The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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July 9, 2008

River eats away at park's campground

By Tim Krohn

UPPER SIOUX AGENCY — The beautiful river side campground Terri Dinesen runs gets a little smaller all the time.

“We keep losing campground to bank erosion. We used to have sites along there,” she said, pointing to a stretch along a steep bank. “We’ve had to move the road twice.”

For 17 years, Dinesen has been the park ranger at Upper Sioux Agency State Park, a two-mile-square park alongside the Minnesota and Yellow Medicine rivers.

It has a claim to fame of being one of the most visited horse-riding parks in the state.

While the park has a large central campground for tenters and RVs, it’s the small campground with the panoramic view of the Minnesota River that many visitors are passionate about.

“People love this spot along the river,” Dinesen said Tuesday as she stood along the banks of the river.

Many visitors want to canoe or kayak the river while others come to fish. “Last weekend we were packed in here with catfishers. The biggest flathead catfish I’ve seen come out of here was 54 pounds.”

The area is rich in Dakota Indian history. The Upper Sioux Agency was one of the few significant sites that was not attacked by the Dakota during the 1862 conflict. “The missionaries that were here at the time and the Indians were good friends,” Dinesen said. “The Dakota led the settlers out and protected them.”

An island just upriver was the site of one of the most famous photographs of the conflict — the place where dozens of families hid on the first night of the conflict.

Today, the Dakota Upper Sioux reservation is just upriver from the state park. The 400 members operate a casino that attracts customers from the Granite Falls and Redwood Falls area.

Dinesen said that while some conflict remains, relations continue to improve.

“We’re neighbors and friends and our kids go to school together and play Xbox together. We can’t forget the war, but we have to move on, too.”

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