley floor. The steep valley walls rise . The Cottonwood joins the Minnesota River just east of the park. It originates west of the park in Lyon County, Minnesota. The park boundary largely follows the valley rim. Trees on the slopes generally screen the adjacent development. The northern end of the park, including the campground, is within the city limits of New Ulm. Many of these are birds migrating through rather than nesting. The Cottonwood River supports a few game fish — notably northern pike and smallmouth bass — and a greater variety of rough fish. ==Cultural history==

Archaeological evidence found outside the park confirms that prehistoric Native Americans inhabited the Cottonwood River valley. A few sites were as much as 7,000 years old, though most were 2,000 years old or less. At the time of European contact in the mid-17th century the area was home to the Dakota. State park creation To help combat unemployment during the Great Depression, federal funding was dedicated to park development throughout the United States. The Cottonwood River valley was selected as it was in a well-populated region with no other large recreational area or lakes. Moreover, the land was largely abandoned and seemingly in need of flood control structures. A second workforce arrived in June 1935, establishing its own camp in the southwest corner of the park. These were less-skilled workers hired through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They built the dam and its earthen dikes, constructed a kitchen shelter, landscaped, planted trees, and blazed trails. WPA and CCC workers cleared trees out of the lakebed. For the first year the laborers were World War I veterans from the Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC). In July 1936 they transferred to other Minnesota state parks and were replaced with the unemployed young men more typical of CCC projects. A principle of the rustic style was to harmonize with the local environment, generally by using local materials. In this case, however, architect Edward W. Barber chose to reflect local culture as well, honoring the strong German heritage of New Ulm. The park buildings evoke the architecture of Germany with steeply pitched roofs, dormers, chimneys, casement windows with small panes, and fine nonlinear stonework. The beachhouse is also one of the largest New Deal structures in the Minnesota state park system. About 160 German POWs arrived at Camp New Ulm in June 1944. Mostly members of the Luftwaffe (the German Air Force), they ranged in age from 18 to 25. Twelve men from the U.S. Army served as their guards. After the harvest season, prisoners worked at brick and tile factories and a poultry processing plant. Ochs Brick in Springfield was one. ==Recreation==

Flandrau State Park has of trails for hiking, walking, and running. Many connect to city streets such as Indian Point Dr. and Summit Ave., so the park experiences significant walk-in traffic. In winter 6 miles of the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing and 2 miles for snowshoeing. The park maintains three campgrounds with 92 sites total, 34 of which have electrical hookups. There are also three secluded walk-in sites. Visitors can rent two camper cabins or the historic group center, which sleeps up to 110 in eight bunkhouses. The popular day-use area centers around a unique sand-bottomed, chlorinated swimming pool. This is adjacent to the historic beachhouse and a picnic area with a playground, volleyball and horseshoes facilities, and a reservable shelter. Most fishing is done at the downstream end of the Cottonwood River, near the park's eastern edge, where the riverbank is most easily accessed. Flandrau is adjacent to Nehls City Park, the private New Ulm Country Club, and the August Schell Brewing Company. The Hermann Heights Monument and Martin Luther College are within blocks of the park entrance. ==References==