McCarthy Beach State Park

McCarthy Beach State Park
McCarthy Beach State Park
	McCarthy Beach State Park.
	Location of McCarthy Beach State Park in Minnesota McCarthy Beach State Park (the United States)
Location	Saint Louis, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates	47°40′21″N 93°1′48″W / 47.67250°N 93.03000°W
Area	2,471 acres (10.00 km2)
Elevation	1,381 ft (421 m)
Established	1945
Governing body	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

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

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

black spruce

lowlands.

Geology

The

moraines

. Between the hills, the glaciers gouged valleys and in the larger valleys, lakes were formed.

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. January 11, 1980. Retrieved February 25, 2011.

External links