| Forestville Mystery Cave State Park | |
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 A passage in Mystery Cave | |
  Location of Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park in Minnesota Show map of Minnesota Forestville Mystery Cave State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Fillmore, Minnesota, United States |
| Coordinates | 43°38′23″N92°12′43″W / 43.63972°N 92.21194°W /43.63972; -92.21194 |
| Area | 3,170 acres (12.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,266 ft (386 m)[1] |
| Established | 1941 |
| Governing body | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
Forestville Townsite--Meighan Store | |
 Historic bridge to Forestville | |
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| Coordinates | 43°38′34″N92°12′53″W / 43.642680°N 92.214855°W /43.642680; -92.214855 |
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| Architect | Robert Foster; Felix Meighen |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000976 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1973 |
Forestville Mystery Cave State Park is astate park inMinnesota. It contains the village ofForestville, which has been restored to a 19th-century appearance. TheMinnesota Historical Society operates it as a historic site. Below ground the park contains Mystery Cave, the state's longestcave, which is open to the public. The park is betweenSpring Valley andPreston, Minnesota.
The park is in theDriftless Area, noted for itskarst topography, which includessinkholes andcaves. The park is about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Mystery Cave and occupies approximately 3,170 acres (12.8 km2), with camping, interpretive programs, and hiking, horseback, cross-country skiing trails, cold water streams and excellent trout fishing. The cave includesstalactites,stalagmites, and underground pools, and is a constant 48 °F (9 °C). It has over 13 miles (21 km) of passages in two rock layers and is being resurveyed and remapped by volunteers.
About 450 million years ago sedimentary rocks were deposited as the land was intermittently covered by shallow seas that transgressed and regressed. Over the eons the alternating deposits of mud and oceanic debris were compressed to formlimestone,shale andsandstone layers. Today these layers are 1,300 feet (400 m) above sea level. Within the last 500,000 to 1,000,000 years, flood waters dissolved along fractures in the limestone bedrock to create most of the cave. Acidic rainwater also sculpted the land above and around the cave, creating thousands ofsinkholes and other karst features in the surrounding county.
The park contains a range of wildlife, from relatively rare species such asglacial snails andtimber rattlesnakes to common species such asdeer,raccoon,beaver, two species offox,mink,opossum,woodchuck, and four species ofsquirrels.Coyotes howl at dusk. Numerous reptiles and amphibians are present. At least 175 species of birds have also been recorded. The South Branch of theRoot River containsbrown trout,brook trout, andrainbow trout.
TheMinnesota Historical Society operatesHistoric Forestville as aliving museum set in 1899. Costumed interpreters portray Forestville residents and go about daily activities in the general store, house, kitchen, farm, and barn.
Forestville was a rural trade center in the 1800s that declined after the railroad was built elsewhere in 1868.[2] Thomas Meighen, son of one of the town's founders, owned the entire village by 1890, including the general store, and the local residents worked on his property for housing and credit in the store.
Admission to Historic Forestville is separate from the caves. Historic Forestville is open from May through October.
