Places In Southern MN That May Hold Interest

[melnatcat]

Thanks for the info Butch! I'll check into some of the spots and let you know what I find out! Melnatcat

 

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[el_gral]

A few spots ive visited that look good would be Lower Sioux Agency on the Minnesota River & Fort Renville location a few miles north of Montevideo. I read the state closed Lower Sioux Agency a couple years back does anyone know if it has been reopened? I think these places might be worth a trip, if Md'ing is allowed in these areas because there both on State land if im not mistaken.

 

[cottonjim]

A few spots ive visited that look good would be Lower Sioux Agency on the Minnesota River & Fort Renville location a few miles north of Montevideo. I read the state closed Lower Sioux Agency a couple years back does anyone know if it has been reopened? I think these places might be worth a trip, if Md'ing is allowed in these areas because there both on State land if im not mistaken.

I know that thtey wont let us ride our ATV's in the river bottom by Renville and Granite Falls anymore, both are close, if not in, the lower sioux agency. As for MD'ing there, I haven't looked into it but I am betting that they would put the nix on that as well. I have found a lot of abandoned farms prospects around here, but still haven't gotten permission to hunt them so obviously I haven't. I am still looking for somewhere new to hunt, I need some new scenery besides parks and boat ramps

 

[dfxdude]

The Upper Sioux Community is along Hwy 67 SW of Granite Falls in the vicinity of the old "Firefly" Casino, which was moved away from the river up on the prairie plateau due to river flooding in the spring. Now called Prairie's Edge Casino. The Upper Sioux Agency State Park is about 5 mi furth SW on Hwy 67 in the vicinity of where Hawk Creek and the Yellow Medicine River feed into the Minnesota River near the Echo Bridge. The Lower Sioux Agency is across the Minnesota River from Morton, Minnesota and where Jackpot Junction Casino is located. Morton is in Renville County, but the casino and Lower Sioux Agency are in Redwood County.

 

[el_gral]

A few spots ive visited that look good would be Lower Sioux Agency on the Minnesota River & Fort Renville location a few miles north of Montevideo. I read the state closed Lower Sioux Agency a couple years back does anyone know if it has been reopened? I think these places might be worth a trip, if Md'ing is allowed in these areas because there both on State land if im not mistaken.

I would like to answer my own question, Yes lower Sioux Agency has been reopened.

From Minnesota Public Radio:

Historic sites reopen
by Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio
April 26, 2006
Listen to feature audio
Several Minnesota historic sites are getting ready to reopen full time this summer, after three years of uncertainty. The state ended funding of the sites in 2003. Last year the Legislature reversed itself and restored the money. Despite the cuts, most of the sites managed to stay open on reduced schedules. Only the Lower Sioux Agency near Morton closed its doors.

 

[oldhippiecoinhntr]

HI all. Colmn.............just thought I would add this. You mention gold prospecting and mines near Rainy River. In past years while looking for antique equipment in that area, and smaller towns into canada north of Int. Falls, I came across several old gold mine sites. Some on private property. I am going to return this summer to a couple of them, not so much as to hunt for gold ore. Two sites I know of on private property also had houseing for the workers that worked there. I know that niether has been active for more than 40 years. I can imagine what one might find in older coins or other items there? If you are not into canadian coinage, it may not be site for you. However coins etc may be found of english variety..............and these may include some interesting silver pieces, or? At the least, its a different place to hunt.

 

[TroJanClan]

Another item added into the mix. I wwent out to check out the historic marker. Yes, it denotes the site of a Ft. BUT. . . the Ft. it is talking about is Ft. Lehillier, not Ft. Lincoln. I'm still under the impression that Ft. Lincoln was out close to the Red Jacket bridge. In all. . . I think the area just south of Mankato could be very interesting hunting grounds.

Ft. Lehillier was built in 1700 by a french fur trader, Pierre Charles Le Sueur. They spent one winter there. Below is photo of the plaque. The 1926 date on the plaque is there as this was the date the marker was erected. Like mentioned in the other post above, there is a fence in the treeline just above the marker and a few homes inside the fence on the hillside. This area is very close to the Blue Earth River "100 +/- yards". The plaque faces a hillside, but there is a vast open meadow which I think the Ft. was located on. I think they may have placed the plaque there as so it can be close to the roadway. I will be contacting the property owners to see about options on hunting this meadow and the water line close to the river. It could hold interesting hunting as the river is very low. I'm not sure if / how much hunting has been done here but can say that this seams to be a somewhat of a hidden gem "so to speak".

I was just wondering if this site is still active and if you had any luck detecting around this area?