The land you're standing on has been home to indigenous people for thousands of years. When Euro-Americans arrived, the U.S. government wanted to acquire this land from its Ojibwe inhabitants. In an attempt to consolidate the Ojibwe, an 1867 treaty was ratified creating the White Earth Reservation.
Location: Giiwedinong Museum
102 2nd Street West
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Early Euro-American Inhabitants
The first permanent groups of Euro-American inhabitants arrived near the end of the 19th century. When surveyors were taking stock of the timber in this area, they also brought back reports of wide, flat prairies ideal for farming. Once the rapids on the Fish Hook River were dammed lumber and flour mills brought people to Park Rapids.
Location: Rice Park
301 Grove Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1879
Lots of cities have a main street, but this Main Street was the place where Park Rapids really began. Charles Todd filed the original townsite for Park Rapids in 1879 and claimed land where Main Street is now. Main Street remains the heart of the city even though much has changed, except the wide street.
Location: Pioneer Park
217 Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1881
Franklin Rice announced the city's name at a Fourth of July celebration in 1881. "Park" was chosen because large groves of Norway Pine gave the place a parklike atmosphere. "Rapids" was chosen because of the rapids on the Fish Hook River.
Location: Dam site on Riverside Avenue
3rd St. East & Riverside Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1882
Park Rapids' tourism industry grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first hotel in Park Rapids, the 3-room "Headwaters," opened in 1882. By 1904, the city had 6 hotels and countless resorts were being developed in the area.
Location:
Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1882
The first school in Park Rapids opened in the summer of 1882. It was held in the front room of a harness shop. The next year, the first dedicated school building in town was built where the Armory now stands.
Location: North side of Hugo's
Park Avenue So. & 3rd St.
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1882
The earliest logging camp near Park Rapids was opened in 1881. Early settlers joined in the work at nearby lumber camps, augmenting their income during the winter. The Rice brothers constructed a dam and a sawmill by 1882. Park Rapids grew thanks to this early mill, which produced "rough" lumber for constructing the town's first buildings.
Location: Heartland Park
303 Mill Street
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Park Rapids: Gateway to Itasca State Park
Established: 1891
The Mississippi River headwaters were a source of tourist interest in Park Rapids from the earliest days of settlement. But when Itasca State Park was created in 1891, the same year the railroad arrived in Park Rapids, it cemented Park Rapids' status as "Gateway to Itasca."
Location: Chamber Visitor Center
1204 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Railroads and Park Rapids Development
Established: 1891
The railroad, carrying freight and passengers back and forth, made the depot central to life in Park Rapids. The depot was constructed in two sections:freight in 1891; passenger in 1901. By the mid-1890s, trains brought many new people to the area. Some came to live. Others arrived at the depot as tourists.
Location: Depot Park
210 3rd Street East
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Railroad Growth and Development
Established: 1891
The railroad's arrival in Park Rapids had an enormous effect on the city's development. Before the railroad, early settlers had to make long treks through the woods to reach nearby towns to get supplies. The first passenger train arrived in Park Rapids Aug. 1, 1891.
Location: Great Northern Cafe
218 1st Street East
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1900
In 1883, legislators created Hubbard County, named after then Governor Lucian Hubbard. County officials commissioned prominent architect Milton E. Beebe to design plans for a new courthouse. The result was this Neoclassical style, 2-story red brick building which served as the Hubbard County Courthouse from 1900-1975.
Location: Original Courthouse
301 Court Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1902
In the early days of Park Rapids, many came here to find a cure for what ailed them. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was thought that many conditions, including tuberculosis, could be treated by time spent outdoors. The Park Sanitarium, opened in 1902, gave patients the chance to recuperate in the cool Park Rapids air.
Location: Riverpark Villas on Park Ave. No.
716 Park Avenue North
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Park Rapids Public Library (Carnegie)
Established: 1908
In 1908, Park Rapids received a grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie toward the construction of a new library. Park Rapids draftsman T. C. Myers designed this one-story, classical revival building. It served as the Public Library until 1994, when the library moved to its current location.
Location: Giiwedinong Museum
102 2nd Street West
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1913
In 1913, Park Rapids officials commissioned local contractor and draftsman T. C. Myers to design an auditorium. Construction was completed in 1913 and the auditorium was used for school and community events until it was demolished to make way for an addition to the Armory in 1941.
Location: Armory Arts & Events Center
203 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1915
Members of the Fuller family maintained a tackle shop in this building. Their fishing contest, and the Golden Books they distributed nationwide, made Park Rapids a destination for anglers. Crowds came to peer at fresh fishing contest entries displayed, on ice, in the store's front window.
Location: Glik's
112 Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1915
With the rise of automobile travel, Park Rapids successfully lobbied for inclusion on the Jefferson Highway from New Orleans to Winnipeg. The Jefferson Highway helped put Park Rapids on the map from 1916 until 1926 when this section was numbered U.S. Hwy. 71.
Location: Lucky No. 7 building
200 Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1921
Built in 1921 for an Army National Guard unit, the Armory featured a large barrel-vaulted Drill Hall. A Works Projects Administration grant in 1941 added classrooms, a garage and stage. Along with military uses, the Armory hosted community events until 1992. It reopened as an Arts & Events Center in 2021.
Location: Armory Arts & Events Center
203 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1928
Bishop's Department Store was a fixture in Park Rapids for over 70 years, supplying everything a person could need for their home but also special clothing and gear for tourists. Two large additions were built in 1968. Real estate office owners have maintained the beautiful wood floors.
Location: Coldwell Banker-Crown Realtors
101 Main Avenue S
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1936
The village bought this land in 1893 to provide public access to the river. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) approved funding to build this bathhouse. Once finished in May 1936, swimmers used it in the summer and ice skaters warmed up inside in the winter.
Location: Beachhouse in Red Bridge Park
175 Beach Road
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1939
Built in 1939, Park Theater was one of several movie houses built by brothers A.W. and E.J. Baehr and one of the few still in operation. Inside are remnants of the stylized Art Deco architecture that thrived until the outbreak of World War II.
Location: Park Theater
107 Main Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1939
As Park Rapids grew, residents petitioned their congressman for their own mail route. Weekly deliveries began in 1883. This Post Office was built in 1939. Alonzo Hauser, one of Minnesota's most prolific sculptors, carved three oak relief sculptures for the lobby. The panels are still here.
Location: Park Rapids Post Office
301 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 1946
The current Park Rapids hospital, CHI St. Joseph's Health, opened its doors in 1946 under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph's. Since then, it has served as a vital resource for the local community, providing medical care for both residents and the growing tourist population.
Location: CHI St. Joseph's Health
600 Pleasant Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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Established: 2017
Visitors will see signs in some businesses, city parks and public buildings with text in both Ojibwe and English. The Ojibwe Language Project grew out of a 3-year collaboration among the Park Rapids League of Women Voters, Area Library and Pine Point community members.
Location: Park Rapids Area Library
210 1st Street West
Park Rapids, MN 56470
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