Parks, Trails & Recreation Master Plan

RESTORING THE LAND Shakopee was once part Big Woods forest, part oak savanna, part prairie, and part floodplain along the river. The concept plan for the cultural trail indicates areas of restored oak savanna and restored floodplain to varying degrees depending on the location of park/trail (more manicured and maintained along the trail, more let-go-to-nature closer to the river). This restoration work will be an effort to remove invasives, clear overgrown vegetation, and re-introduce the native landscape of the riverfront. The SMSC, the City, Three Rivers, and Scott County will all need to work closely together for this restoration work, as it is expansive and would require cooperation and contribution from all of these entities. The SMSC has great experience in native restoration work, and the City, Three River, and Scott County all are open to the potential of this project. Shakopee and the Minnesota River Valley is obviously lush with human history dating back for thousands of years. Living creatures have always relied upon and been drawn to water systems, as they are a conduit for life and vitality. The Shakopee Riverfront Cultural Trail can tell hundreds of these stories. The SMSC has documented a high-level look at Dakota presence in the river valley, drawing a connection from place to place along the entire span of the Minnesota River. There were villages, areas of wild rice harvesting, burial mounds, fresh springs, places of spiritual significance, and places where first contact and trade with European settlers was made. The map to the left is courtesy of the SMSC. The nature of the landscape during and before these indigenous cultures were living here was varied and lush, and the Native Americans relied on these landscapes for their hunting and farming needs. Specifically, there is an area on the northern river flat, north of Memorial Park and The Landing, that was historically farmed by the Native American communities. This agricultural area was traditionally farmed mainly with what we would now consider heritage varieties of corn and potentially other vegetables. Because corn is such an important aspect of the Dakota culture, it is proposed to restore a portion of this land to a heritage- seed, traditional style of interpretive farming that can be managed via a partnership with the City, Three Rivers, and the SMSC.

REMNANT OLD GROWN OAK SAVANNA IN MEMORIAL PARK WITH RESTORED PRAIRIE BENEATHTHETREES.RESTORATIONWORKDONEBYTHESMSC.IMAGEFROMCONFLUENCE.

“GUARDING THE CORN FIELDS”, 1849-1855, WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY ARTIST SETH EASTMAN.EASTMANWASAPAINTERWHORECORDEDMANYASPECTSOFNATIVEAMERICAN LIFE IN THE AREA.

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