Camp Ripley Camp Ripley is a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard located near the city of Little Falls in the central part of the state . The location of the camp was selected in 1929 by Ellard A . Walsh , Adjutant General of the State of Minnesota . The site ' s winter warfare training course is the primary facility used by the National Guard for winter combat exercises . Camp Ripley also hosts the training academy for the Minnesota State Patrol and is a popular site for athletes training to compete in winter biathlon s . Most Minnesota Guard soldiers train at Camp Ripley during two - week annual training periods . The camp is a state game refuge with resources managed cooperatively by the Department of Military Affairs and Department of Natural Resources . It also houses the Minnesota Military Museum , a museum that is open for the public and military personnel . History of Camp Ripley . The site for Camp Ripley was first approved following World War I in 1929 . The State of Minnesota purchased of land to be used for military training . The site was officially named Camp Ripley in December 1930 . It was named after Fort Ripley , a frontier fort that had been closed by the Federal Government in 1877 . The fort was named for Brigadier General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley , a hero of the War of 1812 . The remains of Fort Ripley are contained within the camp ' s property boundaries . The first soldiers that came to train at Camp Ripley stayed in tents , thus , training was only possible in the summer months . The government started to see that it wasn ' t beneficial to use tents all the time while training , so they built buildings . There are now many historic buildings at Camp Ripley . An example is Valhalla , the governors lodge . President Harry S . Truman stayed there twice and so did Senator Eugene McCarthy . When the lodge isn ' t being used by the governor it is used for other VIP guests . In 1951 , the MN legislature approved the purchasing of more land by Camp Ripley . After the purchase they then had of land . Camp Ripley slowly bought more land and now has . Camp Ripley Training Site . Camp Ripley is a training site for the National Guard , Minnesota State Patrol , Minnesota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol , Minnesota DNR , and Foreign exchange programs . National Guard Training . Camp Ripley has small arms and tank ranges , maneuver training areas capable of supporting heavy brigade , and special operation training facilities . Examples of the special operation training facilities are : Three drop zones , rappel tower , confidence course , water training areas , two prisoner of war compounds , and many more . The Miller Army Airfield is also located at the camp . Named for Ray S . Miller , it includes a 6100 - foot ( 1860 m ) runway capable of accommodating C - 130 aircraft . There are also five drop zone s for training for the release of cargo and personnel from aircraft . The airfield ' s FAA identifier is KRYM . Camp Ripley has a fully equipped winter training area . It is the National Guard ' s premier cold weather training site in the United States . There are : Biathlon courses , groomed cross country ski paths , special cold weather equipment , down hill ski slopes and all - weather ranges . Foreign Exchange Program . In addition to being used by the United States military , it sees regular visitors from Canada , the Netherlands , and Norway ( exchange programme with the Norwegian Home Guard since February 1974 , with a total of 3 , 000 Norwegians involved over the years and a similar number of Americans having gone to the Norwegian Home Guard training centre at Værnes ) , and the United Kingdom . DNR and State Patrol Training . Camp Ripley houses the Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Center . DNR Conservation Officers are trained year - round in Camp Ripley ' s diverse habitat . They train by practicing controlled burns and studying the habitat . Camp Ripley has been the host for the Minnesota State Patrol Academy since 1996 . The men and women who train to become state patrol officers practice their shooting skills on one of Camp Ripley ' s ranges and practice driving maneuvers . Environmental Sector . The environment office studies the relationship and compatibility of military activities with wildlife . They use GIS ( Geographic Information System ) to determine training sites , figure out what areas have historic value , where eagle nests are and much more . Wildlife that is specifically studied are : bald eagle , white - tailed deer , black bear , blandings turtle and timber wolf . The Environmental office has won awards for their work at camp ripley and with the local area . The list of awards is as follows : 2008 Secretary of the Army , Environmental Security Award " Natural Resources Conservation - Large Installation " 2005 Secretary of the Army , Environmental Security Award " Natural Resources Conservation - team " 1998 Secretary of the Army , Environmental Security Award " Natural Resources Conservation - Large Installation " Annual deer hunts . There are three deer hunts each year at Camp Ripley to help control the deer population : one for disabled veterans and soon - to - be deployed Soldiers , one archery hunt for adults , and a youth archery hunt . There are raffles for the adult and youth archery hunts every year to determine who can participate in the hunt . For each weekend there are about 2 , 000 hunters .