Park Rapids takes its name from its original landscape, although those features are a little bit harder to see today.

When Gilbert, Franklin and Charles Rice arrived in the area, they had plans to build a town. The men had previously worked together to build settlements in Iowa. They saw quickly how useful the land around the Fish Hook River's rapids could be. They also knew that to draw settlers the town needed a name. Franklin Rice announced the new name at a Fourth of July celebration in 1881. "Park" was chosen because large groves of red pine gave the place a parklike atmosphere. "Rapids" was chosen because of the rapids on the Fish Hook River.

The Rices quickly dammed the rapids on the river to generate hydropower for mills that provided flour, animal feed, lumber, and employment to Park Rapids' early settlers. The dams, however, meant that the rapids that gave the town its name were no longer visible. And the Norway Pines were eventually cut down for timber, so the area's park-like atmosphere was replaced by the roads and buildings of early Park Rapids.

3rd St. East & Riverside Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470

Open Site Location on Google Maps
46.920036748432935, -95.05373081612365