Itasca State Park: Mississippi River Headwaters Dam – Park Rapids MN

City:
Itasca, MN

Site Type:
Infrastructure and Utilities, Dams

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Description

Starting in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed a 44-foot dam, comprised of “40,000 cubic yards of fill” and “topped with stepping-stones, across the headwaters of the Mississippi River.”  It is not clear exactly when the job was completed.

The dam did not create Itasca Lake but did stabilize the lake level and better define the outfall, which had previously made its way through dense riparian vegetation.  The CCC men also built the first wooden sign at the site, since replaced by a vertical sign.

Over the years, foot traffic and shifting stream flow eroded the stepping stones and banks, so that the state park carried out restoration work in late 2020.

Source notes

Barbara W. Sommer, Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2008. Pgs. 104-105.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/09/06/widened-by-erosion-iconic-mississippi-headwaters-to-undergo-restoration-work

 

Location Info


Headwaters Dam
Itasca State Park, MN

Location notes: The map indicates the approximate location of the CCC-built dam in Itasca State Park.

Coordinates: 47.23979, -95.20763

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