fort ridgely state historic site

I came here in July to do the Hiking Club trail and really enjoyed my time here. The old buildings are really great to see and the battle memorial is a cool spot. The amount of information contained on kiosks scattered throughout the park was quite enlightening. For example Fort Snelling was a 3 day journey on the river when Fort Ridgeley was occupied by the military. The battlefield where the Dakota war partially took place has been replanted with native prarie grasses. This was an excellent park to visit with nice views and an incredible history.

My friend and I spent one night in the farmhouse rental at the park, rather than using a campsite. It does not have much charm, as it seems to be either a modernized farmhouse or a replica, but it was clean and comfortable and off by itself away from the equestrian campground. We were the only ones there on a Sunday night in August. It is a ways up the road, but is on the map at the Park Office. The cabin sleeps six, with all the beds in one room. I brought my own mattress pad, because these mattresses are never super comfortable. It had a nice sized wooden dining table in one room, the beds in another and two chairs in the kitchen that included a microwave and refrigerator. The outhouse was steps away from the farmhouse.We took a little hike down to the creek in the moonlight and again the next morning. We went by the fort and looked about a bit, but did not spend a ton of time exploring this park, as we had to head out, but it was a great experience just to be out in what's left of Minnesota prairie.

Fort Ridgely was my first stop on my (attempted) tour of all of Minnesota's state parks and it was beautiful. The trees were pretty and so was the prairie. The Fort site was interesting as well. The wildflowers were beautiful and the wildlife was plentiful. I saw a deer, lots of rabbits, a cute little frog, and a pheasant. The only downside to my day was the heat which gave me a terrible headache but all in all it was a wonderful day.

they had an interpreter who talked about life during the civil war. Very excellent presentation giving details about the clothing that was worn, the guns, and the food. even had a sample of hardtack for us to eat. showed many examples and talked about the battle at fort ridgely.