Banning State Park in Spring
As part of my Creative Individuals Grant, I took a two night stay at a cabin in the town of Willow River in Pine County, MN. Willow River is about a 10 minute drive to the nearby Banning State Park, which is my second focal area of my grant project. This park is on the Kettle River and has remnants of a sandstone quarry that was active from 1892-1912.
I spent the weekend hiking the trails at the park along the Kettle River and Wolf Creek. I also spent time painting from the forest near the cabin where I was staying in Willow River.
Things I learned during my stay:
Quarrying at Banning began after the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad was laid in 1892.
Banning State Park bears the name of the founder of the quarry and president of the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad, William Banning.
At it’s peak Banning had a community of about 300 people, a bar, a motel, a boarding house and a few homes where the State Park currently resides.
The town died due to over mining and the rise of steel as a cheaper alternative to Sandstone for building material.
The Park was established in 1963.
