2. • This atlas page lies
in the very
southeastern
An Image from Google Earth corner of
Minnesota and it is
known as Bluff
Country.
• Largely covered by
the Richard J Dorer
Memorial
Hardwood State
Forest
• The Mississippi
River cuts down
across the page,
and Wisconsin
claims the entire
right edge of the
map across from
the Mississippi.
• It consists of
Winona County,
Houston County,
and a part of
Fillmore County.
3. Table of Contents:
Physical Setting.
Historical and facts of the land.
Richard J Dorer Memorial Hardwood State
Forest.
Goat Prairies.
Wiona.
Rushford.
La Crescent.
Caledonia.
Vacation Plan.
4. Physical Setting
Bluff Country in SE Minnesota is the only
part of the state that was not covered by
glaciers.
Because of the lack of glacial drift, the terrain
here is much older than the rest of the state,
reflecting more than half a million years of
erosion. It is commonly referred to as a
“Karst” area, which is a Paleo-European word
for stone.
5. Physical Setting (cont.)
• The word karst is used more specifically to
refer to limestone regions that have
developed sink holes, underground streams,
and caverns.
• A sink hole is formed when the roof of a cave
collapses. Surface water sometimes sinks
down into the earth through fractured
bedrock either joining an aquifer or
continuing as a stream
6. Historical and facts of the land
• Proximity of Mississippi river and other bodies of water
made it an attractive spot for lumber businesses.
• In 1851, the Dakota Indians signed the Treaties of
Traverse des Sioux and Mendota, selling the southern
half of Minnesota to the United States
• Most of settlers came up the Mississippi River by paddle-
or steam-boats.
• First saw mill in the area build in 1855
• Provided access to land west of the Mississippi by
steamboat and in 1890 by railroad once a bridge was
build in Winona
7. Richard J Dorer Memorial Hardwood State
Forest
• Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest is
made up of a patchwork of forestlands purchased in an
attempt to rehabilitate the area.
• Much of the bluff country lies within the heart of Richard
J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest.
• The forest spans over one million acres.
• There is camping, canoeing, snowshoeing and many
more activities for you and your family available.
• Mainly a deciduous forest.
8. Goat Prairies
• Occur along the Mississippi River Bluffs in SE
Minnesota.
• Goat Prairies are dry, hilly prairies that sit on a
steep slope.
• Dries out the land due to the angle of the sun
that hits the goat prairies.
9. Wiona:
Population: 27,592
• Originally named Montezuma.
• Was renamed Winona, which means “first born
daughter” in 1853.
• Was Minnesota’s third largest town in 1860. It’s
location on the river helped it grow in the
lumber industry and helped the expansion west
of the Mississippi
• Home to Winona State University, St. Mary’s
University of Minnesota, Art museums…
10. Rushford
Population: 2,350
• Founded in 1854
• The Root River State Trail is located here.
• An important historical landmark found in this
town is the original 1867 Railroad Depot, which
is the oldest one in Minnesota
11. La Crescent.
Population: about 5,000
• Apple Capital of Minnesota
• The first apple orchard in the Midwest was
planted here in the 1850's.
• Some of the most distinct apple varieties in the
United States can be found here.
12. Caledonia
Population: 2,810
• “Wild Turkey Capital” of Minnesota
• Beaver Creek State Park down the road from
downtown Caledonia
• Very rural area entrenched in the heart of Bluff
Country.
• Plenty of fishing, hunting, and other outdoor
activities with a state park and the Mississippi
nearby.
