The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-06-02
OUR PLEASURE RESORTS.


Blue Earth county, with all its
many natural advantages for the art
iziln and husbandnlan to gather the
fruits of their toll, did not forget to
provide pleasant and attractive places
for the pleasure seeker us well, for
there are several romantic and de-
lightful resorts within clo.e prOXim
ity to the city of MankatO, which in
their wild and umdeveloped simplicity
stands unrivaled as gems of beauty.
The prettiest and most charming of
them all is Minneopa Falls, located
only four miles from this city, south
west. close to to the st. Paul e. Sioux
City railroad. It's fame is not of re-
cent date. Years ago, before civil
iZation began TO encrOach to any eX
tent upon this section of country in
occasional traveller would pause be-
side its sparkling, lcaping waters and
gaze with profound establishment 1T
its peerless beauty, and tell of the
sight he saw, until the name and fame
of MinneOpa became widespread.
The falls are formed on Minneopa
creek, Il stream whose source is Lake
Crystal, several miles distant. The
stream derives its name from Ninnc
and Neopa, two Indian words, signify
ing the two waters. AndaS it courses
it's way along, twisting in every I'M
aginable shape, it presents to the eye
nothing of an attractive form but it
is when near the falls that new life
seems infused into it, when it lOOses
its sluggishness and begins to ripple
and dance over its pebbly bed until it
reaches the first cascade that its at
Effectiveness is first presented. Then
onward some sixty feet, swifter and
swifter it flows, and finally disappears
over the ledge of rocks to the chasm
below. Its pure, clear, shimmering
waters, transparent rs crystal, seem
fairly to laugh rs they hesitate upon
the very verge before taking their
final leap, and then away beyond you
can discern the sparkling surface us
the stream winds around giant oaks
and gigantic rocks, until it disappears
from view among the distant woods.
1t is not wholly the falls that makes
the place romantic, but it is its lOca-
ton in the midst of the grand old
woods of the Minnesota valley, whose
ancient trees mark centuries of time,
and under whose leafy bowers one can
sit hour after hour and dreamily note
the rocky crags, the deep and tortu-
Gus de(les, the undulating sunny
slopes, gentle swells, rounded wood
crowned SUBMITS and the various
transcendental beauties of landscape.
The falls proper. and the park sur
rounding it, occupies about fourteen
acres, which is Il portion of regular
ly laid out town plat, the whole be-
ing owned by Mr.. ID. c. Evans, the
popular ex-cOunty treasurer of Blue
Earth county. Mr.. Evans has lately
fenced i'm the falls. i'm order to pre-
vent horses being hitched to the trees
and damaging them, and his inten-
tions are to sell the beautiful place,
or a part of it ut least, to some good,
live, energetic capitalist or party of
persons who will improve the proper
ty i'm the manner it is worthy of. 1t
is the most accessible place by either
wagon or rail that there is i'm this
vicinity, the wagon road thereto
being through II constant change of
scenery, which never becomes mo.
nOtOnOus to the eye, and which can
he traversed ut any time i'm thirty
minutes, while by the Sioux City
train the ride is only of few mo.
ments duration. and lands one mt the
pretty depot within less than 100 feet
of the falls.
The above cut of the falls is an ac-
curate one, being first photographed
and then transferred to wood. 1t was
taken facing the falls and shows none
of the grand and sublime scenery be.
low, but is sufficient to show the Gus.
ual observer that the place is a pic.
turesque one in every detail, and our
hope is that if Mr.. Evans cannot find
suitable purchaser for it he will fix
it up himself and provide a permanent
retreat for those who occasionally
wish to enjoy the beauties of nature
in all its glory.
LAKE CRYSTAL.
This beautiful body of water is
located near the village of Lake Crys-
al u.,..,o,,,da1 l,u n fpa rrnu,kL 80