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Call Donna Seline, 612-529-0552 for event information.Call 218-863-8383 for park information.
P
r e - r e g i s t r a t i o n D e a d l i n
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Saturday, September 19. We recommend that you pre-register, especially if you wish to participate for an award. Click here to download a pre-registration form.
Start/finish: Maplewood Lutheran ChurchStart times: You may start anytime after 9 a.m. and finish by 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Refreshments: Water and restrooms are available at the registration area. NSTT will offer a participant "picnic" for a donation to cover cost. [Note: Church restrooms will not be available until the service is over on Sunday.]
The event is sanctioned for 11km (6.9 miles) made up of two shorter loops of 5km and 6km. These are new trails we've never folkswalked before on the south end of the park. Rated: 3 for hills.Horsey Park Alert! Maplewood is heavily used by horseback riders, so don't be alarmed when you need to share the trail with some horses. But watch your step! They don't have to pick up after them like we dog owners do!
Maple leaf leather pin, $8;
IVV event book credit, $3;
walk only, $2.
Pre-registration for award is recommended: deadline is September 10. Awards will be reordered with an additional $1 to cover mailing cost.
Maplewood State Park Campgrounds: www.stayatmnparks.com or call 1-866-857-2757Pelican Motel, Pelican Rapids: 218-863-3281
Super 8, Perham: 218-346-7888
Budget Host Oasis Inn, Perham: 218-346-7810
To get to Maplewood Lutheran Church from Pelican Rapids, go south on 59 to #3; turn east (or left) and follow to Hwy. 24. Turn east (left) and follow to gravel road turning north (or left) to the church. The church is approximately 20 minutes or 12 miles from Pelican Rapids. From Fergus Falls, go north on 59 to Erhard, turn east (or right) on Hwy. 24 and follow past #3 to gravel road to the church &endash; church sign along road.The entrance to Maplewood State Park is located 7 miles east of Pelican Rapids on State Highw1y 108.
Human habitation in the area dates back at least 6,000 years. Artifacts found give evidence of both prairie and woodland cultures. Most, however, indicate that the site was occupied 900 to 1200 years ago and that the residents were primarily hunters. Records of modern habitation began in the mid-1880s when the original land surveys occurred. After the organization of the Lida and Maplewood townships, the area population rose to 1,167 by 1900. The idea of establishing a park in the area goes back to 1923 when it was originally proposed at the legislature. A later study concluded that this hilly, lake-dotted terrain was better suited to recreation than to farming. In 1963 the park became a reality when Maplewood State Park was established by the Minnesota Legislature.Geology
Maplewood lies on a series of hills in the Leaf Hills Landscape Region near the eastern edge of the level Red River Valley. These hills, part of the Alexandria Glacial Moraine, were deposited during the last ice age. Relief is abrupt, with changes of about 300 feet in less than a mile. The highest hills in the park approach 1,600 feet. The Lake Lida basin was probably formed when the last glacier retreated 20,000 years ago and left ice stranded in the valley. The ice melted, exposing the basin and allowed the present lake to form.
The park contains hardwood trees including sugar maple, basswood, American elm and oak, providing a stunning display of fall colors each year. In addition, red cedar and tamarack are found here. Flowers and grasses representative of both the prairies and forests are found. Spring through fall, the park displays trillium, hepatica, bloodroot, yellow lady's slipper, wild onion, prairie rose, and showy milkweed.
Maplewood Lutheran Church
The old country gospel song "Church in the Wildwood" could have been written with Maplewood Lutheran Church in mind. Located just north of the township road that runs through the south side of Maplewood State Park, the church has been there for 109 years. The congregation was formed in 1889 when about 20 pioneer families of Norwegian descent began meeting to worship God in the tradition of the Norwegian Lutheran Church. Those first services were held in settler's cabins or in the District 224 school house.
In1900 the congregation voted to purchase a two acre parcel of land for one dollar. They built a simple clapboard structure with a nearby stable for the minister's horse, using lumber sawn from logs donated by the members and cut from the Maplewood hills. They also cleared the churchyard of stumps and rocks and plotted a cemetery, then journeyed two days by wagon to bring back evergreen transplants to plant on the west side of the church. The original seating was planks laid over nail kegs and heat was furnished by a wood burning box stove in one comer of the church. Each family was assessed one cord of wood per year, which was delivered to the town of Erhard and sold by the congregational chairman for the support of the church.
Look for more history on Maplewood Lutheran Church in upcoming NSTT newsletters.
Walkers are invited to attend the 9:30 a.m. service at Maplewood Lutheran Church on Sunday.
N
e a r b y F o l k s p o r t s
Oktoberfest Volksmarch
Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11
Lida Greens Golf Course
Register and begin your walk anytime from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., finish by 5 p.m.
The trail includes hilly grass trails, some paved and gravel roads. 5 & 10km. Rated 2. Strollers not recommended.
Awards: A award - $12; B Award - $12; IVV credit only, $3.
Directions: Four miles east of Pelican Rapids at 22950 MN Hwy. 108.
For information: call 218-863-1531 or cell: 218-731-6756. Website: http://home.att.net/~prccwc/
Enjoy good music and German food following your walk!
N
e a r b y F o l k s p o r t s
Twin Cities Volkssports offers a seasonal walk in Bemidji. For information contact Gene Schutte, 651-429-6938.
N
e a r b y S t a t e P a r k s
Glendalough State ParkLake Carlos State Park
Itasca State Park
DNR: Maplewood State Park
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