Jay Cooke State Park

Jay Cooke State Park
Minnesota State Park
The St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Carlton
Location	Carlton
- elevation	928 ft (283 m)
- coordinates	46°38′59″N 92°19′51″W / 46.64972°N 92.33083°W / 46.64972; -92.33083Coordinates: 46°38′59″N 92°19′51″W / 46.64972°N 92.33083°W / 46.64972; -92.33083
Area	8,125 acres (3,288 ha)
Founded	1915
Management	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Location of Jay Cooke State Park in Minnesota

Jay Cooke State Park CCC/Rustic Style Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
The River Inn is the visitor center for the park and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Location	Carlton County, Minnesota, Off MN 210 east of Carlton
Nearest city	Carlton, Minnesota
Coordinates	46°39′15″N 92°22′17″W / 46.65417°N 92.37139°W / 46.65417; -92.37139
MPS	Minnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
NRHP Reference #	89001665
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1992

Jay Cooke State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Picnic Grounds
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
1934 water tower/latrine at Oldenburg Point
Location	Off MN 210 SE of Forbay Lake, Thomson Township
Coordinates	46°39′20″N 92°21′8″W / 46.65556°N 92.35222°W / 46.65556; -92.35222
MPS	Minnesota State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style MPS
NRHP Reference #	92000640
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1992

Jay Cooke State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, protecting the lower reaches of the St. Louis River. The park is located about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Duluth and is one of the ten most visited state parks in Minnesota. The western half of the park contains part of a rocky, 13-mile (21 km) gorge. This was a major barrier to Native Americans and early Europeans traveling by canoe, which they bypassed with the challenging Grand Portage of the St. Louis River. The river was a vital link connecting the Mississippi waterways to the west with the Great Lakes to the east.

Today Minnesota State Highway 210 runs through Jay Cooke State Park. The 9 miles (14 km) of the route between Carlton and Highway 23—which include the park—are designated the Rushing Rapids Parkway, a state scenic byway.

The park is named for Pennsylvania financier Jay Cooke, who had developed a nearby power plant, which is still in use. The Grand Portage trail and three districts of 1930s park structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first 2,350 acres (9.5 km²) of land on which the park is situated were donated to the state by the Saint Louis Power Company in 1915. The park remained generally undeveloped until 1933, when a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was established on the site. The CCC camp built a rustic swinging bridge over the St. Louis River just slightly downstream from some torrential rapids and waterfalls. This camp also built a picnic shelter. The camp was disbanded in 1935, but a second camp was set up in 1939. This camp rebuilt the swinging bridge and built the River Inn, which now houses the visitor center. This camp was disbanded in 1942, shortly before the federal government ended the CCC entirely. In 1945 the state began to add more land to the park, eventually giving it its current size of 8,818 acres (3,569 ha).