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BLUE EARTH COUNTY
PARKS AND
TRAILS
Red Jacket Park
Weagel Park Fundraiser| This day-use park is part of the Red Jacket Trail system. A picnic shelter, parking lot, viewing area, and canoe launch are highlights of the park. |  |
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Location: About 2.5 miles south of Mankato off State Highway 66,
adjacent to the Red Jacket Trail.
River: A public canoe launch allows for easy access to the scenic Le Sueur River. |
| Amenities: Picnic tables Picnic Shelters Firebases Drinking water Fishing Boat launch
Park Size: 4 acres
Acquisition date: N/A |
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| Red Jacket Trail History and Development Railroad Corridor History Red Jacket Name Origin Trail Development Railroad Corridor History The Red Jacket Trail, RJT, runs through spectacular scenery from the Minnesota River at Mankato south to productive prairie land. The trail, which follows a former railroad, runs near the Blue Earth River, crosses the Le Sueur River, and for much of its length follows a deeply incised natural ravine. Just as establishment of the RJT was a long and sometimes controversial process, construction of the railroad was difficulty. 1857 The Minnesota Legislature chartered the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad with rights to construct a railroad from the Iowa line via Mankato to Big Stone Lake. The charter requirements were not met and the project languished. 1867 The Legislature amended the charter and extended the deadline. 1869 Surveys from Mankato south to the Iowa border were completed. The most challenging construction section was the 5.5 miles from the Minnesota River to the higher prairies south of Mankato. An engineering challenge then is now a scenic opportunity. Financial problems, political considerations, and coordination with other railroad lines all contributed to delays in construction. Finally, a group of investors agreed to fund the project contingent on cash donations and loans from adjacent townships and cities. 1870 Construction finally started. Several routes were considered before the present trail alignment was chosen. In the summer, 400 men were at work in the ravine segment which, at 60-feet-per-mile grade, was the most difficult section to build even though mother nature, through erosion, had moved much of the earth needed to construct a uniform grade up the Minnesota River bluff. Rock for the Le Sueur River trestle was hauled. 1871 Work resumed in the spring. Funds were depleted; local newspapers entered the fray with opposing views on the future of the railroad; additional bonuses from affected townships and cities were sought. The railroad's name was changed to Central Railroad of Minnesota. The financial panic of 1873 added to the financial difficulties. 1874 Finally in the summer, financial constraints were resolved and work resumed. Tracks were laid on sections graded earlier and the high trestle, with its 183-foot long Howe Truss (later replaced with the existing riveted steel beams) and massive stone piers, were completed. Difficulties were not over. The railroad failed to pay some debts; Mankato did not like its depot location or train schedules; Rapidan wanted its own depot; landslides and heavy snow in the ravine created operating problems. 1879 The Minnesota RR acquired the Central RR. 1880 The railroad was transferred to the Milwaukee Road, which operated the line until its abandonment in 1978 after several years of no service. The railroad had a key role in the development of several of the County's cities, including Rapidan, Good Thunder, and Mapleton, which moved three miles from its original location to be track side. Red Jacket Name Origin 
Originally, the name of a Seneca Indian chief (who lived from about
1758 to 1830), "Red Jacket," came to be applied to towns
and to several products, such as brands of stomach bitters and farm
pumps. When a flour mill was built in 1866 on the Le Sueur River,
near where it joins the Blue Earth, it took the name Red Jacket. The
mill survived repeated floods and changes in milling technology until
it was completely destroyed by fire in 1880. Although the mill was
never rebuilt, the name persisted. It had been applied to the ravine
through which the railroad climbed from the Le Sueur River to
the prairie, to railroad and highway bridges over that river, to the
road itself, to the railroad and highway bridges over that river,
to the road itself, to the railroad station at the mill, to a rural
school, and to a hall over the Mankato store where the flour was sold.
Finally, more than a century after the burning of the mill, the name
was attached to the Red Jacket Trail.Trail Development 
After the Milwaukee Road abandoned the railroad, a group of citizens
proposed development of the trail from Mankato to Rapidan. As if to
mimic the earlier problems, controversy immediately followed. Proponents
cited the scenic valley, preservation of the historic high trestle,
danger to bikers and pedestrians along TH66, and conservation values.
Opponents cited danger to users, loss of farmland, and loss of privacy
to adjacent landowners.Local newspapers editorialized and opponents collected 893 signatures on a petition. The DNR and the County lost interest in the project. Within the limits of Mankato, however a private group working with the City purchased the center 30 feet of the railroad right-of-way. A trail was developed from West High School to the southern city limits and this trail was included in the Mankato Park System. In 1991, the Red Jacket Trail Task Force, organized by a group of citizens, approached the County with a proposal to develop the rest of the trail from the city limits to Rapidan. The group felt with the passage of time, opposing views had moderated. Other recreational trails had been established; and their success, along with emerging conservation and historic preservation values, favored project proponents. The former railroad bed could be acquired agreeably from the 24 landowners and the trail could be developed. The group would acquire the right-of-way, develop the trail, and then turn it over to the County Park System. Blue Earth County agreed to sponsor grant applications and to accept the RJT once completed. Adjacent landowners donated about one-third of the right-of-way, one-third was purchased from willing sellers, but one-third refused to sell. After significant controversy, the County Board elected to proceed with right-of-way acquisition using its eminent domain authority. The project represents a unique partnership of private, County, State, and Federal efforts. The Red Jacket Trail Task Force essentially developed the project and turned it over to the County. The group provided overall management, raised about $54,000.00 in cash, $80,000.00 in donated lands, and $11,000.00 in donated material. The County assisted in acquiring right-of-way, sponsored Federal Transportation Grant applications, and the County Highway Department provided labor and equipment when available. During an open winter, County Highway forces relaid a large deep culvert and relocated a timber trestle from an abandoned rail line in Mankato to the RJT just east of CSAH 33. They also replaced a number of deteriorated culverts and stabilized eroding slopes. MnDOT donated excess right-of-way at the Le Sueur River and created a parking area for trail users. Federal Transportation Grants provided the bulk of funding for three trestle decks and the pavement as well as land parcels acquired through eminent domain. One sector of the trail, from Mt. Kato to the Le Sueur River, was reconstructed as part of the South Route CSAH 90 Project to eliminate two crossings of the TH 66 and add a tunnel under CSAH 90. |
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