| Sakatah Lake State Park | |
|---|---|
 Sakatah Lake State Park as seen from the east shore of Sakatah Lake | |
  Location of Sakatah Lake State Park in Minnesota Show map of Minnesota Sakatah Lake State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Minnesota, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°13′15″N93°32′8″W / 44.22083°N 93.53556°W /44.22083; -93.53556 |
| Area | 842 acres (341 ha) |
| Elevation | 1,076 ft (328 m)[1] |
| Established | 1963 |
| Governing body | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
Sakatah Lake State Park is an 842-acre (341 ha)state park ofMinnesota, USA, on a natural widening of theCannon River near the town ofWaterville. TheDakota native to the area called it "Sakatah" which means "singing hills". To honor this native heritage, some of the trails in the park have been given Dakota names. TheSakatah Singing Hills State Trail, which connectsFaribault andMankato, runs through this park.
The park sits on a thickmoraine deposited during theWisconsin glaciation, resulting in a rolling and uneven topography. Blocks of ice left behind as the glaciers melted formed the basin in which Sakatah Lake now lies.
The park preserves a mixed transitional habitat where theBig Woods (maple,basswood,elm) of centralMinnesota blend into theoak barrens of the southern part of the state. During drier eras patches ofprairie arose, although they are now succeeding back to hardwood forests. The landscape is further diversified by wetlands and agricultural fields.
This park is home towhite-tailed deer,rabbits,squirrels,raccoon,minks, andcoyotes. These mammals are commonly seen by visitors. Bird watchers get an opportunity to view songbirds,woodpeckers, varioushawks, and variousowls in this park.
The Wahpekute band ofDakota Sioux traditionally inhabited this area, using theCannon River as an important transportation route. Some of their burial mounds remain in the park. European settlement came in the late 1800s, and a rail line was laid betweenFaribault andWaterville in 1882, and extended toMankato by 1886. By chance the forest on the south shore of Sakatah Lake was never logged, and a 1962 inquiry into making it a state park received much local support. The site was included in a bill that passed the next year which authorized fourteen state parks. Development occurred over the next few years and Sakatah Lake State Park officially opened to the public in 1967. Although there was a rail line running through the park, it was only occasionally used, and in 1976 the owners abandoned it entirely and willingly sold it to the state, which converted it into the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail.