Zippel Bay State Park
| Zippel Bay State Park | |
| Minnesota State Park | |
| named for: Wilhelm Zippel | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Lake of the Woods County |
| Location | |
| - elevation | 1,083 ft (330 m) |
| - coordinates | 48°51′50″N 94°51′34″W / 48.86389°N 94.85944°WCoordinates: 48°51′50″N 94°51′34″W / 48.86389°N 94.85944°W |
| Area | 2,906 acres (1,176 ha) |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Management | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
| Visitation | 23,109 |
 Location of Zippel Bay State Park in Minnesota
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| Website: Zippel Bay State Park | |
Zippel Bay State Park is a state park in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota in the United States. It is on the white sand beach shoreline of the Lake of the Woods, near the United States border with Canada. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping, hiking, fishing and cross-country skiing.
The history of human habitation in the Zippel Bay area of Lake of the Woods dates back to prehistoric times. Evidence of their settlements have been found along the Rainy River just east of the bay. The first Europeans in the area were the French explorers of New France. Coureur des bois Pierre La Vérendrye passed through the area in 1732 and reported settlements of the Cree, Monsoni, Dakota, and Assiniboine tribes. These natives preceded the Ojibwe who were pushed into the area by European-American settlers as they pushed their way west through Canada and the United States.
La Vérendrye built Fort St. Pierre, a small post on Rainy River. La Vérendrye next established a strong French foothold in the area at Fort St. Charles on what is now known as Magnuson's Island. From here, French-Canadian voyageurs explored a large section of mid-continent North America, constructed other forts, and conducted fur trading, whose revenues were critical to the economy of the colony. The "golden age" of the French-Canadian fur trade lasted for 30 years before they were forced to abandon their forts at the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. As a result, the area came under the jurisdiction of the British. Transfer of the area to the rule of the United States occurred at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War when the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. The exact boundary was not established until 1842. This was due to confusion about the precise location of the "northwest corner of Lake of the Woods." After 50 years of controversy and confusion the matter was officially settled when the official boundary was established.
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