Here is a suggested 3-day itinerary for exploring the Bluff Country region: Day 1: - Start your day in Winona exploring the scenic bluffs along the Mississippi River and visiting local museums. - Have lunch in La Crescent, the Apple Capital of Minnesota. - In the afternoon, hike or bike trails in Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest. Day 2: - Visit Caledonia, known as the "Wild Turkey Capital" of Minnesota. Check out Beaver Creek State Park. - Stop in Rushford and see the historic 1867 Railroad Depot. - Kayak or canoe the Root River State Trail. Day 3:

1. Bluff
Country -
the Hidden
Treasure of
Midwest
Hoai Cao
Page 87

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.

13. Vacation Plan